The Drakensberg Mountains

Friday, January 07, 2011

My family and I recently went on holiday, camping in the Central Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. This year the whole area received exceptionally high rainfall. This limited my photo opportunities, so I had to take what I could get. This is a place of awesome beauty. With a rich history and exceptional fauna and flora. The mountains are a rock and mountain climbers dream. There are hundreds of water falls, mountains streams and rivers.

Champagne Castle 3377m

Cathkin Peak 3149m and Sterkhorn Mount Momory 2979m

Notice the thousands of Cliff-Swallows above the mountain.

Dragon's Back

The Mountains

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Mountains bring back fond memories of my childhood. I used to spend allot of time hiking and exploring in the Magaliesberg mountains where I grew up. I did many hikes in the Mountains in Mpumalanga as well. Well later in life I moved away to the city, which meant that I only got to enjoy the mountains on holidays and the odd weekend trip. Mountains inspire me now more than ever. You can even hear the excitement in my children's voices when they notice the mountains. Some mountains are special because of there cliffs, water falls and clear cold pools,

And some are special because of their grassy coat,

Some are beautiful from afar,

And some from on top,

Others are beautiful to look at,

And others are beautiful to concur.

Fun, Scary and Rewarding Adventure Photos

Thursday, November 11, 2010

One thing I have found taking pictures in the outdoors is that you never know what’s next. Some times it is planning the whole scene and timing it just right, but sometimes it is absolute luck and surprise. Some times it takes patients and sometimes it takes courage. Like this one. We were on holiday, camping at Marakele park in the North West province of South Africa. The camp site is completely open to nature. No fences or walls. I was walking near our campsite when I saw this beast. Make no mistake. A white rhino like this one, is as large as a car and weighs as much.

White Rhino in Marakele park in North West province, South Africa

This one is a great example of a good shot with a great surprise. Now for anyone who knows Klipspringer antelope, you will know how difficult it is to get a good shot of this shy little antelope that weighs between 11kg and 13kg and stands no more that 600mm high. Well when I took this shot, I did not realize that there were another two standing right behind him in a perfect pose. I only saw this when I zoomed in on the main object on my computer. You might have to zoom in to see.

How many do you see?

I also enjoy taking pictures of static landscapes like this dead tree trunk in a watering hole for the animals at Marloth park just on the border of the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Again a great surprise awaited me when I had a look at the picture on my computer. Look at the picture on the bottom right hand corner. You will see a jumping impala in midair.

Impala in midair?

Adventure Photography

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

So I decided to share some of my wonderful experiences in South Africa with the photos I take. I know I am no professional photographer, but I enjoy the hobby and especially the scenery and objects in my photos. I take these photos while on motorbike and off-road trips. Some are taken while camping with my family. I realized that I live in one of the most awesome places in the world. We have fantastic weather and the nature is almost unrivaled. I get to enjoy mountains, forests, bushvelt, savannas, alps, desserts and much more. I am blessed to enjoy all of this with my family and friends in its intended natural beauty. The only problem I have is that I have not been able to take even one photo that captures the true emotion and feeling of experiencing these awesome wonders.

Just look at what I get to see and experience. To take this photo, me and a friend of mine had to ride up a difficult pass with our adventure motorcycles through a forest to the top of a mountain. This is a unique site and pass. Vary few people ever see this view from this spot. What a privilege!