On Top Of The World!

On the 1st January 2014, New Year's Day I climbed Mount Horeb which has been a dream for many years. Mount Horeb is an imposing 2449 metres high and towers 600 metres above the town of Clarens below. We were thirteen early birds who gathered at Ettiene and Annali Bossert's place which is the Gourmet Shed at the base of Mount Horeb on the south side.

Mount Horeb Landscape

Mount Horeb with clouds hugging the mountain below in 2010

The Group about to ascend Mount Horeb

Ettiene showing the proposed route

The Steep part up

The walk up was rather steep as we zigzagged to get to a particular ridge. I was huffing and puffing as not exactly physically fit and after what looked like a third of the way up decided rather to take time out and continue at my own pace. Kobus Basson stayed with me and we ended up having a great chat before I got my second wind. The going was slow however we took time to enjoy the views and Martin Fouche spotted a young buck cowering in the grass just below the top of Mount Horeb.

Time Out

Almost at the top - a small buck cowering in the bush

Once on top the views were simply magnificent and we had a clear view of the beautiful village of Clarens below us. We enjoyed some ice cold water and had a refreshing picnic surrounded by endless vistas right round. Whilst looking up we were treated to a beautiful display of storks soaring effortlessly on the thermals of the hot day. As a real treat we saw two large groups join and coalesce into one spiral of a flight of storks. For photographs I took the compact Nikon V1 with the 10-30mm and 30-110mm lenses which made for a perfect hiking kit with excellent results

The View From Mount Horeb overlooking Clarens

On Top of the World!

Storks overhead catching the thermals

The descent was easier for me however the steep downhill took it's toll on many knees. We finally arrived back at the house where Annali had ice cold Cokes and ice cream waiting! A huge thank you to Ettiene for taking us on this hike and for his patience too - it was a memorable day. The hike wasn't exactly a walk in the park for me and it was the dream of getting to the top that kept me going after that first stretch of over exertion. Standing on top of Mount Horeb was an enlightening experience - the higher perspective and the stork party was something else. 

Whilst reading up about the biblical Mount Horeb after which the Clarens peak is named some interesting stories emerged. It was on Mount Horeb that Moses received the ten commandments and it was Mount Horeb which Moses struck with his staff as commanded when the water came out for the people to drink. It was also at Mount Horeb where the Lord spoke to the prophet Elijah in a whisper after a hurricane wind, an earthquake and a fire occurred in which none of which He was present. I can't exactly say that I heard Him whisper on New Year's Day but He certainly was communicating in so many more mysterious ways that particular day. The day's events set the tone for the coming year and holding onto one's dream with a little help from one's friends makes mountains into molehills!

Ronnie's Remarkable Story

Ronnie Basaijja is a remarkable young man from Uganda who has been studying videography at YWAM Media Village Africa in Cape Town for some time. He was visiting our family in Bethlehem and we were about to leave to attend the Photo and Film Expo on Friday the 1st November 2013 when Ronnie was found semi-comatose in his room. After an ambulance arrived in quick time and an emergency CT scan was performed on Ronnie who was now being ventilated, we were shocked to see what was a large mass in his brain.

Ronnie in the ambulance and the large tumour present

Ronnie was transferred to the Universitas hospital in Bloemfontein and within a week surgery was performed and ninety percent of the tumour was removed. He received excellent medical care and the tumour turned out to be a pilocytic astrocytoma which does not require chemo/radiotherapy. Ronnie made a full recovery and was amazed at how much better he could read than before the operation.

Ronnie after surgery showing most of it removed

He was discharged within three weeks and whilst back in Bethlehem some shots of Ronnie just reveal how full of Life he is. He returned back to YWAM media village in Cape Town and while travelling on the train with some friends they were robbed of their wallets and cellphones. During the robbery he was attacked with a knife and as he lunged backwards he was flung out of the broken window of the travelling train. His friends thought him dead yet after the train stopped 2 miles later they ran to find him alive next to the tracks.

