Ashes and Snow

This link to Ashes and Snow was submitted by JJ, our technical advisor, who writes;

Just a link for the blog that I personally believe is a must-see for every photographer on the planet. It is a touring exhibition of photographs and movie clips called “Ashes and Snow” by artist Gregory Colbert.

The exhibition has been visited by over 10 million people, making it the most successful exhibition by a living artist in history.

The site is flash-based and bandwidth hungry, which makes an ADSL connection or a lot of patience a necessity.

The gems are mostly under the “EXPLORE” option. Definitely the most evocative photography I have ever seen.

JJ

Note that the link JJ provided links directly to the Enhanced Experience but there is also a Basic Experience accessible via a link from the home page.

‘Following our Noses’ – expect the unexpected … Nettie

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Thinking that we should start the ball rolling into the New Year, Ilse Andrag and I set out for Stellenbosch on the 2nd January, wishing to visit the Botanical Garden in order to photograph the lotus flowers in bloom. No such luck – the Garden was closed…(open again on 5 Jan).

Remembering that Steve and Mela Crane had wanted to visit the Rupert Museum to see the Rodin and Dylan Lewis exhibition (and had found it closed), we drove for a look-see and found the same … sigh. It had now started to rain … another sigh.

So, on we drove in the direction of Paarl, thinking we might visit Butterfly World – well, every Tom, Dick and Harry was there (en famille), with not a parking spot to be found. We said hello to the meerkat sitting on top of his ground heap, and left again, in the direction of Wellington. The skies were dramatically clouded and the possibility of a few polarized shots came into my head. But where could we safely park? Ah, an open farm gate – at last, time to get out the tripods! No sooner had we turned our backs on the car and the farm owner (very nice looking young man) politely came to ask us what we were doing on his property. Ilse told him who we were, that we were members of a club, were not going to make money out of our pictures of his property, after which he told us we were welcome … big sigh of relief…

We spent some time there, and then carried on into the countryside – direction Malmesbury. Dramatic skies, shifting sunlight, hay bales and trees on the horizon – all great as long as we could get the car off the highway. The turnoff to Riebeek Kasteel proved fortuitous – although the Olive Boutique was closed… sigh. We made it to the outskirts of town to Delico Farm Butchery, which was luckily open, and maxed out our credit cards – lamb chops, fillet, farm butter, ribs – you name it they’ve got it (as well as skilpadjies – too rich for me, but many people like them…). There were a few more opportunites to photograph sweeping landscapes, and then it was time to drive back to reality. Now that our batteries have been charged, we are rarin’ to go in 2009!

Tip: sometimes it good to just follow your nose!district-wellington

‘Lone Tree’ and ‘District Wellington’  by Nettie

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Images by Ilse

Judging

Four judges (or one outside judge), scoring on a scale of 1 – 10, will judge – with a final maximum being 30 – the lowest score is discarded.  When a judge has to score his/her own entry, he/she awards his/her image the lowest score (1).  Images scoring 22 or higher receive applause, and are eligible for selection into the annual Interclub competition.  Members whose prints and/or slides have been selected, are requested to retain their work until submission in October every year.  The Western Cape Interclub Competition takes place at the end of October and is hosted, in turn, by one of the photographic societies in the area.

Dance of Light Photography Workshops

Nicole, Guy and Eric Palmer offer a variety of workshops in the Stellenbosch area under their Dance of Light Photography banner. Here is some information on their programme.

  1. The PHOTO COURSE at Rhenish Girls High School consists of 7 lessons in the class room and 1 field trip. IDEAL FOR TOTAL BEGINNERS. Next course runs from 5 to 26 February 2009.
  2. The DIGITAL DAY for beginners is a ‘one day’ workshop introducing you to the first steps in PHOTOSHOP, an image editing software programme used to touch up images on the computer.
  3. The CREATIVE DIGITAL Workshop day is an ideal follow up where you will learn more advanced techniques.
  4. The MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY week end workshop teaches specialized techniques for taking extreme close-ups and requires specific equipment such as an SLR camera with a dedicated Macro lens or extension tubes. THIS WORKSHOP IS NOT SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS.
  5. The AUTUMN in the VINEYARDS weekend workshop concentrates on landscape photography. The photography side is not as technically detailed as in the Photo Course, and Photoshop work covers just the essential first steps to prepare your photographs for the analysis (critique) happening during the weekend. THIS IS A GOOD FIRST WORKSHOP.
  6. A 7 day, 6 night WORKSHOP is presented in spring at the end of September or beginning of October.  This workshop teaches landscape photography, close-up photography and light painting amongst others. A WONDERFUL WORKSHOP FOR EVERYONE, beginners and advanced photographers alike. Due to unforeseen circumstance, this workshop can no longer be held at the usual venue and an alternative venue is being investigated. Details will be published as soon as arrangements are in place.
  7. Eric and Nicole are also planning a new weekend workshop, ideal for all levels of photographic competence. They will publish information about it on their web site as soon as details are confirmed.

Consult the following brochures for details on dates and cost of Courses and Workshops.

Eric also gives INDIVIDUAL LESSONS in the following

  • Photoshop
  • Audio visual shows
  • Camera tuition

For rates and bookings contact him by email at adrenalinstar@hotmail.com or by phone on 082 697 9946.