I Love Photographing Stormy Weather 194/365

I went on a photo walk with my photography group in Cape Town. We visited a wine estate called Hillcrest. www.winelands.co.za/wine-farms/ Hillcrest Estate is a boutique winery nestled in the Tygerberg Hills. We hiked around a bit and got to the top a hill just in time to see a storm moving in. I just love the photographic drama of storms!

Going Out for a Surf in my Backyard- 193/365

I spend a lot of time surfing on the weekends, and one of my favorite time is when I can go right out my door and go straight into the water. No traveling, or hassle, but I do miss seeing my friends in Muizenberg. As I've said before, it is very meditative for me just being out there on the water. Maybe that's why surfers and surfing in general is so mellow and laid back. Never really grasped all of this in my earlier days of surfing. Road-trips and girls were the order of the day then. Will never forget those days, with Hector, Jimmy, Willie, Lee, Bobby, Shelly (he didn't like Sheldon), Joe, Pepe, Billy, and many others. Good times.

View from The Club - 192/365

Virgin Active here is much like an LA Fitness in the States. They are everywhere. I go to whichever one is convenient at the time. The club I went to on this day is at the upper part of Cape Town toward Table Mountain. Beautiful view!

Table Mountain Walking Sign - 191/365

I photographed for two reasons. First because it was pointing toward a crosswalk that did not exist, and secondly and more importantly the arrow lined up with Table Mountain in the distance and I thought it funny. As if to say to go hike Table Mountain.

Getting the Right Sound in Video 190/365

More than half of video is sound. Shaky video, good sound, OK. Bad sound, no way. So in order to get the sound right like on the video I made you have to get one of these. It records the sound separately and then you synch it with the video in a video editing program. Not easy, but worth it.

Table Mountain from Blaauwberg Rocks - 189/365

I made this image of Table Mountain from Blaauwberg Rocks, a rock outcrop about ten minutes from my house on the way to Cape Town. A storm was just rolling in. Not a surprise in winter.

Night Lights - 188/365

I made several images on this particular evening and after playing around with this one a bit, it appealed to me. I can imagine this as a very large print.

Roxy Teaches Girls to Surf - 187/365

One of the two places I plan on taking my family to learn to surf is Surf Emporium. It is owned and run by Six Time South African Surfing Champion Roxy Davis and her husband William. Roxy started her business with some loaner boards from her sponsor under some beach umbrellas at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg. Roxy and William are two of the kindest and warmest people you could meet. They have a genuine caring for everyone that steps through their door. One of the major parts of their business that sets them apart is their emphasis on a Girls "RoxyLearn2Surf" program. I am really excited to think that my Granddaughters will be able to learn to surf here with Roxy. Most importantly though, I am glad to be able to call them my friends!

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My Buddy Standing Guard - 186/365

Here's the image I was able to finally make of my Buddy from the neighborhood. He lives on the corner, but this is obviously his beach.

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Look through a Different Lens and Change your Perspective

I listen to a lot of Podcasts. For those of you that don't know, a Podcast is like a radio show about a topic area that you are interested in. Most of the ones I listen to are about photography and the business of photography. Recently I was listening to a photography podcast that talked about expanding your creativity by the use of your lens to determine perspective. The lens that they were talking about was your eye and your field of view. The person being interviewed discussed perspective in this manner. This may be an old story to some of you as it is described in Steven Covey's, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. To paraphrase, a man is on a subway when another man and his many children get on the train. The train is rather empty and the children are causing a ruckus, making a lot of noise, and generally out of control. The first man is very bothered and disturbed by their actions and is internally very critical of the Father who is just sitting there looking down at the floor and doing nothing about the behavior. The first man is thinking about the misbehaving children and what an irresponsible parent the Father is. Just then the Father looks up at the man and tells him that they have just left the hospital where his wife has died, the children do not know it, and he's thinking of a way to tell them when he get's home. In the meantime he's letting them blow off a little steam. What a different perspective you get when the Father speaks up. All of a sudden we empathize and want to help. There are a lot of things we can learn about from this story, the least of which is photography. When you hear about something happening in the world, or close to you, don't be so quick to judge. Remember, situations that we encounter are not black and white. Life is mostly gray, and the difference may just be our perspective. Change your perspective every once in a while, understand, and be a better person. And you thought this was going to be about photography!

