Wednesday 3 December 2014

Some of my favourite Eos M Pictures

The Eos M received a lukewarm reception at launch...mostly because of the pedestrian AF speed. A firmware update did improve the AF but it is nowhere near the speeds one can get from some of the other camera brands.

Last year with a price drop interest suddenly picked up. I even bought a black one for myself with the fixed 22mm lens and EF lens adapter. This year I added a white paired with the standard IS zoom lens...I didn't really want another camera but I got the whole package for the same price as the lens alone would have been...





Swakopmund, Namibia 2014


Recently there has been some rumors of a new Eos M camera. I certainly hope that my 'dream' mirror less might be announced although I am not crossing my fingers. My dream Eos M would have a build in or add on view finder, and a  Eos 7D mk2 sensor.... 

Friday 28 November 2014

My Namibian Adventure! - 5 Nights in Sesriem


On the 3rd day after leaving our home in Irene near Pretoria we eventually arrived in Sesriem. We had just enough sunlight left to be able to pitch our tent and get the camp organized before the darkness.




    Above: Deadvlei about 60km from Sossusvlei...



The next morning we took it slow as we were still recovering from the long drive through Botswana and across Namibia. On top of that we also experienced the infamous 'South Easter' on our first night, it is a very strong wind that howled around our tent the whole night. The wind was so strong that I thought it was going to blow our tent over with the result that I had to get up numerous times throughout the night to check if the tent pegs, ropes and things were still in place.  The wind was so strong that it blew the fine desert sand right into our tent and every now and again and I got a face full of find sand as a bonus..the joys of camping! ( I have also been told that  under the 'right' conditions the South Easter can sandblast the paint off ones car! )
So we woke up later than usual had breakfast and eventually entering the park we had driven so far to reach. The Namib Naukluft National Park is one of the most spectacular places to photograph landscapes and I can strongly recommend it, not just for the photography but also for the whole experience of it...

Wednesday 10 September 2014

My Namibian Adventure! - The Journey to Sesriem


During July and August 2014 my wife Cheryl and I journeyed through the central part of Namibia via the Trans Kalahari Highway 'short cut' through Botswana. 

We visited the Namib Naukluft Park at Sesriem where one can find the famous Namib Dunes as well as Sossusvlei and Deadvlei etc. From there we went to Swakopmund, Hentiesbaai, Spitzkoppe and finally Windhoek before returning home. 




       Dune 45, Namib Naukluft near Sesriem.


We left our home in Centurion, South Africa on a Saturday morning and arrived at Sesriem in Namibia three days and 1700km later!


Thursday 24 July 2014

Vosburg, again!

Many years ago I stayed over at the Vosburg hotel for a night...




My girlfriend at the time ( now my wife Cheryl ), and I had been on a holiday in Capetown. On the way back to the 'old Transvaal' we decided, on a whim, to visit my grandmother who lived in Brandvlei.




Monday 17 March 2014

Welcome to Strydenburg !


I don't have much to say about sleepy Strydenburg, except that on the day we were there it was very hot and dusty.  But the town is neat & clean and the people are friendly!



Wednesday 12 March 2014

Welcome to Murraysburg !


Murraysburg is far from the main road to Cape Town...We drove through it on our way to Nieu Bethesda from Victoria West.

Our first impressions were rather sad as the first thing we saw as we entered town was the cemetery...


                                                           'God is love'

Thursday 6 March 2014

Eos 6D Review - Part 3 ( Homage to Tri-X with my Eos 6D )


Intelligent Life has an article in its March/April edition on Tri-X, the iconic Kodak b&w negative film. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Tri-X. The article is well worth reading and explains things from a photographers perspective, but of course we photographers must remember that the viewer knows none of what goes on behind the scenes and in the photographers mind, and can only judge what he/she sees in front of them. The viewer sees only the final product and doesn't know or care what camera was used, whether it was digital or film or if it was a modern Japanese 'plastic' camera or a German luxury metal one...

So in a moment of inspiration and homage I thought I would convert some of my very recent 'street' images from the also iconic Longstreet in Cape Town using the Tri-X filter from my Silver Efex 2, Photoshop plugin. 



Btw, the e book version of 'Intelligent Life' can be downloaded to I Pad,  available for free  from the I Store.

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Eos 6D Review - Part 2 ( GPS & The Garden Route Portfolio )


Well I have had the Eos 6D for about 4 months now and I have come to really appreciate some of its unique features...and unfortunately some disappointment in others...


                                                     


Thursday 16 January 2014

My Canon Eos 6D Review - Part 1 ( Image Quality & General impressions. )


What better way to test my new Canon Eos 6D than on a 4500km three week journey through the Karoo and on to Cape Town... and back?


This is exactly what I did over this past December and January. My wife and I made a slow six day photographic journey to Cape Town via the Karoo. My three children drove to Cape Town on their own and then we spend another two weeks in Cape Town with them before the two day, 1500km drive back to our hometown of Centurion near Johannesburg.

For this journey I used the Canon Eos 6D and the Canon EF 40mm f2.8 pancake lens as my main combination, plus 24mm, 85mm & 70-300mm lenses. I also brought my Eos M as a backup camera.