A Beautiful Day

On the 6th December 2014 my beautiful daughter Amy married her Prince, Ewald Nel. The wedding ceremony took place in Clarens in the afternoon with the reception at the nearby St Fort farm.  The morning was a time of catching up with family and everyone's nerves were surprisingly calm.

My Gorgeous Daughters - Kelly doing Amy's make-up. Glen Green capturing the moment.
Rolleiflex

On seeing Amy for the first time in her wedding dress!
Courtesy Glen Green

 As the pace quickened with busy bridesmaids getting ready and me being told the time has come to slip into my specially purchased suit, suddenly a whole bunch of butterflies burst forth.

Nothing really prepares you for this incredible day! Not that we had rehearsed anything other than the church ceremony however I knew that my amazing wife Andrea and Ewald's equally amazing mother Riekie had all things sorted. I was aware of endless phonecalls, plans, negotiations and arrangements that had taken place. The brilliant wedding coordinator Conrad was in fine form and had every angle covered including a last minute arrangement to supply a generator for the church. 

Amy was ready and as I saw her in her exquisite wedding dress there was such an overwhelming flood of emotions - my new suit suddenly felt too small! She was exceedingly beautiful - radiant - too beautiful for words! It was time to leave for the church - it was happening!

Amy and Andrea leaving for the church
Nikon V1

Beautiful Amy on her way
An over the shoulder shot - Nikon V1

I was now chauffeuring Amy to Clarens in our old Mercedes with its bright red leather seats. There she was quietly confident, anticipating the imminent events whilst I was pinching myself in the front seat, driving, photographing and just reminding myself to breathe. As a keen photographer I could not resist the temptation to have a camera at hand and managed to squeeze a Nikon V1 with 18,5mm lens into my pocket. I knew my friend and accomplished wedding photographer Glen Green had this special day covered and we had spoken how annoying the intrusive "Uncle Bob" with his fancy camera can be for the appointed photographer. But Glen wasn't in the car and I couldn't resist photographing these once in a lifetime moments! In keeping with the retro theme I also brought my old Rolleiflex along loaded with black and white film, my favourite. Being the ever consummate professional Glen captured the true essence of the day in his photojournalistic style giving Amy and Ewald a stunning collection of images that will be treasured for years to come.

Ewald lost in Love
Nikon V1 - front row seat

The bridal couple hearing Pastor Phillip whilst being captured by Glen Green
Nikon V1

 A Very Proud Mr and Mrs Nel emerging from the church being showered with Blessings!
Nikon V1

Shooting from the hip
Courtesy Glen Green

   

The Wedding Ceremony was Wonderful Beyond Words! Walking Amy down the aisle to her song "It is Well" by Bethel Music was out of this world! Shane Pretorius lead us all in passionate worship and Pastor Phillip Boshoff gave such an inspiring and personal message. All eyes were on Amy and Ewald and there was such a sense of overwhelming JOY.

The generator kindly provided by DJ Francois rescued the load shedding and there was a flurry of activity and well wishing outside the church. Frantic family gathering for photographs followed and thankfully Uncle Bob was polite and accommodating.

Classic Pose of Amy and Ewald outside NG sandstone church in Clarens
Rolleiflex

Amy and Ewald on Cloud 9!
Rolleiflex

Chauffeur steals a shot of the bridal couple entering the Merc with Kelly and the bridesmaids in blue
Nikon V1

Beaming Ewald and Amy - We are Married!
Nikon V1

Glen had the brilliant idea of driving up a nearby hill at St Fort for a stunning view overlooking the Eastern Free State with the beautiful late afternoon light. I struck a quick deal that if we went up in the Landy he would allow me a few shots with the Rolleiflex! The view and light was perfect with Amy and Ewald literally on top of the world. Our good friend Ronnie armed with another Nikon V1 took magnificent photos.

We did it! Ecstatic couple bathed in beautiful sunset!
Nikon V1

Amy and Ewald smiling for Dad!
Nikon V1 courtesy Ronnie

Magnificent setting - setting sun over Eastern Free State. Rollei time again
Courtesy Glen Green

Ewald and Amy in Blissful Embrace
Rolleiflex

Ewald and Amy on top of the World!
Rolleiflex

The sun set and we made our way down to the awaiting reception to experience an unforgettable evening. The celebratory atmosphere and the youthful exuberance of Amy and Ewald's friends was so contagious! There were inspiring speeches and then Ewald took centre stage. His groomsmen and friends provided some entertaining jesting as Ewald declared his unfailing love for Amy with many a tear shed. Ewald proceeded to deliver a heartfelt and rivetting speech which was more like inspired preaching where he had the whole hall hanging onto every word of his as he spoke about God and His Unfailing Love. We were all deeply impacted by the Truth and rather stunned. Shortly afterwards Ewald led Amy in an impressive and beautiful dance as they opened the floor. Many a young man was mesmerised by what had just happened.

