Red And Yellow
The photos in this post capture a striking interplay of light and shadow, showcasing the intricate details of everyday scenes often overlooked. Each image offers a unique perspective, inviting viewers to ponder the narrative behind the moment frozen in time. The composition cleverly highlights textures and colors, enhancing the visual experience. The use of natural elements in some images contrasts beautifully with urban settings in others, illustrating the harmony between nature and man-made environments. This collection tells a silent story, encouraging reflection on the ordinary through the lens of artistry.
Color is a powerful tool of expression. It can have a deep impact on the viewer.
Japan Street Photography
After dreaming and talking for so long about Japan and all it has to offer I was finally able to visit it and the country did not disappoint. A little bit of everything but especially interesting for me was where the old meet the new. A place that successfully mixes traditional dress, buildings and way of life from hundreds of years ago with vending machines on every street corner that sell everything you could imagine has to be admired in my opinion.
After dreaming and talking for so long about Japan and all it has to offer I was finally able to visit it and the country did not disappoint. A little bit of everything but especially interesting for me was where the old meet the new. A place that successfully mixes traditional dress, buildings and way of life from hundreds of years ago with vending machines on every street corner that sell everything you could imagine has to be admired in my opinion.
I have read before that the local people's attitude towards foreigners can be racist but I found nothing but respectful and polite people. Of course all the good things you hear about the food are all true and the one regret was that we were not able to simply spend more time tasting more dishes but this alone is a good enough reason to return.
For a street photographer the country is also a paradise of interesting and unusual subjects and although I never went to Tokyo I hear its the place to grab your wide angle lens and get some great shots. From a photography point of view this trip was a bit frustrating and I will explain why. Originally my plan was to shoot both digital and 35mm film only black and white but when I arrived I started to feel that color was the way to go so I shot both. At the end of it I had a whole lot of crap or average black and white film photos which I was disappointed with. Also for me I am really trying to to minimize my travel kit, in fact it is one of the reasons I was drawn to Fuji for the smaller sizes and excellent picture quality but on this trip I found myself lugging around 2 cameras and five lenses of which I probably used two. So, from now on I've told myself to choose before hand if I am shooting digital or film and stick to one camera and one lens. Ok ok, two bodies with a lens each and thats all!
Although we saw plenty of beautiful temples and shrines you will see that I don't have many photos of them here. it's not that I didn't take any, rather that I didn't take any that you couldn't already find anywhere on the internet so instead this post will look more like a street photography post.
I may do a second post just to show you the film shots and you can give me your opinion on which was better, color or black and white.
As Always I hope you find the photos interesting
Chad
Look closely, if only I could read minds, what would these tell me?
The men in black.
For me this image could have been good if not for the car.
The ghost in the darkness. Again another potentially interesting photo missed, this time because I wasn't quick enough to change my camera settings.
Just me channelling a bit of Bruce Gilden style photography.
Botswana
A long overdue post on my trip to Botswana. Two weeks of adrenaline filled adventure. Enjoy the read and the photos.
I had the opportunity to spend 2 weeks traveling around Botswana and even though the objective wasn't to make it a photographic trip as always I had a couple of cameras with. I took the Fujifilm X-T1 with a couple of lenses and my Nikon FM2 film camera with a 50mm lens. Because I don't normally shoot wildlife, the longest lens I have is the 85mm equivalent so opportunities were a bit limited. Bear that in mind when you view the photos, it will give you an idea of how close the animals came to us. I admit that there were more than a few occasions that I experienced a bit of the old butt hole pucker, case in point was when I shot the hippo photos. It was literally a car length away from us.
Part of the reason I wanted to go on this trip was to remind myself how small and vulnerable I as a human actually am when taken in context of the awe that is nature. I think we tend to forget this very quickly when we live in cities but when you are in the middle of the bush with no one else around for kilometers and you hear a lion roar less than 50m away from you in the black of night as you sit around your fire you are reminded very quickly where you sit in the food chain.
It was also amazing to realize how we adapt to danger, case in point was one day we noticed a small hut literally made from straw with no door. When we met the locals we mentioned this and he causally said that they used to sit in the hut until one day a lion tried to eat them there so now they don't sit in that hut! There are a few other stories I have regarding danger but I'll save those for another time. Just remember, there are no fences keeping anything out so when you need to pee at night, you dangle it out the tent.
