Weekly Photo Challenge – Reflections

This weeks Weekly Photo Challenge prompt is “Reflections”, I suppose a topic thats going to attract numerous interpretations. My post is about reflections in water. While driving between Almo and Kolback in Northern Sweden, I came across what appeared to be a lake, perfectly calm water, with a mirror like surface…every little detail reflected perfectly in the water. Every now and then there was a gentle breeze that just displaced the water a little, adding and interesting twist to the reflection.. :-). Amongst the images I took, were a few images of just the reflections, which when they were rotated look rather interesting 🙂 …………the journey continues…

Weekly Photo Challenge : Geometry

With a seating capacity of 61000 and a hefty price tag of R 4.4 billion Cape Town’s iconic 2010 FIFA World Cup Stadium was host to many from all over the world during the event. Unfortunately, not as well utilised these days, despite having the seating reduced to 55000, it still retains its appeal and dominance on the Cape Town landscape. Surrounded by the very popular urban park, the Stadium enjoys high visibility, and is probably one of the more frequently photographed buildings in the City.

I was out on Lions Head ( a hill overlooking the stadium and the city) around sunrise recently, camera in hand, to shoot at sunrise. This weeks photo challenge is “geometry”, which is very appropraite for this building, I’ve attached some of these images as my submission for this challenge…………

the journey continues……………..

 

Weekly Photo Challenge : Silhouette

It’s been a while since I last posted to the weekly photo challenge, and i’ve been wanting to do so for a while, so I figured a topic like Silhouette is perfect to make a comeback :-).

Often images with silhouettes are taken at sunset, though the images I am posting were taken at sunrise. Bjuroklubb in Northern Sweden.  Bjuröklubb is a nature reserve of national interest, managed by the National Environment Protection Board. Here you will find flat rocks, rubble stone beaches, sand dunes, walking paths, ancient relics and rock carvings. The costal area is characterised by sandbars and reefs that have caused many wrecks over the centuries, at the same time as Bjuröklubb has been a safe harbour.

I was out there one morning recently, camera in hand, to take some shots at sunrise shots.Some of these images are my submission for this weeks Silhouette challenge.

………….the journey continues………… Recently I also posted some other silhouette images here https://4otomo.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/travel-theme-silhouette/

Weekly Photo Challenge : Inside

Hmmm…Tuesday evening, I guess a little late but not too late to still make a submission for this weeks “Weekly photo challenge : Inside”. Looking at the number of responses to the challenge, almost 500 already, this is a popular topic :-).
My post for this challenge is about the inside of the Grand Mezquita – Cathedral in Cordoba – Southern Spain.

The site was originally a pagan temple, then a Visigothic Christian church, before the Umayyad Moors converted the building into a mosque and then built a new mosque on the site. After the Spanish Reconquista, it became a Roman Catholic church, with a plateresque cathedral later inserted into the centre of the large Moorish building. The Mezquita is regarded as the one of the most accomplished monuments of Islamic architecture. It was described by the poet Muhammad Iqbal:

“Sacred for lovers of art, you are the glory of faith,

You have made Andalusia pure as a holy land!”

I was there a few years ago, camera in hand and managed to get some shots of the inside of this amazing building and its numerous columns, some of these images make up my post for this challenge.

……….the journey continues……..

52 Photos Project : Growth

Weekly Photo Challenge : Growth

This weeks topic for the Weekly Photo Challenge: Growth coincides directly with the following post that I did recently for the 52 Photos Project, so I’ve linked my Photo Challenge submission to this post…

Phew! Its been a busy week, so this is very late…but, I did not want to miss the opportunity to respond to Bellas prompt of Growth for this week on the 52 Photos Project (http://www.52photosproject.com/). So here are some images of these flowers growing in the wild that I shot while out on a hike deep in the woods near Robertson. The vivid colours is what attracted me to them, and on closer inspection, you realsie that each of them is experiencing a different stage of growth………………the journey continues………….

Weekly Photo Challenge : Dreaming

Interesting Challenge this week, Dreaming….with the prompt to share images that make you dream. I have previously posted about Muizenberg Beach, a wide expanse of Beach with gentle waves just casually rolling to the shore. An absolute surfers paradise, resulting in it being quite busy most of the time, with surfers of all ages taking to the water, parents with children playing about at the waters edge, families out picknicking, people out walking their dogs, others just out for a jog or stroll, taking in the scenery etc. Doesn’t exactly sound like a place that conjures up images of dreaming, unless of course you’re a hard core surfer :-):-). Well, I’ve been out there around sunrise, and on some occasions, you can be lucky to get there before the sunrise surfers arrive, and the place is really “dreamy”.. :-), completely isolated, calm, and serene ..perhaps it just feels like that because everybody else is warmly tucked up in bed ..dreaming..:-). Seriously though, this large expanse of beach with the gentle rolling waves, and the soft morning light, with its soft puffy clouds, reflected in the moist sand has very much a “dream’ like appearance.

