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

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

Checking the Surf in Muizenberg - 201/365

On a cold rainy day in Muizenberg, this lady was checking out the surf. Someone told me today that at least I wasn't a fair weather surfer. She's not either.

Rainy Day on Surfer's Corner, Muizenberg - 183/365

I happened to be in Muizenberg on a not so pretty day, but the waves were nice. There was a slight drizzle and the train passed by when I made this image on what is called Surfer's Corner in Muizenberg. Muizenberg is the cradle of surfing on the African Continent with everything basically starting here.

Selfie after a Surf - 167/365

I don't ever remember wearing beanies in Miami. Only on the odd trip up North or an infrequent ski trip. In those cases I even had to borrow them. I certainly was not the type to wear one in ninety degree weather as is common to see now. That's just ridiculous. Anyway, the beanie is necessary here and I've collected a few already. This is a self-portrait after a surf session in the backyard.

Going Old School in Muizenberg - 166/365

The beauty and look of the Old School Longboard is Classic and ageless. While this board may not actually be a longboard (greater than 9'1") the shape and look fit the profile. So does the gray haired guy carrying the board. Surfers here in Cape Town have surfed all their lives. Many were taught by their Fathers or Mothers and have passed it on to their kids and Grandkids. While there are many places with better and bigger waves than Muizenberg in South Africa, it is definitely the center of the universe for the sport in Cape Town. Everyone learns in Muizenberg.

Surfers Corner on a Rainy Day - 144/365

Most of my friends know that lately I spend a good deal of my weekend time in Muizenberg, surfing. This allows for plenty of opportunities to photograph Muizenberg at different times of the day and in different weather. While rain keeps the average tourist away, it really doesn't make a difference to surfers. Wet is wet! Here's an image of a rainy day at Surfer's Corner in Muizenberg as the train passes by. It's called Surfers Corner because of all of the surf shops and surfing activity. The Corner Surf Shop in fact, is the first surf shop on the Continent. They are all separately owned businesses, but what makes it really cool is that they refer business to each other. My365Project 144/365