I will say that if you haven't been to Botswana then do yourself a favor and go, your life will not be the same. When you have returned and you are sitting at your desk at work months later, you will find yourself reminiscing about that trip and maybe even sometimes wondering why you haven't sold all your worldly possessions and made that your life.
Again this is a photo blog not a travel blog but I feel obliged to give you a few helpful tips if you are planning a 4x4 trip there.
Buy as much of your provisions including water, beer and fire wood outside of the country. The prices get seem to get more and more expensive the further north you travel.
Don't forget your first aid kit, when you are hours away from anyone this could save your life.
If you have a sense of direction as bad as mine, a GPS with trail maps is a must or you find yourself driving around in circles for hours in a storm.
If you are planning on going in the wet season like us, be prepared for some adrenaline fueled driving! Having more than one vehicle gives great piece of mind but we did fine just 2 guys and a Pajero.
After eating wash and store all food stuffs inside your vehicle or trailer otherwise you tend to get visits from animals that may decide you are lunch. We made the mistake of leaving a bbq grid hanging on a gazebo and went for a drive. When we returned the gazebo was completely wrecked and could only be used for scrap.
When you pull into the camp on your first night in the bush and notice your Dutch neighbour has made his bbq and eaten and is already in his tent as the sun sets, don't be so quick to mock him (see comment above regarding lion roaring at night).
Oh and finally, a fellow traveller advised us to sleep with our shoes inside our rooftop tent because the hyena tend to eat them if you leave them outside (note that we didn't actually experience this but we kept them inside just in case).
That's it for tips, the rest you can read on any website when you do your research. Now enjoy the photos.
Cheers
Chad
This was our first destination and and a taste of what was to come. See the storm approaching in the distance? Yeah we didn't think it would reach us in 10 min either.
Baobab trees
Happy elephant.
They don't call it the rainy season for nothing. We spent our late afternoons and nights being chased by storms.
Not so happy elephant.
Big boy is about a cars length away from me.
More afternoon storms.
One of the numerous flooded areas we crossed. Doesn't look too deep right? Water was up to our windshield. One of many pucker moments.
I hate the way Fuji renders foliage but in this case I have to say the colors were nearly spot on compared to what I saw. Shot with Fuji standard film simulation if I remember correct.
I havde a series of these shots. I think these are going to make some great prints.
After waiting patiently for 5 hours to shoot the sunset we were hit by gale force winds accompanied by a mother of a storm.
Goodbye Bostwana, see you soon.
Dancers Project
Just in time for your commute home. Well done you did it, Monday is finished!!! I hope this post makes your day just a little bit more interesting.
Just in time for your commute home. Well done you did it, Monday is finished!!! I hope this post makes your day just a little bit more interesting.
It's been a while since I posted so I thought I would update you on what I've been up to. I've been shooting lots for my ongoing Dancers Project. This is a long term project dedicated amongst other things, grace, beauty and energy of dancers. The project is evolving in some ways and thus I feel it could go on for a while until I am satisfied that it is complete. I think this is normal because the more time I spend with dancers the better I understand what being a dancer is all about, the more I want to show the pain, dedication and very personal need for self excellence that each dancer seems to bring to each movement and pose. Also the longer I work on this project, the more ideas and different angles I discover that I feel add to it in some way. Finally it's also important to me to bring a little of each dancers stage personality into the photo. The project has also changed in that what started off as a purely black and white idea now will be a mix of color and black and white photos. This came about after just talking to the dancers about what they do and how they see themselves.
There are so many different styles of dancing that I have not yet discovered or explored. For the moment the idea is to show as many as possible. If you are a dancer and would like to collaborate with me then feel free to contact me.
Dubai Street Photography
I spent a few days in Dubai, it was my first time not just transiting through the airport. Unfortunately we didn't get to do the desert safari this time. I would have loved to shoot a few portraits of the tribesmen and I am dying to try the roasted goat that is slow cooked in a hole in the ground and coved with sand.
