Autumn at Kenmo

It was Tuesday morning when I got the call. "We need some good autumn colourful images for the publication".... mmmm.. I had done some autumn images at Zoo Lake the previous week but that wasn't quite going to be spectacular  enough for what we needed. Where to was the question? I had seen quite a few spectacular images from Kenmo Lake in the Southern Drakensberg but I had never been there before. It is situated just outside a small town called Himeville which is a few kilometers from Underberg. I quickly made some enquiries about where I could stay and the plans were made.

I left Johannesburg on the Friday morning and after one or two quick stops, I arrived in Himeville just in time before sunset. Early Saturday morning, about an hour before sunrise, I was at the lake... with about 100 other photographers. This was a photographers hot spot with everyone finding their spots to capture the magic that was about to unfold.. I immediately headed to the opposite side where everyone was setting up. I most certainly didn't want the same shots as everyone else. It was overcast and very misty and I was worried whether the light would be any good. Did I mention that it was cold? One degree in fact! My fingers where numb and carrying the tripod didn't exactly help.

My first view. Misty, cold and overcast

I walked to the far embankment and waited for the light... and then as if a magical wand had been swung, the sky was a bright pink and the view around me sublime..

As the morning progressed I witnessed many different magical scenes. I took countless images and it would be impossible to show them all here. I have chosen a few of my favourites from the morning but this is only really a sample of what I saw. It was a feast for the eyes. The ever changing colours and views from the plethora of colours that kept unfolding in front of me. A true gourmet meal for the eyes.

I returned on Sunday morning and it was a different world. The sky was clear with not a single cloud to be seen. A completely different scene was about to unfold before my eyes. There were not as many photographers present this morning and I had a bit more freedom moving around without getting photographers in my shots.. :) :)

The "Burning Bush"

The wives of 2 of the photographers I bumped into struck some poses for us.

Murals at Warwick Junction

I have been rather involved in other projects and workshops the last few weeks so haven't got round to keeping my blog very up to date. I am currently in Durban and this morning started out like so many when I am in Durban with a trip to North Beach to catch a sunrise and then shoot some of the local surfers.

I arrived a while before sunrise and got the camera ready. Light changes dramatically in very short spaces of time with the best light generally being before the actual sunrise. I always try and capture something of interest in my sunrise images but if you know North Beach, then you will understand that this is not an easy task. There are no rocks nor interesting features so I had to make to with what was available. 

The first image was about 20 minutes before sunrise. The sky had started to glow and the colours were appearing. I tried a few different compositions and I quite liked how this one turned out. The little permanent umbrellas added to the ambiance, albeit that they were a little skew.

I carried on shooting for a while and the light constantly changed. I also repositioned myself for a more open view of the sea with just the pier leading me into the image. The sky had lit up with a pink glow that was dappled on the interesting cloud patterns. The sun was about to show it's self and that golden glow intermingled with the pink made for a lovely textured sky.

I shot quite a few more shots during the half an hour or so and was then ready to take on the surfers. I walked back to my car to change cameras and lenses and when I returned some 10 minutes later the wind had picked up and was howling. The sea had become very choppy with white caps covering for as far as the eye could see. I had met up with a few photographer friends, and some new ones to and we decided that photography was out and coffee the in thing. It was during this coffee time that one fellow tog mentioned that there were some lovely new wall murals that had been painted by Cape Town artist Faith 47 down at Warwick junction and of course, this became our next subject for the lens. 

As part of a cultural program of the 25th World Congress on Architecture  Faith47 was invited to paint six giant walls in South Africa.  The six walls, located under the main freeway overpass are situated in four giant supporting columns over looking the Early Morning Market in Warwick.

The artist explained:

 “The paintings are portraits of actual traders in the area. Perhaps the Inyanga looks like an everyday person, he is not dressed in a traditional manner signifying his vocation; its true to life. We don’t always know who someone is when we see him or her on the street, but there is a great wealth of stories hidden within each of us.”

“The atmosphere of Warick triangle is wild and chaotic, allot of people are scared to even venture into that area.This is a potent high energy zone which really reaches the people on the street. I needed to dedicate these walls to the individuals who work there, to the strength and importance of informal trade within our economy.  it is the people of warick who have made it so alive.The architecture truly belongs to them.” 

Four of us ventured off in search of these columns with the murals and after a nerve racking hour or so venturing through this intimidating part of Durban, we came across these beautiful, enormous murals. I was really impressed with the magnitude and the fine detail in every art work.

To give you a sense of scale of the size of these lovely art works.

We only reached the actual murals mid morning and by now the sun was harsh with some harsh shadows falling diagonally across some of them. I was not going to venture down to this area again for the forseeable future so I decided to shoot them anyway as their magnitude and beauty would still be clearly visible.

