travel destinations in South Africa: Hopetown Doornbult historical archaeological site.
http://www.doornbult.com
Poetry :
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Reports
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Lourens Potgieter explains the precarious position for a video photographer working from the air. (read more) |
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Sword
slipping sliding slithering
slinkely
and
thrust
...
quote:
...it sounds gory but that is what you are doing...
...
video link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwhkskTm2Uc&feature=related
June 2011-06-15
After fifty years of a republic, a colonialist attitude amongst South Africans of British decent persists. Or, that is what one perceive when an article about Howick in Natal is published with references to historical incidents of the area, but the fact that 150 women and children died in a British war camp in 1901, is totally ignored. And it is not as if the local museum did not do its job. The exhibitions included a good overview of the war when I visited the town in 2010.
In all fairness, the article was published in a travel section and the presumption probably is only the more romantic image should be bolstered for the tourist's sake.
(Bibliography: travel2011 :3 June 11/12 2011))
A competition can force one to think about your photography and it could be educational. The downside is one can be disheartened by adjudicators that cannot see that what one thought is an obvious handling of the theme, e.g. "heat" as a theme can include anti heat like a baby splashing in water. Children in photo's always seem to spell to some: ''mummy taking pictures of baby again", in stead of "a rare photo of one of the most sought after child models of the season".
It is a good idea however, to give your photo a good tag like: "beating the heat". The fact that the water in the photograph are in focus while the baby is slighter softer is completely lost to those who notice that "there is a haze over the photo". So, unless you have skin a foot thick and you are desperate for some discourse on you photo's, one should refrain from setting yourself up for criticism.
Professional photographers always have to come up with something. For the news photographer what is most important is that a photo would be on the photo editor's table before the deadline. Click first and then focus and set the light, was the course of action. Sometimes you have only one chance. With film a lot can be done in the darkroom to salvage over or underexposed photo's. With digital cameras one can take a series at the blink of an eye and then choose the best one.
Books:
Adrift on the Veld, Trilogy The Anglo-Boer War and its Aftermath 1899-1943
Some great Afrikaans books are written in English. This is one of them.
First published in the first half of the twentieth century, this blow by blow account of the life of a South African warrior, does not only give a fine perspective on the history but also of the geography of the battlefields he escaped from.
The book starts with the Anglo-Boer war and war and continues with the 1914 rebellion that members of my family were also involved in. It also explains why so many Afrikaners were seemingly unduly emotional about the politics that dived them.
I needed an atlas to get the most out of the narration.
If your history teachers failed you, this is a remedy.
Tharoor, Sahshi
1989 The Great Indian Novel
The book provided mostly enjoyable and easy reading as a result of the background knowledge of the reader who traveled some months in the country. This was ten years after the book was published. One found the work a playful introduction to the Indian history and culture that needs however some explanation as much of it is satirical. Notes in Wikipedia provides a great deal of enlightenment to the uninitiated. Perhaps the publisher could be rectified this in later editions with the next two decades added!
cloths
patience
carpets
politics
economy
arguments
all of these things
can lead to
the end of the tether
On polished black marble in front of the roughly hewn stone Anglican church is a reminder that this place belonged to God and Jacobus (Lang Kowie) Cloete. (read more)(back)
Cape Town- 19-8-2010 Potsberg Steenbok trail
The top of a hill like an island drifting above the clouds, spooky shapes of eland standing quietly in the mist, almost invisible, wet ankles and a wonderful experience is in stall for you, if you like I did, started a Postberg hiking route on a misty morning. (read more)
Hermanus-30/10/2010
Right or Southern Right Whale is an indication of its type as well as its correctness in history, explained Noel Ashton who led the Hermanus tour. He enlightened us on the antics and the goings on of the giant animals in front of us.
We peered into the water at the shapes of three whales. A flipper above the water made one think of sharks. This species however, left the harbour area that is no longer in use, a long time ago. They keep mostly to Dyer Island close by, where they feed on seals.
One gave a sad thought for the families of the poachers that the sharks sometimes mistake for seals.
Wiping water form glasses and lenses some of the less
foolhardy tourists packed up their things for a while to enjoy a hot cup
of coffee and a bowl of soup in one of the many little restaurants
nearby.
Some members of the group took refuge under the roofs of shops. The bored shopkeepers looked expectantly at the browsers hoping it is not only the weather that pushed the potential customers under their roofs.
