Been a long time coming: A few photos from the 2004 trip
Jun 27th, 2005, 02:09 PM
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Been a long time coming: A few photos from the 2004 trip
Sorry it's been such a long time - I didn't manage to make time to process the images from the trip until recently.
I finally did so in order to load some onto some stock agency websites. Having done that tonight I spent a few hours resizing them down, adding copyright notices and throwing together web pages to display them to you.
There are quite a few gaps in what we experienced as I only processed those images that I felt might be good enough to sell. If I have time I'll try and add additional images to show the other sights we came across and the accommodation ones too, but no promises on timescales.
http://www.kaveyland.com/FavellesTra...2004/index.htm
I finally did so in order to load some onto some stock agency websites. Having done that tonight I spent a few hours resizing them down, adding copyright notices and throwing together web pages to display them to you.
There are quite a few gaps in what we experienced as I only processed those images that I felt might be good enough to sell. If I have time I'll try and add additional images to show the other sights we came across and the accommodation ones too, but no promises on timescales.
http://www.kaveyland.com/FavellesTra...2004/index.htm
Jun 27th, 2005, 04:36 PM
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Kavey -- My favorite is the one you titled "Cape Town Waterfront" -- the composition is not only gorgeous but strikingly original. I've seen innumerable photos of the area but none like that. I just love it and can't even articulate exactly why. Something about the juxtaposition of the strict geometry of the steel next to the curvilinear boats and the "street" feel of the mural, all against the backdrop of monumental Table Mountain. Really nice!
Jun 28th, 2005, 01:03 PM
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Aaw, thanks folks!
Sandi, I know... I know. A month, or even two, I could talk my way out of but... a year is simply embarassing!
Mike, Favor, you're welcome, and thanks.
Lisa, THANK YOU, can you drop me an email?
Linjudy, I've been into photography since I was a kid but... I don't do anything fancy. I don't use a tripod or posh lenses. These were taken on a Nikon D70 and the most inexpensive Nikon lenses available. I am lucky in that composition is one thing I can usually do instinctively. In terms of exposure, I usually use aperture priority so I can control depth of field but leave the camera to work out exposure based on it's meter. Occasionally I'll intervene to over or under expose but only very very rarely. It's not necessarily a case of being a better photographer but of being more ruthless and self-critical in weeding out the poorer images! I took a few thousand during this 9 week trip!
Sandi, I know... I know. A month, or even two, I could talk my way out of but... a year is simply embarassing!
Mike, Favor, you're welcome, and thanks.
Lisa, THANK YOU, can you drop me an email?
Linjudy, I've been into photography since I was a kid but... I don't do anything fancy. I don't use a tripod or posh lenses. These were taken on a Nikon D70 and the most inexpensive Nikon lenses available. I am lucky in that composition is one thing I can usually do instinctively. In terms of exposure, I usually use aperture priority so I can control depth of field but leave the camera to work out exposure based on it's meter. Occasionally I'll intervene to over or under expose but only very very rarely. It's not necessarily a case of being a better photographer but of being more ruthless and self-critical in weeding out the poorer images! I took a few thousand during this 9 week trip!
Jun 28th, 2005, 01:17 PM
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Crumbs. I won't say I am not proud of them. I think they are decent photos and I'm hoping one or two may sell for use in travel articles etc.
I think gorgeous is on the strong side but I can't say it's painful hearing it! Thank you and I'm really pleased people are enjoying them.
Next job are the Antarctic ones and then the Galapagos/ Peru ones.
I think gorgeous is on the strong side but I can't say it's painful hearing it! Thank you and I'm really pleased people are enjoying them.
Next job are the Antarctic ones and then the Galapagos/ Peru ones.
Jun 28th, 2005, 02:03 PM
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Kavey,
Really enjoyed the great photos especially the landscapes taken in Namibia. Just makes me that much more enthused about our return trip next year.
Would also enjoy seeing your shots from the Galapagos (when you find time to post them) as it's another destination on our "to do" list. What time of year would you suggest is the best weatherwise, as we naturally would prefer drier conditions. I also need calmer seas as I have difficulty with motion sickness and I know these trips involve very small vessels.
Really enjoyed the great photos especially the landscapes taken in Namibia. Just makes me that much more enthused about our return trip next year.
Would also enjoy seeing your shots from the Galapagos (when you find time to post them) as it's another destination on our "to do" list. What time of year would you suggest is the best weatherwise, as we naturally would prefer drier conditions. I also need calmer seas as I have difficulty with motion sickness and I know these trips involve very small vessels.