The festive mood continued and sometime later I was frantically called to the hall by my daughter Kelly. I thought there was a medical emergency but what I saw was nothing short of a miracle! There before me was my whole family, my wife, my daughter, my parents, my brothers, my sister in law as well as my beautiful nieces dancing in delight! I joined the circle and we continued to enjoy the evening and all it had to offer. Later that night suddenly my musical request "Beautiful Day" by U2  (a very special song Amy and I share) played over the speakers - what a way to celebrate one of the best days of my life! Amy and Ewald you are truly blessed!

The First Day of their rest of their Lives Together
Rolleiflex

The Sign of the Cross

At the tender age of seven I was a Catholic for two weeks after commencing standard one at Christian Brothers College in Welkom. CBC was an excellent boys school and was run by the Catholic Irish brothers to whom I will forever be indebted. School started with religious instruction where the Catholics went to a large class and not knowing what to do I simply followed the masses but was soon found out and sent back to the non-Catholic class. I might have been exposed by my clumsy execution of the sign of the cross but it was probably when asking my parents those awkward and difficult questions that I discovered who I was not and that I was actually part of the minority group with the strange name of Protestants.

In the hilarious British film comedy "Nuns on the Run" where two fleeing bank robbers disguise themselves as nuns, the large nun demonstrates the sign of the cross to his ignorant accomplice by following the memory aid "spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch". Recently this mnemonic took on a whole different meaning if one takes it quite literally!

NUNS ON THE RUN poster

SPECTACLES

Do you have the vision?

Do you see where you want to be?

Cape Town - Rayban Wayfarers

TESTACLES

Do you have the b@lls?

Do you have what it takes to endure?

Spot the Fly on the ball

WALLET

Are you willing to pay the price?

Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?

Digging Deep

WATCH

Do you have the time and patience to see it through?

Are you willing to finish the journey?

DIE - German for Tuesday
written Tuesday 16th December 2014

The Lord works in mysterious ways and He will speak through any form He chooses! This is one incredible journey we are on and it could be the disappointing story of the immaculate deception or the totally outrageous story of the immaculate redemption!

Two Weddings and a Farewell

Due to a series of fortunate events I had the privilege to photograph two weddings of friends and the matric farewell of a colleague's son. Once I had agreed to commit myself I knew there was no option to back out and started to prepare in earnest. Fortunately I had help from some friends who are experienced wedding photographers and then of course the wonderful web was full of very helpful videos and other resources. Despite a wealth of information and advice there is no substitute for first hand experience!

Chris and Zandra had an intimate wedding and Zandra who loves purple had a right royal time whilst Chris relished the day. 

Cornel and Armandt were married at the beautiful Barbersbaai and had to deal with wind and rain however their unforgettable day was blessed with a stunning rainbow.

Boeta and his date Anja who were both immaculately dressed for the farewell had great afternoon light at the Bethlehem Railway station and were very relaxed in front of the camera.

As someone who enjoys the technical side of photography and who is prone to tweaking or shall we say fiddling with equipment, one thing I soon found out and that is that there is no time to faff with your camera. Thank goodness for the forgiving latitude of current digital sensors including my Nikon D610 however there is no remedy for camera shake and poor focus technique. With a pair of Nikon flashes, some newly acquired Yongnuo radio flash transmitters and an octabox there was scope for different lighting options. Before the one shoot whilst trying out the flash with radio trigger in the octabox I had inadvertently forgotten to tighten the flash properly and suddenly the flash went crashing down some stairs with batteries flying everywhere. Thankfully the Nikon SB900 still worked faultlessly and a lesson was learnt.

Two weddings and a farewell isn't a great deal of photography however I take my hat off to any professional wedding photographer. One needs a cool head, steady hands and fast feet to catch those special moments but that rush when one sees an image or two that works back home on the screen is hugely satisfying. 

Hitting the Wall

After a glorious day yesterday I hit the Wall today. We are holidaying here in the beautiful Drakensberg Gardens Resort and yesterday I enjoyed a beautiful bike ride with my daughter Kelly on some rented bikes. 

Kelly sketching in a beautiful setting. Nikon V1 6,7-13mm lens

 Woke up this morning to some blustery conditions and decided to try one of the resort's mountain bike trails. After selecting a bike with disc brakes I went looking for the trails and the easier family route alongside the river sounded just fine. It was downhill and I had a strong breeze behind me, the river beside me and boy was I having fun. There was a little stormpipe crossing up ahead and I unknowingly cut the corner, went flying over the handlebars and heard a loud thud as my forehead hit the soft riversand. I was lying in the ditch with the bike entangled around me and as I opened my eyes everything was sort of whitish and blurry (like a badly overexposed and out of focus photo). I scurried for my cellphone, retrieved it from my camera bag but then couldn't find it.