At the corner shop we met the kind gentlemen form the Sea Rescue and bought an item to express appreciation for their priceless and voluntary contribution to the community.
At the Whale Museum near the Old Harbour, Noel, an artist who is dedicated to the preservation of whales, gave a sound and image presentation on the world of whales. He believes the way man treat whales reflects on how he is as a person.
The museum houses a full length skeleton of a whale and apart from other visual information, exited one with the enigmatic cries of these giants of the sea.
-Barbara Potgieter
Bibliography: Oceans of Africa: www.oceansofafrica.co.za
International Fund for Animal Welfare: info@ifaw.org
One was inclined to look at where your feet are going, and what an enormous number of small flowers, spider traps sparkling with dew, and even a petite tortoise greeted us.
Although not really a ''tiptoe through the tulips'', the routes are smooth sailing for anyone who can walk and has the time.
The Steenbok route took us all morning, with a tea break early on. Later, after the mist disappeared we took out our lunch boxes as we sat on a crazy quilt of Namakwaland daisy and vygie and as thy lifted their faces for a sunny kiss.
At the top of a dune one stood still in wonder as you heard the drone of the Atlantic Ocean becomes clearer, and you saw noisy mews fluttering as they fished in the breaking waves.
For a carefree day, take proper hiking gear such as a hat, boots, and a rucksack with your water, lunch and rescue blanket and basic first aid inside. Do not forget the camera! Entry fee is R45.00. Gates close at 17.00 give yourself about 5 hours for 13, 9 km route. To identify the flowers in you pictures, look them up on the Kirstenbosch website:
The reserve is only open during the month of August and September and numbers are reserved, so make haste to book (www.geelbek.co.za or www.sanparks.org/parks/west_coast/)
For overnight stays and longer routes like the Strandveld (14km) and a shorter route such as the Bakoor 4.5, contact the mentioned websites.
http://www.pcu.uct.ac.za/album/index.html
http://www.capenature.org.za/gallery.htm?sm[p2][category]=311&sm[p2][forid]=p2&sm[p2][persistent]=1&
Springbok September 2010
Flowers of all kinds and in different places – posters on the
walls of the Springbok Hotel, in the brochure the friendly Marike gave us at
the information office, baskets full of silk flowers in the doorway of the corner
shop, on many tongues explaining how beautiful the Namakwaland flowers
were in other seasons and that there still is hope for blooms later on in the
season.
This was the first day of spring and not a real flower except thirteen kilometer
on, some daisies among the stones of Nababeeb.
Not flowers, but stones are what one should look for in Namakwaland.
The camera shook as a loud boom of blasting came from the stone mine.
Dust hovered like smoke from a canon ball above the huge heap of rocks.
A school bus crunched op the hill and spilled children like pebbles. A young
girl tells us she is from Melkbosstrand and boards with her grandmother to
attend the Springbok school.
Daring onto a private road, we see a roofless green building – perhaps an
ancient mosque. On our way back, in front of a house that is for sale, a
woman invites us to share her tea and the story of her life. Behind the house
is a hill of loose stones that are sometimes too much for the towns children to
resist throwing about, she tells us in good humor.
Close by is the local doctor's house that alternate as a guesthouse. He also
looks after the neighbour’s spiritual welfare and conducts a regular bible
class.
Life is a rocky road here in Nababeeb, where things are not as good as they
used to be. Silver's beautiful shop next to the liquor store, which still operates,
stand empty. A few bored customers loitered around.
One person offered an unsteady hand full of semi precious stones for sale.
Back in Springbok
In Springbok, they say, men built the Hotels with diamond money. Returning
late afternoon, we noticed how the feet of the town’s people actually seems to
be searching for diamonds.
In the centre of the town is an enclosed hill. Typical plants form the area, aloe
and succulents as well as the Koker tree grows here. Close by is the stalls
where merchants from as far as Gambia sell hats and clothes.
Diamonds and gold caused greed and strife. The hill marks the takeover of
the town from the British by the Boers during the Anglo-Boer war of 1899-
2002. (Reitz, D : 166-171)
Life is also hard in Springbok, like the fists of champion Robby Leibrandt
whose boxing gloves adorn the walls of the Springbok hotel or the hoof of the
Boer horse confiscated by the British and later shot with its rider. A farm
worker removed the hoof decades ago and it is now on a pedestal in the hotel
shop. The stamp of the British forces on it is still clearly visible. These
artifacts are part of an excellent collection of stones and crystals from the
area.
