Back to my Roots

Last weekend I headed over to Muizenberg to pick-up my surfboard after a repair from a mishap the previous weekend. The waves in Muizenverg were nonexistent so I took a drive to see some of the other breaks that I have not visited yet, namely Kommetjie (co-mick-ee) and Long Beach.

Well I never got to Kommetjie as I spent much of the late afternoon watching and photographing surfing at Long Beach. There were quite a few people in the water and as I was unfamiliar with that break, and recognize the territorial nature of surfers, I decided not to surf but watch and shoot. I titled this "Back to my Roots", because my professional photography career started out by photographing sports. I really like the action and the fact that you have to anticipate where the peak point of action will happen to get a good shot. Additionally, I've always preferred shooting sports in Black and White. I converted this and made specific adjustments to my taste. I like the overall drama of the image. The point at which you don't know if the surfer is going to make his turn and the dramatic sky and mountain behind him. I did not have my long lens with me, but I quite like how this wider shot turned out.

Surfer, Long Beach, Cape Town, South Africa

Surfing Phantoms in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa

There are three very close breaks on Jeffrey's Bay main beach. Dolphin Beach is a beach break, meaning a sandy bottom and waves break randomly based on the days contour of the beach bottom. It's called Dolphin Beach because in the evening you literally see the Dolphins surfing the same waves you are on. Next to that is Kitchen Windows, named by an old timer at J-Bay because he could see the break out of his kitchen window. After that a restaurant opened in front of the break called, "Kitchen Windows." It is a point break, meaning the waves break the same way all the time as they are formed by a reef on the ocean bottom. Today Kitchen Windows was a bit crowded so my coach, Kelvin, decided we would go to Phantoms about 100 yards next door. Why Phantoms? Because while the waves are as good as Kitchen Windows, there are fewer people. You see the break is a lot farther out which means a long paddle. No worries, I'm very fit. Ha! My arms were rubber when I got out there. It was great though to surf a point break, knowing that the waves would generally break in the same spot every time. The tricky part is that you have to keep yourself in that spot. Harder than you'd think. Another first for me was surfing at night. It wasn't totally dark as we paddled in but all of the lights were on. You'd think it would be scary, but it wasn't. It was actually very peaceful and relaxing. What a great day!

Endless Summer Surf

The West Coast of South Africa has many great surf spots: Noordhoek, Long Beach, Llundadno, Big Bay, Melkbos, and many more. One of the best, however, is Elands Bay, also known as the Jeffrey's Bay of the West Coast. It was made famous in the surf movie, The Endless Summer. Well I will be visiting this weekend on a surf tour run by my friends at Surf Emporium in Muizenberg. We'll be leaving on Friday afternoon and coming back to Cape Town Sunday afternoon. Elands Bay is only about 100 miles North of Cape Town and a surf is planned when we get there. We're staying in a B&B on a real working ranch. Elands Bay is also known for its hiking, wildlife observation and pre-historic cave paintings. Our guide and Coach will be Karel Lewy, an ISA Level 2 coach and Naturalist. Really looking forward to the trip! Also looking forward to using my new board and making plenty of images!

http://www.vensterklip.co.za

Walk on a Fiery Sunset - 248/365

I continue to post my 365 images as I get to them. It was tough enough to make the images let alone post them everyday. To that end I am still catching up and I plan to make a small book of all of the images. I'll have more information on that as soon as I get some information on details and possible publication methods. I want to get back to real photographs that you can hold in your hand and not just see on the computer. Nothing beats having an album.

I made this image one evening when I saw this beautiful fiery sunset and there were a couple of people walking on the beach. I wanted to convey how nice and simple life can be by just taking a walk with a loved one. I made this with my Fuji camera and I made three exposures and combined them to be able to get the bright light of the sun and the shadows in the same image.

Image of Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa - 130/365

This is the typical image of Muizenberg. Everything that it is famous for in one shot.The Mountains, the Beach, the Surfer, the Colorful Cabanas, the Water, and the Shark Flag. Oh and as an extra added bonus, notice the surfboard painted in the colors of the South African Flag. I could not have staged a better representation of Muizenberg. I love the place! It really grows on you.

Cape Town Bike Ride at Sunset - My 365 Project 110/365

It's so common to see people of all ages on the beach in front of my house. I was lucky enough to be out making sunset images when this little boy came speeding by on his bike. What a wonderful sense of care-free freedom, and what a beautiful place to ride. My 365 Project 110/365.

Broken Sand Pail

I was running on the beach in Cape Town last evening on Melkbos Beach when I passed this broken sand pail just left there by someone. The beach in front of my place is usually pristine. Not a paper, can, or any trash to be seen for miles. The ones who use it regularly are excellent stewards of the beach. The runners, walkers, dog owners, and surfers really appreciate this wonderful place. I had to make this image to show what happens when the infrequent beach goers happen to visit in droves during the holiday season. What I noticed when I was ready to make the image with my iPhone was that it may be more dramatic showing a ground level view, or what the smallest living creature may see of this left at their doorstep. I tried several angles using the sun in the back. It was difficult because I could not see the screen so low so I had to approximate my framing. This image is uncropped but I added some filters to make it more dramatic and enhance the colors. Quite beautiful for trash. I love contradictions in photography.

The Nostalgia of Marine Stadium Miami

While I know I am dating myself, I attended many concerts at this magnificent venue. Humble Pie, Yes, Loggins and Maessina, Seals & Crofts, to name a few. Some as a paying entrant and some as a gate crasher on my surfboard. Groups of us would meet on the beach about half a mile away and tie six packs onto our surfboards and paddle to the stage under the cover of night and watch the concerts next to the paying boating patrons. Architecturally this place is a gem, but has been neglected since Hurricane Andrew came through. Now it's a canvas for any and all. There is a move underway to restore the place and it's getting some traction. Hopefully I'll get to see more concerts there in the future. And maybe I'll even drag out the surfboard. [caption id="attachment_140" align="alignleft" width="1000" caption="Miami Marine Stadium 2011"][/caption]