Sunset at the Witkop Blockhouse

When traveling through certain areas of South Africa one observes these strange upright square buildings with window openings but no windows. They are generally built of stone and seem to be from a bygone era which they in fact are. These are the Blockhouses that were built during the Anglo Boer war (1899 - 1902)

Most of the 441 masonry blockhouses were constructed between December 1900 and the early part of 1901. They were built to the standard 3 storyed blockhouse design by Chief Engineer Major-General E. Wood using mortared stonework or reinforced concrete. They were erected at important points such as railway bridges, railway stations and towns. 

The standard 3 storey masonry blockhouse housed between seven and forty men. The use of the ground floor was for storage, the first floor as a living area and the second floor for observation over the countryside. The gap between the eaves of the pyramid shaped timber and corrugated iron roof and the top of the parapet wall on the second floor was closed by canvas “drops” during bad weather. Two steel machicouli galleries were placed at two diagonally opposite corners to allow flanking fire along the walls in case of an attack. They could also be used as a mounting platform for a machine gun. Access to the blockhouse was by means of a ladder to a steel stable type door situated on the first floor. The ladder could be drawn up inside in an event of an attack. Trap doors were situated in the middle of each wooden floor and access to the next floor was by means of a wooden ladder.

The roof was fitted with galvanized gutters, which chanelled rainwater through internal downpipes to circular corrugated iron water tanks on the ground floor. The tanks were topped up regularly in dry weather by train or water cart.

The Witkop Blockhouse was declared a national monument in 1948 and is one of the last fifty left in our country.

Many of these buildings have over the years been destroyed but fortunately, not far from where I live, there is a one in reasonably good condition to be found. I headed out there this afternoon hoping to capture one with a sunset to boot. 

Shot with the Sony A99 and the CZ16-35mm.

Just behind this blockhouse is an abandoned building which made for a good photograph too....

Almost a step back in time - Muizenberg Beach Huts

Colourful Victorian bathing boxes comes to mind when I look at Muizenberg beach.. I can imaging ladies with their 19th century swimming costumes (if you can call them that) sitting on the stairs with the men in their striped shirts and long trunks playing cricket on the beach.

There’s something ‘retro’ about Muizenberg Beach, an echo of an era when seaside talent shows and parading along the promenade were all the fasion.  No doubt it’s the boldly-coloured Victorian bathing ‘boxes’ or huts which evoke the feeling of a stepping back in time.

I have for many years wanted to photograph these brightly coloured little boxes but until recently the light that I was looking for had simply eluded me... Then early one morning, not too long ago... it was there... and so was I.. armed with the Sony full frame and the Zeiss 16-35mm lens.. the rest is, as one would say, history........

A Winters Morning Sunrise

Yes, no doubt, winter is here! Whilst most were still warm under their blankets or preparing for work in their warm houses, I had lost my mind. I had risen early, long before the sun had even thought about showing its'self and traveled the 60km to the area that was clear of buildings and power lines so that I might capture the beginning of the day on silicon. 

It was 1 degree celsius when I arrived and the mist was so thick that I couldn't see 5m in front of me. Pfft, looked like it was going to be a waste of time. The sun was far behind the mist and wasn't going to show till much later the morning. Well patience was rewarded and I managed a few images before the magic light was gone. 

The sun just burning through the mist.

A real eery feeling above the water between the trees.

The river running strong.

A Morning at Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Rietvlei is one of my little retreats where I disappear to every now and again. I am normally there when or before the sun rises so that I get to shoot a few sunrise pics (which are generally quite stunning) and I then have some favourite spots which I drive along to shoot some birds or the wildlife if it presents it's self. I am normally done and leave by about 10am when the morning light has gone.

Rietvlei Nature Reserve is located in Pretoria and is about 3,800 hectares (38 km2) in size. Located within the reserve is the Rietvlei Dam. The Reserve is made up of open grassland with undulating hills with indigenous trees clustered in small groups.

I thought I would share a couple of pics from a recent visit of mine.

The scene that lay in front of me as I entered the reserve

Not more than 2km away, the light had changed.

The river that runs under Otter bridge.. A good place to spend time waiting for birds.

These guys are always around in Otter Pond

The early morning finds the Jackal still out

The Red Backed Shrike

Mom and babe

The one horned Waterbuck deep in the long grass

One Eyed Red Hartebeest

The Rufousnaped Lark singing his song

Just love the flaps in front of the eyes

The Egret fishing in a small stream.

It would not be the same without a pic of the Stonechat

The Giant Kingfisher with a crab

He breaks the pincers off

and then down it goes

The Diederick Cuckoo... a nice surprise