Lights, camera, animals!

Somewhere in Hoedspruit, in the the middle of the bush, there's a little piece of heaven. A place too beautiful not to share... and share it we will! Shoestring Photography are super excited to announce that we will be doing photographic safaris in the very near future, with a few trial runs still to go.

We went down to Hoedspruit to go check things out, and what an exciting weekend it turned out to be! We went to sleep listening to the soft growl of a leopard, and were woken up by the loud roar of a lion roaming our camp!

Our first afternoon was dedicated to tracking a particularly shy elephant, who, as it turned out, was on his way to meet a friend - another very shy elephant. We managed to get a few snaps while he trekked through some very thick bush, and he didn't seem to bothered while we followed him around. But just like the ellies, we too needed to find a 'waterhole' for some much needed refreshments, and found the perfect spot, not just to enjoy a glass of wine in the quiet stillness of the bush, but to watch a beautiful sunset too!

The following morning's sunrise came with the promise of an exciting day in the bush - a walk with our ranger Andrews and the hope that we would find the two rhino - mother and baby - who's spoor had been spotted nearby.

So we walked... and walked... and walked... but the direction of the wind wasn't in our favour and the rhino must have smelled us from a mile away... Time for a plan B. Plan B was to walk along the river... but word came that a lioness and her cubs had made themselves comfortable in the spot we had planned to walk to... Plan C?

Andrews, determined to walk that morning, started driving towards a reported sighting of some lions (only because I begged and pleaded). On our way we were lucky enough to bump into some cheetah. The wind had made it the perfect day to hunt, and these boys were far too busy sniffing out their prey to pay even an ounce of attention to the happy snapping group of people following them up the road.

We eventually moved on as they disappeared into the long thick grass, and followed some lion tracks to a small clearing further up the road. Andrews, leaving his gun in the Landy, hopped out and started walking into the veld, determined to figure out where these lions had gone. Feeling a little peckish, we took the opportunity to have some coffee, indulge in a biscuit or two... and have a look at our photos.

I looked up briefly to see Andrews slowly walking back to the car before looking back down at my camera, a delicious crunchie stuffed in my mouth.

All of a sudden, there was a load roar followed quickly by Andrews screaming... "Bridgeeeet, bring the car NOW"!

The terror in his voice was unmistakable, and Bridge, who was sitting behind Penny and I, reacted quickly - throwing her biscuit onto me as she hopped out the car to get to the drivers' seat.

We started driving towards Andrews at a steady pace, and the closer we came the more I could see his legs shaking. Finally we pulled up beside him - only to realise that our car was now the only thing blocking two very hungry lionesses from having Andrews for breakfast. 

They didn't hang around for too much longer once they realised their luck had run out, and we all sat for a few minutes - our nervous laughter cutting through the tension of what could have been.

According to Andrews, he was following their tracks back to towards the car when one, rather unexpectedly, jumped out of a bush!

As if this wasn't enough excitement for the day, Andrews spotted some Rhino tracks and we went on to investigate. This particular rhino was finally discovered, hiding in some very thick bush. The only way to get closer to him would be to go on foot...

This time Andrews, armed with his rifle, lead us through the bush, until we had a clear sighting of him. We had come across this Rhino before and he was well known for his aggression. And he looked anything but pleased to see us. Hunched down on the ground, we got a few quick snaps of him before making our way back to the car... another memorable experience with a beautiful, but very angry, animal.

We went on a couple more drives that weekend, and saw our fair share of animals... Hippos, birds, zebra, giraffe, tons of buck, ... we even spotted a few jackal from very far away. The first rains for the season had yet to arrive but the lack of greenery seemed to only make the bush look more beautiful!

There had also been some controlled burning through the reserve, giving some parts of the reserve an eerie, but beautiful feel.

In the end we had a fantastic weekend, taking hundreds of photos, eating, drinking, and in general, a very merry time was had by all.

We will keep you posted on when we have our next one, and how you can be a part of this amazing experience.  

Double trouble... Penny and Shirley get focused

This class was set in an incredibly beautiful garden, the perfect place for two budding photographers to practice.

We spent some time working on composition, as well as depth of field and focus. Both ladies produced some beautiful photos as a result, proving that their creative flare was there all along.

It's also worth mentioning that not a single photo was taken on auto, the only shooting mode both Penny and Shirley were familiar with prior to our lesson.

Hopefully these snaps get you dusting of your lens and  slapping on some sunblock - Spring is the perfect time to whip out your camera and head for the great outdoors. Play with natural light, take photographs at different times during the day and don't be afraid to get right up close.

Birds do it. Bees do it. Penny and Shirley did it, and so can you!

Happy snapping!

Shirley

Penny

Closer, Caitlin.... go closer!!!