Jun 28th, 2005, 02:25 PM
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DJE,
We went in early April because the festival trip we attended was only running once and that was when. It was so hot and humid I almost melted but it was a good time in terms of seeing blue footed boobies mating and nesting eggs and good for other birds etc too.
I didn't find the motion at all problematic on the boat (but then again I was fine in a force 9 in the Antarctic too) but Pete (who did suffer a little in the force 9) found the motion only very mildly disturbing for only a short time at the start and wasn't taking any medication at all for the sickness (unlike on the Antarctic trip).
Because I didn't research the trip (given that I was committed/ keen to go on the festival trip) I can't be of too much help, I think.
We went in early April because the festival trip we attended was only running once and that was when. It was so hot and humid I almost melted but it was a good time in terms of seeing blue footed boobies mating and nesting eggs and good for other birds etc too.
I didn't find the motion at all problematic on the boat (but then again I was fine in a force 9 in the Antarctic too) but Pete (who did suffer a little in the force 9) found the motion only very mildly disturbing for only a short time at the start and wasn't taking any medication at all for the sickness (unlike on the Antarctic trip).
Because I didn't research the trip (given that I was committed/ keen to go on the festival trip) I can't be of too much help, I think.
Jun 28th, 2005, 05:08 PM
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Very Nice..and so thoughtful of the wildlife to pose for all your shots!
Are you an "opportunist" photographer or do you sit in one place for hours, waiting for the right light and the perfect shot??
Can't wait to see your Antarctic and Galapagos photos.
You must have been in heaven with all the beautiful birds.
Brenda
Are you an "opportunist" photographer or do you sit in one place for hours, waiting for the right light and the perfect shot??
Can't wait to see your Antarctic and Galapagos photos.
You must have been in heaven with all the beautiful birds.
Brenda
Jun 28th, 2005, 08:02 PM
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kavey~taking a "cheap" safari package, starting in capetown 3 nights (going touring with selwyn 1 day!), then 3 nights in balule, 1 night in victoria falls, three nights in chobe, 1 night in johannisburg. all are in lodges, not tented camps and obviously not luxury! we booked on price, before i found fodors, since then with the help of rocco, you, patti and atravellyn realize i could have done better...susan from tampa is on the exact tour now, waiting for her opinion when she returns thursday, have a better itinerary (thanks to rocco) for next year. hopefully this tour in october will be good enough for a first trip...the cancellation fees are steep even this far out, so probably will stick with it. thanks for all your knowledge you supply everyone with. wish i would have discovered the forum sooner (or not acted on impulse which is a very bad habit of mine!
Jun 29th, 2005, 12:37 AM
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100% opportunistic photographer in Africa for a few reasons:
We weren't staying anywhere long enough that I would want to sit for hours and hours in one place in the hope of getting something good when we were getting good things randomly all the time by wondering around. We self-drove in South Africa and would stop to watch particularly exciting sightings but usually not for very long periods and never more than an hour. In the private camps where guided excursions were included we weren't in a private vehicle so we just did whatever the group/ guide wanted. We let the guides know our preferences and hopes but that's it.
Secondly, unless the light is really poor you can usually find a good photograph in most sightings - sometimes you might go for a close up instead of a wider shot because the background is poorer, other times you'll go for an environmental shot. I just keep my eyes open wherever we are and try and look for different shots within whatever I'm seeing.
Of course, when I notice the light is just so, I'll take a lot more shots in that time period and likewise take far fewer when the light is harsh and direct but... whilst harsh midday light isn't the most flattering for most shots, even then one can usually find something to take.
That's not to say I won't plan and wait for a shot if I'm in a situation where it would be worthwhile and I can do so:
On the Antarctic trip we stepped ashore on Salisbury Plain in South Georgia and were surrounded by a sea of penguins as far as the eye could see. After a while of wonder and opportunistic pics, I realised I wanted to capture an adult feeding a chick with other penguins as the background. For that image I lay myself flat on the penguin-poo covered, hard and cold ground for a good half an hour, actually a little bit more, until I got the shot I wanted. I'd have stayed longer but I knew we only had 4 or so hours ashore and there was so much else I wanted to see and photograph. That photo is here:
http://www.dpcprints.com/print.php?IMAGE_ID=133126
(Note: if anyone wants to buy one, don't buy it from there, contact me first).
In the galapagos we came across lots of marine iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks of one island and I again got down on my front. Of course, as I had no thick coat to protect me my elbows got cut up something awful and... the arthritis made it hard to get back up again but... it was a great viewpoint.