Even on 4th of July, They Celebrate in Cape Town! - 185/365

This poster was advertising a Burlesque show here in Cape Town on the 4th of July. Many people wished me a Happy 4th. You appreciate and miss the liberties and freedoms in the USA a lot more when you are not there!

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Abstract Play - 184/365

More abstract play from the console of my car at night. I made many images until I was satisfied with this one. It was harder than I thought. A good creative exercise!

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Abstract Play - 184/365

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.

Can You Recognize Any of These? - 182/365

If you can recognize any of these, you must be from South Africa. We take so many things for granted when we are in our home country. We learn and recognize brands of things and what they are for. I had to learn a whole new series of products when I got here. I still don't know what most of them do. The housekeeper just gives me a list and tells me what to get. Too funny!

One of the Most Convenient Inventions! - 181/365

Very simple. This is the Islandstyle Changing Mat changing mat that I got at Surf Emporium. It's round. You open it up, strip your wetsuit off and everything else, let it drop into the mat and then pull it closed! Love it!

One of my First Surf Coaches - 180/365

This is Darren, one of my first Surf Coaches from Roxy Surf School at Surf Emporium. I got a lot from Darren especially not to take things too seriously and have fun above all else. He was able to give me some more advanced tips after I was already able to stand up on the board again. Anyone who wants to get better at anything needs lessons and a coach. I plan on taking lessons and getting coached regularly. The Pro's do it. That's incentive enough for me! No matter whom I talk to in the surf community the pervasive desire is to have fun above all else!

Along Came a Spider... - 179/365

I helped host a photo-walk at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens in Cape Town. It's like many other City, State, or National Botanical Gardens except that this was the yard of Cecil John Rhodes i.e. "Rhodes Scholars" still funded by his trust. Rhodes made his fortune in Diamonds in South Africa and Rhodesia (a country he named after himself), by founding the DeBeers Diamond Company. He is both revered and reviled. Much like John Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie, regardless of their reputations, these men helped make their countries successful. I almost ran into this spider until warned by a friend. It was about the size of a tennis ball. I have no idea if it was poisonous or not, and I know nothing about it. I did think, though, that it would make an interesting image.

A New Buddy in the Beach - 178/365

This guy is always running around the neighborhood and the beach. He lives on the corner and is so friendly. Sometimes I see him sitting up on a sand dune like Simba in the Lion King movie, as if he's overlooking HIS beach. This image was but one of many I made. I got right up in his face with my phone. He's so funny that he kept trying to grab my phone. I fear it would have met the same fate of the stick he has in the image!

The Old Wetsuit Had to Go - 177/365

While it served me well, my old triathlon wetsuit had to go. Not warm enough for Cape Town. Especially the Atlantic side! The funny thing is that in all the years I owned it I used it here for surfing more than use in all of my triathlons. It was also starting to tear. Not tough enough for surfing. Fortunately the Billabong store had a 20% off New Wetsuits if you trade in an old one. The really good part was they they reconditioned and repaired them and gave them to those less fortunate. Way to recycle Billabong! Plus, now I am warm! The Old Wetsuit Had to Go - 177/365

Morning Clouds in Cape Town - 176/365

I love that my office is in Koeberg Nature Preserve. Very quiet. Walking trails everywhere. You never know if you're going to run into Zebra, Springbok, or many other species. Just be careful where you step. Many Cape Cobra's and Puff Adder's here. Not nice. In Winter they're hibernating so not a problem. Come summer they are out. I saw these clouds mid morning and I really liked the shapes and the color gradient as you looked farther East toward the mountains.