My images for this weeks “dreaming” challenge, is from one of these sunrise visits………. the journey continues……………..

Weekly Photo Challenge : Movement

The Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, opened in the late 70’s is a vibrant cultural hub pulsating with the finest in South African theatre. The building comprises a main theatre, concert hall and studio which together can house in the region of 1500 people. So you can imagine it is the perfect venue for this weeks photo challenge – movement. Obviously, there is lots of movement on the various stages every evening with the different events being held, but its a slightly different movement I’m referring to.
It is about the movement of people, yes these 1500 odd people when the theatre is running at full capacity, that arrive shortly before an event, mill around before it starts, then stream out of the venues at interval, and rush around getting some refreshments, or take a comfort break, perhaps have a smoke and or a chat, before they disappear into the various venues for the remaining parts of the performance, and eventually leave the building at the end of the performance. The central space outside the venues is the ‘transitional space” where these various movements take place, somehow it all happens in a structured way.
I was recently there and took the opportunity to shoot some of these different “movements” in the central space, ranging from patrons arriving and making their way to the different veunes, people queueing to get something from the bar/refreshmemt counter at interval, people just gathering at the tables with their refreshments, or maybe just making their way to the ablutions, and finally people on their way home. The central space filled with people is an absolute hive of activity, yet, when all the people are tucked away in the various venues, or on their way home the place is absolutely quiet, with no evidence of all the preceeding activity or any activity that was still to happen…hence my describing the space as transitional.
Todays images for the movement challeneg are extracted moments of this transitional space…………….the journey continues………….

Weekly Photo Challenge : Fleeting moment

I’ve had quite a few instances where I just happen to be in the right place and at the right time to witness a fleeting moment, however, there has been one small little complication…….no camera :-):-). So, when this situation started happening more frequently, I decided that th trick was to always take the camera.. Unfortunately, every now and then one is always without the camera.
I was recently on the road below Table Mountain, to try and get some shots of sunrise as it eased its way out of the horizon. Considering we are in mid winter, this is at a pretty decent hour (07.45am) so it didnt take too much effort to get there :-). The shallow wintersun is softer, emitting soft bands of light, which due to the orientation of the sun in winter results in some amazing sidelighting of the buildings in the City centre. This light reflects and bounces of buildings changing all the time, as the sun slowly rises, and moves north in the process.
So, my “fleeting moment” images are really about this changing light, how it penetrates the City centre, lights up and reflects off the buildings, how it creates amazing shadows on moving vehicles in the foreground , and mirror like reflections eg. on the stationary dark vehicle. Forunately, this time I had the camera with, and was able to capture these.
………..the journey continues……………

Weekly Photo Challenge : Create

My recent posts have been about a visit to the village of Barrydale, about 2 and a bit hours from Cape Town.
An area filled with some amazing scenery with numerous photo opportunities. I had the opportunity to visit the premesis of an Art Collective called MAGPIE ” a socially conscious art collective” based in the town. Working in various mediums including recycled materials, they produce items for their studio, undertaking commissions and installations, as well as participating in exhibitions. The collective are active within the local community, by engaging in local community income generation projects, crafters and civil society endeavours. More information about what the collective does and their work is available on their website  http://www.magpieobjects.mfbiz.com/#

I was amazed to see the innovative ways they were using recycled materails to create wonderful craft items. So, my submission for this weeks “Create” photo challenge are my perspective of some of the items created from recycled materials that were on display at the MAGPIE Studio.

Bella from the 52 Photos Project http://www.52photosproject.com/ has selected “circles” for this weeks prompt, when I saw the topic,  I couldnt resist posting a link to this post for that prompt…..:-)

………………the journey continues…………………………

Weekly Photo Challenge : Close

Barrydale is a little village about 2 and a bit hours from Cape Town. A quaint little place in wonderful surroundings. On a recent visit there, I came across a field with quite a few cows out grazing. They were just going about their own business eating, and chewing, followed by a lot more of the same. As I got closer to the fence, some of them stopped and lifted their heads and glanced at me, and before long just continued feeding.

A short while later, two cows, one clearly older than the other drifted closer to the fence. I assumed they were mother and calf, but I suppose they could also have been siblings. There was clear interacton between them so it was obvious that they were “close” in a family kind of way. At some point the larger cow moved much closer to the little one, and calmly proceeded to lick her ear..:-) the little one just stood there and enjoyed the attention. I imagined that must have been pretty ticklish, so was not surprised when I noticed the smaller one moving her head around occasionally :-), perhaps it was just to strategically direct the lick to a more appropiate part of her ear :-).

Fortunately, I had my camera with, and shot some images of this very close moment between these cows……………..the journey continues……………………………