And that time, the specific images in question didn't come out as well as I'd hoped.
You win some you lose some.
But the vast majority of the time I'm very much an opportunistic photographer partly because I like to see lots and just "spot" image opportunities and partly because I'd want to spend much, much longer in each place to work the other way more regularly.
We weren't staying anywhere long enough that I would want to sit for hours and hours in one place in the hope of getting something good when we were getting good things randomly all the time by wondering around. We self-drove in South Africa and would stop to watch particularly exciting sightings but usually not for very long periods and never more than an hour. In the private camps where guided excursions were included we weren't in a private vehicle so we just did whatever the group/ guide wanted. We let the guides know our preferences and hopes but that's it.
Secondly, unless the light is really poor you can usually find a good photograph in most sightings - sometimes you might go for a close up instead of a wider shot because the background is poorer, other times you'll go for an environmental shot. I just keep my eyes open wherever we are and try and look for different shots within whatever I'm seeing.
Of course, when I notice the light is just so, I'll take a lot more shots in that time period and likewise take far fewer when the light is harsh and direct but... whilst harsh midday light isn't the most flattering for most shots, even then one can usually find something to take.
That's not to say I won't plan and wait for a shot if I'm in a situation where it would be worthwhile and I can do so:
On the Antarctic trip we stepped ashore on Salisbury Plain in South Georgia and were surrounded by a sea of penguins as far as the eye could see. After a while of wonder and opportunistic pics, I realised I wanted to capture an adult feeding a chick with other penguins as the background. For that image I lay myself flat on the penguin-poo covered, hard and cold ground for a good half an hour, actually a little bit more, until I got the shot I wanted. I'd have stayed longer but I knew we only had 4 or so hours ashore and there was so much else I wanted to see and photograph. That photo is here:
http://www.dpcprints.com/print.php?IMAGE_ID=133126
(Note: if anyone wants to buy one, don't buy it from there, contact me first).
In the galapagos we came across lots of marine iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks of one island and I again got down on my front. Of course, as I had no thick coat to protect me my elbows got cut up something awful and... the arthritis made it hard to get back up again but... it was a great viewpoint.
And that time, the specific images in question didn't come out as well as I'd hoped.
You win some you lose some.
But the vast majority of the time I'm very much an opportunistic photographer partly because I like to see lots and just "spot" image opportunities and partly because I'd want to spend much, much longer in each place to work the other way more regularly.
Jun 29th, 2005, 12:43 AM
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Rocco, yes I did the copyright notices in Photoshop but it's not an automated process (unless there's a feature in it I haven't found yet which is perfectly possible as I've only recently upgraded to a newer version).
Knowing PS pretty well I worked out the steps to adding the copyright as I wanted it (using a text layer set to 50% opacity and then flattening the image) and then recorded an action to run those steps. (Two actually, one for portrait shots and one for landscape ones). Then, having separated the images into those two groups, I used the batch automate feature to run that action on all the images in a given folder. That's why the position of the copyright is not idea in all images - they are not all the same ratio and some would benefit from it being slightly higher or lower. But it would be too much work to do them manually.
To be honest, if I hadn't been able to automate it I wouldn't have bothered - it's not like anyone can sell these images as they are low resolution small size files only but I didn't want any of them "borrowed" for use on peoples' own sites, whether commercial or not.
Tashak, I love black and white and it just seemed to suit some of these particularly. I have cropped them a little to focus in on the area I wanted but this is how I envisaged them on taking them - I just didn't have a sufficiently powerful telephoto to reach in as far as I wanted.
Knowing PS pretty well I worked out the steps to adding the copyright as I wanted it (using a text layer set to 50% opacity and then flattening the image) and then recorded an action to run those steps. (Two actually, one for portrait shots and one for landscape ones). Then, having separated the images into those two groups, I used the batch automate feature to run that action on all the images in a given folder. That's why the position of the copyright is not idea in all images - they are not all the same ratio and some would benefit from it being slightly higher or lower. But it would be too much work to do them manually.
To be honest, if I hadn't been able to automate it I wouldn't have bothered - it's not like anyone can sell these images as they are low resolution small size files only but I didn't want any of them "borrowed" for use on peoples' own sites, whether commercial or not.
Tashak, I love black and white and it just seemed to suit some of these particularly. I have cropped them a little to focus in on the area I wanted but this is how I envisaged them on taking them - I just didn't have a sufficiently powerful telephoto to reach in as far as I wanted.