After sometime looking for my cellphone, trying to adjust the white point slider in my head to fix this bright view of the world and lotsa prayer (didn't want to die in a ditch on a beginner's trail) I soon realised I could see better again. I bravely mounted my hired blue Nomad Bike and found my way to the tar road and with sheer determination and grit cycled uphill to return safely in the arms of my loving and caring wife (who is currently pampering me and nursing me back to good health)

Self portrait in a river pool - who knows what lies around the bend. Nikon V1 6,7-13mm

I have a new found respect for my brother Grant, a keen cyclist and my cycling colleagues at work. Thank God He answers prayers and knows us better than we know ourselves. Morals of the story - mind your head ( wear a helmet in future), one can always bounce back after hitting the Wall and lastly never underestimate the beginner's section!

1 flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

This is just a short story about my one year experience with the Nikon 1 series which is the company's first mirrorless interchangeable-lens compact camera. In the classic and controversial film "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" Randle McMurphy played by Jack Nicholson entered the mental institution and challenged the controlling and rigid order of the day. Similarly the Nikon 1 offered a refreshing new take on spontaneous photography but alas as in the film the rebellious star ended up losing his mind quite literally after being cut down to size by the head nurse Ratched. The film scooped an amazing five Oscars but unfortunately the Nikon 1 while not exactly a box office flop didn't quite do the same.

My two slightly used Nikon 1 cameras

I received a Nikon J1 with 10mm lens as a birthday gift from my brother and was over the moon. It felt solid and well built yet compact and within minutes of opening my gift I was shooting away. I had recommended the camera to my brother who was looking for a camera for his daughter and she was delighted with her pink J1. Ironically I never personally considered the 1 series as most of the internet reviews including DPREVIEW weren't favourable especially regarding the small 1 inch sensor.

Myself and son Jude Nikon J1 1/125 s at f/4.5  ISO 100  Aperture Priority 10mm lens

One of the first shots taken the day I received my Nikon J1 and perfect for a great father and son family shot as captured by a friend. The super quiet electronic shutter and the high frame rate were great features to be explored. I walked to work and tried some street photography and using the high speed frame rate even managed to capture a Cartier-Bresson decisive moment (except it doesn't quite hold any water!)

Bethlehem   Nikon J1 1/50 s at f/8.0 ISO 400 Shutterspeed Priority 10mm lens

Bethlehem   Nikon J1 1/800 s at f/3.5 ISO 100 Exposure mode Auto High Speed 10mm lens

The next step in my 1 series journey was acquiring the 18,5mm f1,8 lens. Even though it is a fast lens the anticipated shallow depth of field is no where near it's equivalent 50mm focal length in 35mm format due to the smallish 1inch sensor. This lens is a real gem and still small enough on a J1/V1 to carry in a big pocket. The J1 became a regular accompaniment to the workplace which is a hospital theatre. On one occasion I took a small cheap white umbrella and used a secondary Nikon SB800 flash attached to a drip stand to shoot some nursing colleagues. The soft light was beautiful but the 1/60th shutter speed on the J1 is a bit slow nevertheless we made some great memories.

Theatre Sisters   Nikon J1 1/60 s at f/5.6 ISO 100 Aperture priority 18,5mm lens Nik Processing

After a few months with the Nikon J1 it had become a constant companion but the the Nikon V1 with it's higher flash sync of 1/250th plus the fact it uses a much bigger battery the same size as my Nikon D600 made the V1 more enticing. The Nikon 1 series was launched late 2011 and two years later it did not appear to be a commercial success in South Africa and it seems in many parts of the world. I managed to pick up a secondhand Nikon V1 with 10-30mm, 30-110mm and SBN5 flash for a much lower than original launch price and the fun continued. The small SBN5 flash with its swivelling head was a great idea and although Nikon's amazing wireless CLS flash system is not utilised in the 1 series it was possible to use the fully tiltable flash to trigger other flashes.

Ronnie Recovered    Nikon V1 1/160 s at f/5.0 ISO 100 Manual mode 30-110mm lens at 80mm equivalent 

The 1 series smallish sensor size and subsequent noise at higher ISO has been heavily criticised and yes it is no low light marvel but for casual shots it is still usable. I photographed my two mates who happened to be positioned beneath two loving birds in church and was quite surprised at the quality at ISO 3200.