Ronnie was taken to hospital and due to sustaining a head injury, he was scanned again but other than the residual tumour all was fine. He needed surgery for a dislocated elbow and some suturing of lacerations. Ronnie's response after another close shave with death was "Not why God, but what God, what do you want me to do?"

Road to Know Where

Always loved the song "Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads. I clearly remember a scene from the 1980's standing as an intimidated medical student in the entrance of the long, daunting passage of the Johannesburg General Hospital and hearing the song playing over the radio. The melody is great but the cynical words were always uncomfortable with the feeling we were heading for this terminal cul-de-sac. In Dec 2013 out of the blue whilst pondering my future the words changed to "Road to Know Where"! Wow, what a difference and what a song it now has become!

The photo was taken whilst returning from Clarens driving the old 1970 Mercedes Benz 280S. The wind was howling and the poplars and grass were straining. The Nikon J1 with 10mm lens makes a neat travel camera and shooting at 60fps one is bound to find a spot in the road where the curve, tree and star come together. I played with the Analog Efex Pro from Nik Software and gave it a Johan Smith colour treatment. Johan Smith is a renowned artist who has captured the essence of the Eastern Free State landscape with it's bright blue sky contrasting with the warm yellow tones of the grass, lands and earth below. His landscapes are often in the vertical format with large washes of blue symbolising the ever present Heaven above.

There are so many cliches about Life being a journey however they do ring true and who knows what lies around the next bend. May 2014 be an incredible year with many pleasant surprises, interesting detours and mind blowing new landscapes!

An Irish Blessing

We had the privilege of visiting Ireland for the first time this year and it was a trip of a lifetime. Besides the fact that we had nearly three weeks of sunshine I had a most memorable time with my wife Andrea and daughter Kelly. A huge thank you to Davey, Linda and family for making the whole experience such a life changer.

Davey and Linda Hoy

Mussenden Temple - Panoramic stitch

We experienced such amazing generosity and freedom as we took an unplanned roadtrip from Northern Ireland down to Galway then to Dublin and back. The liberty of just travelling and booking online as we went along was just fantastic. Ireland is a beautiful country and we were truly blessed out of our socks!

Andrea and Kelly - Carrick-a-Rede

Andrea and I - Binevenagh

Giant's Causeway

The Dark Hedges

Fifty Fifty

In April 2013 I left the roaring forties and entered the furious fifties. My younger brother generously spoiled me with a surprise gift of a black Nikon J1 with a 10mm lens (28mm equivalent), a camera system I had recommended to him for his daughter. The Nikon 1 system was being berated as having too small a sensor and due to it's poor sales was being discounted. It intrigued me however due to it's poor reviews it was a camera I wouldn't quite consider for myself. What a pleasant surprise and amazing gift! The small camera feels solid and has amazing autofocus whilst being able to shoot up to 60 fps and in complete silence. The Nikon J1 has become a constant companion and although it has some silly modes which could have been used for more conventional operating modes, this is a highly capable camera. It is a great general grab along camera and a joy for stealthy street photography.

My son Jude - very tricky boy to photograph!

Grab shot whilst walking to work

The unexpected arrival of this compact camera has had me reconsider my photography. It has put the FUN back into my photography whilst making photographs a whole lot less serious of a business. Maybe that is the wisdom surfacing that comes from being fifty years of age! Looking at my photographic cupboard and all the many cameras, formats and lenses I wondered how I arrived at such a place. There have been many seasons and each item was a "justifiable" purchase. Many do not hold their original value and it would be tempting to do a massive springclean however each camera carries so much sentiment. It is a huge thrill to produce a high quality, high resolution black and white print (even greater when selling it!) and I still pursue this however the value of a happy snappy family photograph is suddenly becoming rather precious. The lure of ever more capable cameras is forever there and is what drives the sales markets. My Nikon D70s still takes great photographs but in all honesty my Nikon D600 does a better job.