For me the most interesting shots I got were at the souk. It is a pity that it is so geared towards tourists though, I would have liked to see more local people and even where the migrant workers to the country shop for their daily things. On the plus side, food all over was amazing and the weather was great. I have heard that summer is definitely a no go as temperatures go into the 50's and we are talking Celsius!
Have to say that I am loving the Fuji Systems more and more each day for travel photography. Besides the fantastic quality of the photos, the size and weight are great for saving your back and shoulders when you are out the whole day. So Well done FUJI and keep it up!
Be wary of strangers.
Hand held. I really need to get a travel tripod.
South African Bush Getaway
Continuing my time spent in South Africa, we took a little time to get out of the city into the countryside. One of the great things I love about SA is the fact that you can drive for 1 hour and be relatively isolated, no car horns honking, not a person in sight, just lots of blue skies, puffy white clouds and fresh air. Oh and depending where you go, lots of wild animals to be found in game parks.
Another normal day on the Highways in South Africa. Just kidding, the highways have much more traffic that this. Shot with a 35mm lens while steering with my elbows!!!
Always wanted to see what I look like behind the camera, scary stuff!
Boudoir Shoot
South Africa, a whole lot more than just braaivleis and brandewyn!!!
I was really happy to have been able to line up a couple of shoots while on my holiday in Johannesburg, this was one of them.
I had an amazing time shooting with this lady and can't wait to go back and shoot more of the South African talent. Thanks to Y for putting in so much effort in preparation for our shoot, from all the beautiful pieces of lingerie right down to the french manicure and pedicure. I always give my best when shooting but whenever I see this much effort on the part of the model it inspires me to give even more.
South African Street Portrait
Aaaarrrghh, Ok so take two of my blog post because the little internet decided to delete my last post as I was finishing it.
Ok so lets start again. It's been a while since my last post. Life has been crazy busy with shooting and general life stuff. I also spent 3 weeks in South Africa on holiday and managed to organise a couple of shoots while I was there. I think most of my holiday snaps I will post on Instagram so look out for them.
I was cruising around Johannesburg looking for old 35mm cameras in old junk shops when I noticed this guy just hanging around outside one of them. I was immediately interested by his face and knew that I had to shoot his portrait. After talking for a while he agreed and we just carried on talking about life in general while I snapped away. Turns out he regularly goes to the local gym to lift weights with his daughter and on the day I saw him, he was just killing time waiting for her. Really nice guy and I was happy to have met him.
The black and white shots were down when I found myself on a construction site. I would have loved to spend a bit more time there shooting close up portraits of the workers but I wasn't able to that day, maybe next time.
Anyway, everyone meet Vic.
Shanghai Streets In Color
Shooting street in Shanghai sometimes feels like cheating because there is so much of interest you barely have to walk 20 meters to find a subject but this too comes with it's own problems. I find it challenging to push myself to think of new themes, to look beyond the obvious street vendor shot right in front of me. At the end of the day we all add our own touch to each photo and view the scene slightly differently to everyone else no matter how many times it has been done before, this is how we differentiate ourselves. I am sure that is the goal of many photographers, when you take a shot of something that has been seen before but whoever is looking at it can recognise it's your work by the style of the photo.
The lesson to be learnt is keep pushing yourself, the harder you push the more you surprise yourself. Appreciate the failures, those are the building blocks from which you make success.
The rate at which Shanghai is expanding and modernising is impressive. It also makes for a great contrast, out with the old and in with the new. In a way though, it is sad to see all of these old buildings crushed to rubble.
Taiwan In Color
Taiwan is a great place for so many reasons but the friendly and polite people definitely has to come at the top of my list, followed closely by the food, great passion for coffee and the shopping was right up there too. The night markets are great and the vibe is awesome. Besides Taipei I was in Hualien and Taroko Gorge. I definitely recommend taking a guide to the gorge as the history is fascinating and something I really didn't expect.
All in all I can't wait to go back, the only bummer for me is that I have to go to Hong Kong every time to ally for my visa but hey, there are worse places than the great Hong Kong to spend your time shooting street photography and eating Cantonese style Chinese food.
The Chiang Kai-Shek memorial.
Changing of the Honour Guard at the Chaing Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.
Really Interesting looking girl I met on the street. I am looking forward to hopefully shooting her again in the future.
Yes the water was really that color.