Danie and Johan      Nikon V1 1/40 s at f/5.3 ISO 3200 Shutter Speed Priority 30-110mm @ 90mm equivalent 

Fellow photographers are not always the easiest or most willing to be photographed and that is the convenience of a small compact camera where one can steal a shot or three without being too intrusive! Here I photographed Glen Green in his green Landy the day I received the J1, Lawrance Brennon whilst visiting him in Underberg and Bill Burger outside his home in Bethlehem. These photographs are probably cheeky and maybe even sneaky but great keepsakes. 

Glen Green   Nikon J1 1/125 s at f/4.5 ISO 100 Aperture priority  10mm lens cropped

Lawrance Brennon   Nikon J1  1/50 s at f/2.8  ISO 400 Aperture Priority  10mm lens

Bill Burger   Nikon V1  1/160 s at f/4.0 ISO 500 30-110mm lens @123mm equivalent

The high frame rate and excellent auto focus is great for photographing children as it often takes many shots to get that one with a beautiful smile.

Beautiful niece Sanchia     Nikon V1 ISO 100 1/1000 s at f/2.0 18,5mm lens 

While recently visiting in Rosendal a street parade ended up in the township and there were images everywhere. The speedy and fairly unobtrusive V1 allowed for some interesting shots like these two ladies with a cat above them.

Rosendal   Nikon V1 1/50 s at f/3.8  ISO 720 30-110mm lens 81mm equivalent

My father in law Mike and mechanic friend Les in his workshop in Johannesburg and an impromptu photograph of two great characters.

Mike and Les     Nikon V1 1/100 s at f/2.0 ISO 800 18,5mm lens 

Driving in the centre of Johannesburg as a passenger I was able to photograph freely and when I saw this lady crossing I had the V1 on its high frame rate and out of nine frames this image emerged.

Johannesburg Central       Nikon V1  1/500 s at f/2.8 ISO 110 18,5mm lens

As an anaesthetist witnessing numerous babies being born by Caesarean section in theatre I have been able to photograph and experiment with a few camera setups. Recently I had the J1 and V1 placed on small table top tripods in theatre were they weren't that obvious nor able to capture any inappropriate images. I was using the Nikon D600 as my primary camera and had a helpful nurse press the Nikon ML3 infrared remote to trigger the J1 and V1 as I asked her too. The delivery happens so quickly and it worked out quite well to have more than one angle. This facility on the J1 and V1, which has an infra red sensor on the back too is most useful as is the quiet shutter of the 1 series in this setting. Below are three closely taken images of the birth with two from the J1/V1 captured at the same moment.

Caesarean birth      J1 1/125 s at f/3.5 ISO 200 10mm lens
V1 1/200 s at f/3.5 ISO 400 18,5mm lens
D600 1/160 s at f/5.6 ISO 800 16-35mm lens @ 16mm cropped

After a year I can emphatically state that these two small cameras have been such a pleasure and have added another dimension to my photography. Nikon probably missed the mark in the marketing, the pricing and the crazy additions of two useless modes motion snapshot and smart photo selector on the mode dial. Despite these oversights bordering on lunacy these cameras offer new creative opportunities and I would say are one of the best kept secrets out there. Let's hope Nikon produces the 1 that we want and not the 1 that never flew!

Dear Nikon - We are not the crazy ones!

Need to Breathe

Need to Breathe

That clingy barrier of religious Glad Wrap

Separating us from them

The function of which is to preserve the insiders

Seal us from the perceived threat of the outsiders

Made see through for all the world to see

Made impervious for all the world not to smell, touch or taste

Easy to apply and wrap around

Difficult to remove often requiring a leading edge

Freely available at all leading religious franchises

Ready perforated for rapid covering of large numbers

Plastic perfection endorsed by respected organisations

Need to Breathe

Need to Breathe

Oh Lord rip this suffocating veil from our face

Expose us for all the world to see

Shatter our rigid, frigid facade of religion

Revive us oh God

Blow us away with your Goodness

Breathe on us and inspire us

Fill us to overflowing

Release your Spirit on All Flesh

The new NEEDTOBREATHE album Rivers in the Wasteland is just phenomenal. I enjoyed their music before however this new album is musically just so richer but it is the inspirational lyrics that are just out of this world. Today a random phrase "the Glad Wrap of religion" just popped up and I started writing a few words and the next moment I had the idea to quite literally wrap the sticky cling wrap around my head. My obliging wife photographed while I breathed through a tiny hole and fortunately this didn't last long as that stifling sensation is rather unpleasant. Used the Nikon V1 with 30-110mm lens with sbn5 flash and a homemade softbox with two Nikon sb26 flashes in slave mode. Had fun with Nik software especially Analog Efex Pro.