This was a class of many firsts for me... My first class with a teenager, 13 year old Caitlin - a budding young photographer with a passion for taking snaps of her family and animals.

Another first was trying to teach someone how to use a camera with super duper optical zoom, and I have to say it was.... perplexing.

First off, it's a real challenge trying to get a camera like this to focus properly. You're also looking at a LCD screen instead of through a view finder, quite tricky on a sunny day.

Definitely not an ideal camera for a beginner, and Caitlin seemed to relax instantly once I handed over my Canon DLSR for her to try out. Having an actual viewfinder made it much easier for to properly compose her photos, even if I did need to keep reminding her to go closer - optical zoom takes the fun out of photography, and an important lesson for Caitlin  was taking the same photo from different angles.

Caitlin did show a lot of promise and quickly grasped the basic concepts of photography, we will soon hopefully have her experimenting with film, perhaps even using her own darkroom.

One thing's for sure, nothing ever quite matches up to the enthusiasm of a child, and I hope to get more and more youngsters behind a lens in the future.

Charles, Yolande and Hayley: precious moments

Charles and Yolande and their beautiful daughter Hayley joined me for an hour at Zoo Lake last Saturday.

This beautiful little family were full of smiles and laughter, making the job of taking gorgeous photos just that little bit easier!

Hayley won the Baby Bargains Market competition recently with her expressive little face, with the photo shoot as the first prize.

Thanks to Yolande, Charles and Hayley for letting me share these precious moments with them!

  

Pretty in pink: Scarlett's Birthday

There can never be such a thing as too much Pink! Kerry and Harry celebrated their beautiful daughter's 1st birthday recently, and we were happy to share this special day!

Put me in a treehouse and suddenly I'm six again!

  

Like one of Enid Blyton's enchanting novels, Sycamore Avenue Treehouses takes you back to the days of fairies, pixies and magical places.

No Adults! The most important rule to remember when visiting Sycamore Avenue is leaving your grown up self behind.

We spent 3 magical nights at the tree house, exploring the Midlands Meander by day, exploring our hand crafted tree house at night.

The food, hospitality and atmosphere is something unique to Sycamore Avenue Treehouses, a must for you, and your inner child!

Thanks to our great hosts, Candice and Stephan, Lola the show cat, Becks the grumpy Spaniel, and Bonnie and Clyde for a weekend we will never forget!

For more info, visit their website - Sycamore Avenue Treehouses

                       

    

Family photography made easy

Gone are the days where family portraits consisted of mom, dad and the kids strategically placed, staring solemnly at the camera.

Forget all the "rules" of photography for a second.What's really important here is that naughty expression, that thoughtful look, first steps and playful grins. It's hard enough to catch those moments without still having to consider the right composure, lighting or shutter speed.

But then, you can still take good photographs. 

Tip 1. Go closer.

Its typical for most people to pick up their camera, and take a photo of something, not thinking to move just a little bit closer first. Does that mean you need a bigger zoom lens? No! It means, move closer, get down on the ground, run if you have to - but close ups are, in my opinion, the key the successful family photos, or even just portraits in general. Sometimes though, you might want to have just a little bit of the background in focus, if it helps tell a story of what was happening at the time you took the photo.

Tip 2. Don't go anywhere without a usable camera.

By usable, I don't just mean a camera that is working, I mean one that you know takes printable photos. Buy a small bridge camera, or even a smart phone with a decent camera if you have to, as long as it stays glued to your body at all times.

Tip 3. Take as many photos as you can.

Chances are, your first attempt won't be perfect. Or your second. Or the third. Take as many photos as you can of whatever it is that inspired you to pick up your camera in the first place. Shoot from different angles and positions. Click click click!

Most importantly, be sure to capture the spirit of your little ones, or loved ones. Photographs are, after all, just an extension of your memory!

       

        

     

        

                           

                           

                        

                        

                           

         

Derek... Not creative, huh?

Derek, a lover of all things living in the sky, raised a eyebrow or two when my trusty bottle of bubbles appeared during Sunday's class.

He soon learned just how challenging it can be, taking photos of moving objects. Motion blur and stopping motion was the focus of this class, a useful lesson for Derek's future in bird photography.

 His claims of not being very creative were also quickly disproved, as he came out with a few interesting shots.

The principle behind motion is very simple - Use a faster shutter speed to 'stop' motion - like the photo of Derek's son - the flying ninja. If you want some motion blur in your shot, use a slower shutter speed, but make sure that at least a part of the subject of your photo is still in focus.

Shooting in manual does take some practice, and patience as you learn how to set your camera correctly. A great way to keep tack of which settings work for a certain situation is to keep a notebook in your camera bag, jotting down shutter speeds and apertures that work.

Happy snapping everyone!