Cheerful Man I met on way to work

Cartier-Bresson tribute!

Olivier Duong has a great blog with an article "Letting go of the camera: The action steps I took to break free from gear addiction" which I ironically stumbled across at dpreview.com , a gearhead's must read website. He raises many confronting issues and how he recognises the signs and symptoms of this affliction. There is hope and he has some recommended remedies in dealing with this ordeal. At this stage my film photography has waned however somehow I don't concern myself with worrying about this. Shooting a compact digital and playing with a larger DSLR trying bokeh panoramas is very satisfying. Fifty Fifty - some days are slow and calculated, others a flurry of snapshots, some days ten latent images with the excitement of waiting for their development is what works whilst on another occasion it might be chimping away after photographing the birth of a newborn babe.

Last Haircut as 49 yr old. Mucking about with Plaubel Makina 6x9

Birth of a baby boy!

All photos other than Plaubel Makina were taken with Nikon J1
                                     

Over the Mountain

Wolhuterskop with impending thundershower

Wolhuterskop is a koppie situated in a nature reserve of the same name and it's the highest point overlooking the town of Bethlehem in the Free State. The reserve is home to many species of game including springbok, wildebeest, eland, blesbok and rhebok amongst others whilst the lovely Gerrands Dam has been a favourite fishing and camping spot for many families as well as drawing a host of waterbirds. This reserve holds a very special place for me as I spent countless hours there in the late nineties photographing the landscape. The thrill of waiting for the late light and the anticipation of capturing these wonderful scenes on colour film was where my love for photography was revived. The magnificent sunsets and late afternoon thundershowers with the surrounding game was simply beautiful beyond words.

Wolhuterskop West Face with three Gemsbok and distant thunderstorm

Wolhuterskop Nature Reserve with sunset over Gerrand's Dam

Of late this very mountain has been the point of much controversy as it has been used as a venue for the Apostle Mokoena of the Tyrannus church where thousands congregate over a weekend as he addresses the people from on high on the west side of the mountain. Our President Jacob Zuma was a guest in October 2012 during a weekend conference held in the reserve as thousands camped at the foot of the mountain. A fire broke out that very weekend and a substantial portion of the game's grazing was destroyed. There are numerous allegations and rumours regarding the church's integrity and intentions particularly as to plans to acquire the very koppie of Wolhuterskop.

Love Prevailing at the foot of Wolhuterskop

As a citizen of Bethlehem I oppose any scheme to annex any portion of Wolhuterskop nature reserve especially the very centrepiece of Wolhuterskop itself. South Africa is currently in a grip of power struggles and it would be a very sad day to see a well preserved nature reserve and a Landmark of Bethlehem be taken from it's very own people. I pray that Wolhuterskop stays put and that is with faith that will move mountains!

Thinking Outside the Boxes

During the last few weeks I have been given a number of Brownie Box Cameras all by different people. Receiving a gift albeit a camera that you won't run a film through, is always special. I already had a few from my father and these little boxes just seemed to be asking to be stacked. I had spent a number of hours trying to get into the strobist thing with homemade aluminium arms for reflectors and playing with the Nikon SB800 flash with some older Sb26's. I had some problems with the SB26's interfering with the exposure using the SB800 in remote CLS mode even though I had them both on delayed slave triggering. Some reading to do but was rather fun experimenting with the flashes.

Looking at the Box cameras each has it's own distinct personality. Most have a comical Mickey Mouse look and some are rather battered. All have a story to tell and some I am sure have seen and recorded some wonderful scenes and family memories whilst others would rather forget some images they were forced to capture. I can just imagine the tales that are exchanged in that cupboard at night when the lights are turned off. Would you like to have travelled the world and bare the scars of your journeys or would you like to have been stuck in a Box only to be sold later in mint condition? Somehow in Life we fortunately have the choice to decide which Box or Bed we choose to remain or lie in!