Blue mine
One can scramble up a hill strewn with broken bottles to see the Blue mine
with the remnants of what used to be a copper mine. The view on the town is
breath taking. One get a good look at the town and the "Klipkerk", a church
built during a great draught in1920.
Further, along the winding road up the hill, lies little heaps of stone marking
the bones of the unknown dead. Most of the iron on the marked graves is
gone, and one sees only demolished heaps of brick and mortar. A broken wall
of stones and a dilapidated gate surrounds the graveyard.
Neatly on polished black marble in front of the roughly hewn stone Anglican
church is a reminder that this place belonged to God and Jacobus (Lang
Kowie) Cloete.
| Pietermaritzburg 1-18-2010[photogallery/photo061/real.htm]
Waiting for spring in Natal, pretty winter pictures are indeed possible with leafless trees and grassland in shades of cream. (read more) In the botanical gardens red poinsettias competes with pink and white camellias and magnolias as one wander along the paths towards the reflecting pool. Here hadidas pose on a rocky island while ducks glide restfully looking for bait. Deeper inland at Howick, visitors stare at the Howick falls, browse the stalls with african beadwork and takes tea at what used to be the towns first theatre and cinema. ''Workers from the rubber factory used to come her to look at a film," tells the manager of the curio shop cum tearoom. Afterwards thy would go across the road to where a bar use do be. Next to the shop is a museum where children can try out a Remington typewriter and other artifacts from a previous millennium. Replicas of Victorian middle class living rooms, in stark contrast with the living quarters of workers, are exhibited. Scenes from a huge concentration camp for women and children, victims of the Anglo Boer war are also incorporated in the museum.
Durbanville 05-07-2010 Durbanville Photographic Club If you believed one can take pictures of the inside of your house only with a flash, you should have seen Paul Hofmann's available light jobs of guest houses. He uses 100 ISO to eliminate graininess, would not attempt it without a tripod because of the low shutter speed and of course a wide angle lens. He leaves the lights on, uses afternoon or morning light from outside and even layer three takes with different exposure settings to achieve amazing results. (read more) He spoke a true word when he said some unusual pictures are taken unintentionally. They just happen and one only see afterwards how amazing they are. We entered a picture of a week old baby basking in a winter sun for a few minutes as baby jaundice therapy. The critique were we should have used an umbrella to eliminate the harshness of the sun's rays. Good advice, were it a regular photo shoot and not so opportunistic! As BW the picture is indeed more pleasant, but the story then, is lost. r [photogallery/photo12424/photogallery/photo17082/real.htm]
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“Sometimes, the wind will be so strong one's eyes and nose will water. You are actually outside the helicopter on a step in a harness attached to the inside form three positions.”
Thus Lourens Potgieter explains the precarious position for a video photographer working from the air.
demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YdKCOatYNQ
The camera on his shoulder is also strapped to the inside of the chopper. If the load is on the heavy side, the chopper cannot tilt as much as it could and this makes shooting even more difficult. Sometimes it is even necessary to work in tandem with one camera operator holding the instrument while the other set the focus.
Fortunately, our camera operator has no fear of heights. Maybe he has no fear at all, as he as a nine year old chortled with glee while steering an outboard motorboat on the Langebaan lagoon. This was on the film set of Seeduiker. For nine months, his parent’s nerves were tested as he played Robbie in the action series that included any kind of action and stunts imaginable. This was before electronic manipulation.
Jan Engelen - director
More than 25 years ago Jan Engelen made a groundbreaking TV-series called Seeduiker for what was then called the SAUK. It was an action youth series made in a time of unrest time for South Africans. A border war was ongoing with insurgents from Angola and elsewhere . The country was also very nervous about Russian involvement in Africa. It was ten years before the New South Africa was born and civil unrest also played it's part. These are some of the aspects of life effecting the plot scripted by Lindsay du Plessis.
The lead child actor the series, Lourens Potgieter's father, Org, made an documentary film about the series. This and other media are now available in Spektrum's DVD archives.
Poem on death after an overdose
Petals on the water
where we strew your ashes
reflects the rose of the setting
autumn sun
worthless essence on the
wound of a mothers
festering
pain
BP
A5422A848D6C516B0
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1823894338405023685#docid=9149097813455841056
© Spektrum 2010
