Do Not Go Gentle...

...into that good night

Rage, rage against the dying of the light - Canon 40D + Canon 70-200 F4 IS, 1/30, F/11, ISO 100

Don't worry, the light isn't really dying. I just have a new baby at home, and my time behind the lens and at the blogging keyboard is seriously curtailed at the moment. I have managed a few good shots in the past months, I think, which you'll find below the fold. I also have some very exciting news, which I will post in the next week or so.

Mystery in Stone

Mystery in Stone - Fuji x100s, 1/80, f/2, ISO 3200, Infrared filter

On a recent conference visit to Europe I traveled light, so I only took my little Fuji x100s with me and left the backpack full of DSLR gear at home. One of the places I got to visit was Stonehenge, which has always been on my bucket list. It was a hot, cloudless day. The light was bad, and there were throngs of tourists, so I wasn't expecting to get anything decent, but I took lots of pictures anyway. In particular, I took a few shots with my infrared filter, which works really well on the x100s, allowing me to take handheld exposures (I had forgotten my tripod).

I felt that the stones have a more "otherworldly" look in the infrared, which increased the mystery of the place. Dialing down the "clarity' slider in Lightroom did the rest. I'm quite happy with the result.

Uluru Moonrise

Since I became the proud father of a little monster, I have had fewer opportunities for serious photography. One such opportunity arose during a recent family holiday to Australia, where I managed to sneak away from my family for a few days and head to Alice Springs in the middle of nowhere. Nearby (i.e. a mere 450km away) is a big red rock called Uluru (a.k.a. Ayer's Rock):

Uluru Moonrise - Canon 40D + Canon 70-200 F4 IS, 1/8, F/8, ISO 400

The Road to Work

The Road to Work - Fuji x100s, 1/80, f/11, ISO 2500

Life is hard. Poor me. I have to cycle to work every day, and my route takes me along the Eerste River in Stellenbosch, on a well-maintained cycle path. These are some of the vistas I have to cycle past twice every day.

Spending time at the sea...

Another World - Canon 40D, Canon 17-55, 60s, f/9.5, ISO100, ND filter

I have just returned from a week at the sea with family, and for the first time in quite a while I have been able to spend some serious time photographing (see my previous post for the reason). It turns out that most of my keepers where made with a strong ND filter on my lens.

Quiver Tree Poetry!

Quiver Trees by Night 1 - Canon 40D, Tokina 11-16, 6x30sec, f/2.8. ISO 3200, Nodal Ninja

No, this is not a new image. But I am very excited that my fellow South African, Walter Schwim, has written a poem on quiver trees that perfectly accompanies Quiver Trees by Night 1 (or 2, for that matter). It was published on Poet's Collective. I reproduce it here with the kind permission of the author:

Chotje’s Vision

(Eyes of the Aloe)

Did you watch a gibbous moon
entangled in those starfish eyes
of wise old thorny Kokerboom
beneath Namakwa’s starry skies?
Did you touch his horny hide 
and ask him pardon for your rude
request that he in you confide
his thoughts and secrets un-eschewed?
Did he take you far away
beyond the feeble lunar glow
into his gleaming milky way
to places only Kokers know?
Where spirits fly on angel wings
for starfish eyes can see all things.

© WW Schwim, 2014

Why I've been quiet for so long

Mira - Fuji X100s, 1/80, f/2, ISO 500

A new star is born - well, actually she was born three months ago. My life has become a lot busier since then, especially because we have moved from a flat into a house (kids need a lot of space!). This also meant that I didn't have internet access at home for about a month. And with all the baby stuff, renovating and moving, I haven't had much time for photography.

Nevertheless, here are a few recent pretty images (don't worry, I won't show you any more baby pictures).

Shoot the moon!

The moon is watching - Canon 40D, 70-200 f4 IS, 0.3sec, f/22 ISO 100

On 15 March I joined a bunch of photographers to photograph the moonrise over Theewaterskloof Dam. The Helderberg Photographic Society does this thing about once a year, and this time Tafelberg Photographic Society wanted in on the act; it was fun shooting with a bunch of new faces.

Minor success at the WPO

Smoke on the Water - Canon 40D, Tokina 11-16, 20x30sec, f/2.8, ISO 3200

The above image of the Theewaterskloof Dam was commended at the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards. I had renamed the image, the old title being somewhat less inspired.

I was a bit luckier last time, when my Quiver Trees by Night 3 was shortlisted, and Quiver Trees by Night 2 was commended. Still, I'm very happy with the result, especially as 2013 really wasn't a good year for me, and this was one of very few decent images that I produced.

I'm Back!

Giraffe Portrait - Canon 40D, Canon 70-200 f/4 IS, 1/350, f/5.6, ISO 100

 I'm back after a three-week road trip to KwaZulu-Natal province with family. I won't bore you with the details, but I got to photograph beautiful landscapes, especially in the Drakensberg Mountains, as well as animals in the Addo Elephant National Park and the Ithala Game Reserve.

See below for some of my favorite shots.