I often get asked where I studied photography and my answer always seem to follow a similar line. It is sometime a little bit embarrassing and might sound a little bit "corny" but it is the truth and I'm proud of my photographic past and the people I shared my learning experiences with.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not knocking those that have studied photography or film and if I had had the option all those years ago, I probably would have gone the diploma or study route myself. I am self taught. I learnt from trial and error on good old 35mm film cameras before many of the modern day photogs were even born.

Most holidays were spent in the game reserves on the Natal north coast and were run by The Parks Board or National Parks. These included Hluhluwe, Umfolozi and Mkuze but photographic "expeditions" were also made to the Drakensberg.

My main companions were my good buddy Jason Trauner and our birding expert David Kaplan. The subject of these shoots was, you guessed it, birds. Not the smooth-skinned talking kind like most teenagers stalk but the smaller (generally) and feathered kind found in our game and nature reserves.

Dave would recognise the call and jay and I would follow up with the cameras to get the shot and record our findings on a checklist. The idea was to see who could compile the longest list of birds seen and there was great competition mainly between Dave and Jay in this regard. I was briefly involved but lost interest somewhere around the 200 or 300 mark. (probably got distracted at some stage by the less feathered variety..)

 

Red Headed Finch - Kalahari Transfontier Park

But back to the photos. I still shake my head when I tell the story of how we taught ourselves through trail and error (mainly error) to take bird and animal pictures. The problem with film and particularly shooting small birds from the hip in the bush was complicated. Firstly, birds are really small and even smaller when looking through a view-finder. Remember 35mm film camera = no LCD screen! Secondly, they move around, a lot! and lastly they like to sit high up in tress where is either dark or is backlit with bright sunlight creating both lighting and subject size issues.

Hides were few and far between and often presented a limited number of LBJ's to photograph.

The anticipation waiting for photos to be developed was a real killer. How many photos would be ok, would you be able to see what bird had been photographed or indeed if you could see the bird at all.
of course I never admitted that I couldn't see anything and even today when I'm sharing my photographic past and learning experiences I always tell about the good ones. The ones that made the cut and ended up in an album. (the kind with pages and ends up in a storage cupboard or shelf in the garage)

So yes, I am self-taught, made some mistakes and always passed my exams because I knew what the questions were going to be. Today the answers are a little different and tomorrow will be different again but that is what makes photography so much fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liberia, an African tale

Last December, the opportunity arose for me to spend some time in North-west Africa. Liberia to be specific, an opportunity I could not refuse. Naturally I took my camera and took photos at every chance I got.

Welcome to my new Blog. We've just returned from another camping trip to Cape Vidal in the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park on the Kwazulu Natal North coast. Such is camping however that mother nature holds the aces as far as weather is concerned and this year was a repeat of the last two. We arrived in the rain which abated just long enough for us to pitch camp and get some coffee going. This was short-lived however and it continued to rain into the night. It has rained on us for the last two years running a fact that the camp manager was very pleased about, even suggesting that we come more often. Perhaps a little incentive from his side would be in order...

The next two days were punctuated by strong north-easterly winds that blew the rain away along with eveything else. The campsites at Cape Vidal are well protected and there has also been a recent upgrade / revamp of the ablutions with new water heat pumps and paved roads. Access is suitable for even small cars and there are ample loop road and trails to keep you busy. I did one game drive late on Saturday afternoon and saw the usual characters including, Hippo, Rhino, Kudu, Buffalo, Zebra, Warthog, Waterbuck, Bush Buck, Red Duiker and Baboons. One doesn't have to go far to see animals and in fact the come to you in the campsite if you have the patience. From the comfort of my chair I could see Red Duiker, Bush Buck, Banded Mongoose, and both Vervet and Samango Monkeys. Just be careful however not to leave food items out or accesible as these guys get in everywhere and will sample virtually everything in your larder. On being careful, we did spot signs of Leopard in the camp with loads of hair and bones and even a claw in the scat.