Category: flickr

Night shot

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Actually: Night Shot (And Some Thoughts About ‘Togging On A Game Reserve)

Sifting through the several million photos we took at Sanbona, I think I’ve managed to kraal a significant but reasonable number of them into a Flickr album. Some were easy to include, some less so. But I use Flickr so that I’ve got a record and a memory of what happened, rather than to show off my photographic prowess. Using that second method would have taken a whole lot less time. What the group ends up with is a combination of the best shots and the best of the rest – it’s not always easy to photograph uncooperative wildlife. For an example, only 1 out of every 100 birds of prey that I see is facing me. Unless I don’t have a camera with me, of course. Then they all face me. Bastards.
That said, we were lucky enough to get very close to a lot of stuff, including cheetah, elephants (twice), rhinos and lions (and even a semi-cooperative bird of prey at one stage), amongst other things. So there are plenty of them.

But while you’re out and about looking at these things, you have to remember to make a decision: do you want to experience the animal there and then, or do you just want photo memories of it?
For me it was a bit of both, and so once I’d grabbed a couple of shots, I stopped and just watched, observed and listened (albeit with the camera ready to shoot again).

Obviously, you can take a bit more time over the shots of things that don’t move.

We also used our phone cameras while we were away. Firstly, so that we could email the kids something each evening and secondly (and photography snobs may want to look away now) because you can actually grab a decent shot every now and again. Oh, and it enables you to do things like this while someone else is using the “real” camera.

The place we stayed at was amazing. The setting was amazing. The staff were amazing. The food was amazing. The ranger was particularly amazing. It was, as you might expect, having read the previous five sentences – an amazing experience.

You can endure enjoy the full Flickr album here.

Dignity

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I couldn’t resist getting this shot of a Cypriot bulk carrier off Sea Point this last weekend:

Not because it’s a particularly spectacular bulk carrier: it’s not. No, simply because – despite its unspectacularity – the fact remains that it’s a Ship… Called… Dig… Ni… Ty:

Also, (and probably only because the Dignity is quite new and has been elusive up until now), my photo has (currently, at least) become the go-to image for marinetraffic.com’s Dignity page.

dig

Yeah. That’s fame right there. Please form an orderly queue for autographs. Selfies extra.

Saturday morning views

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We were out early for Alex’s karate kumite in Camps Bay this morning. He punched and kicked his way to a gold medal, including a stunning victory over a visiting Afrikaans blue belt from the Boland. It wasn’t xenophobic though. Technically, he was allowed to attack him, that’s what they were there for.

On the way back, we detoured up Signal Hill and took pictures of mountains, sculptures and shipping. The Queen Mary 2 is in Cape Town until this evening, and she’s always worth a look see. The conditions were near perfect – ok, if anything, a little too bright – and we shot lots on our various devices: some of the results of which can be seen in this flickr album.

Go big and black here

Now, having filled the intervening period with painting the braai and mending the lawn (riveting stuff, I know), I’m off for a quick Everton v Burnley.

There may also be cold beer involved. And who could blame me?