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By Gwynne Gosher

Gwynne wonders if this makes it as a black and white picture. I think it works very well and conveys a real sense of atmosphere. I think the pic could do with a slight contrast boost to whiten the sky and maybe the fences. I might also have chosen to crop off the fences at the bottom, putting the horizon line on the third, but that''s just nit picking.

What do you think?

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By Barrie Walsh

A great rally picture. The car's movement is frozen, which can lead to a static picture, but there is plenty of speed in this pic; the car doesn't look as though was parked at the time. The bonus, for me, is the dust which adds to the impression of movement and masks what might have been a distracting background.

Comments please ...

Reminder: click any picture on this blog to view an enlargement.

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By Natalie Knibbs

A great picture of this animal tap-dancing on a hot rock at Loteni. It has a nice blurred background and, although parts of the animal are starting to go a tad soft, I think the pic gets away with it. A square crop might have improved the picture by removing some of the empty space at the top and the tiny blurred bit at the bottom. I also think it would benefit from a slightly warmer tone, which could be achieved by increasing the saturation or colour temperature.

Comments please...

NB. Out of interest, Photo World at Pick 'n Pay Centre now offers 8-inch square prints. I've been doing some square pictures here's a chance to get them printed.

Reader's picture

Unknown bug by Allan Gosher

Clicking on this picture, and others in the blog, will show you an enlargement so you can take a closer look. Allan's picture ticks almost all the boxes when it comes to macro/ close-up photography. The subject is well positioned, sharp, colourful, and interesting to look at. The background is not too obtrusive, being nicely blurred.

I have no idea how small this bug is in real life, or whether it would have been possible to fill more of the frame with it. I think that it is a little small in the frame but cropping would definitely help. Another little niggle is the out-of-focus portion on the bit of wood that it's sitting on; it tends to draw my eye a bit but I realise that, with such a narrow depth of field, it might not have been possible to get it in focus as well.

Unofficial outing - May 2007

Just a note about an interesting photo opportunity coming up this weekend in our area. The Zulu rally hurtles through Inanda on Saturday morning, May 26, and I, for one, intend to be there. The first car is due through the spectator points at 09H20.

Full details are available at http://www.rallysouthafrica.com/ but I have downloaded the spectator guide and have included the details of how to get to Spectator Points A & B. I hope this means I will be able to find them ;-)

I suggest we meet at Point A initially.

Spectator Point A
Exit DURBAN on the N3 PIETERMARITZBURG.
Take the off-ramp at Exit 43 INCHANGA/HAMMERSDALE/MPUMALANGA.
After 400 m, crossroads, turn right towards INCHANGA.
After +- 100 m, turn right towards DRUMMOND/PEACEVALE/CLIFFDALE. At this point, zero your odo.
1,9 Crossroads, turn left towards DRUMMOND 2.
2,8 Keep left.
4,7 Proceed over railway lines.
4,75 “T” junction, turn right towards BOTHAS HILL/R103.
10,3 Turn left towards VALLEY TRUST/SANTA.
17,6 Turn right just after galvanised hut on RHS. (Power pole marked 357 on your LHS).
18,3 Proceed onto gravel road, thereafter swing round to the left.
19,2 Ignore road on LHS, proceed straight on.
19,6 Swing round to the left, keep on main gravel road.
21,5 “Y” junction, bear right.
22,8 Junction. Spectator Point A is at junction. GPS S29o40.416’. E030o47.708’
Stage Distance: 30,19 kms First car due: 09h20 and at 12h17

The cars will come past twice but it may be that that once will be enough and we go off and find brunch. Or we could move on to point B for the second lap.

Spectator Point B
Exit DURBAN on the N3 PIETERMARITZBURG.
Take the off-ramp at Exit R606 UMLAAS ROAD/HAMMERSDALE/MPUMALANGA.
After 400 m, crossroads, turn right towards INCHANGA.
After +- 100 m, turn right towards DRUMMOND/PEACEVALE/CLIFFDALE. At this point, zero your odo.
1,9 Crossroads, turn left towards DRUMMOND 2.
2,8 Keep left.
4,7 Proceed over railway lines.
4,75 “T” junction, turn right towards BOTHAS HILL/R103.
10,3 Turn left towards VALLEY TRUST/SANTA.
17,6 Ignore road on RHS (leads to Spectator Point A), proceed straight on.
18,7 Turn right next to sign ZIBAMBELE MAINTAINED ROAD.
18,8 Proceed onto gravel road.
23,1 Spectator Point B is at junction. GPS S29o40.257’. E030o46.999’.
Stage Distance: 30,19 kms First car due: 09h20 and at 12h17

Pictures / Reminder

By Leanne Mackenzie

A nice pic of this flower. The exposure is spot-on, with no blown highlight on the white petals, and it is nicely framed. The thing that sets it apart from many other flower pictures, in my opinion, is the very unobtrusive background which doesn't detract from the subject at all. The background is dark, for a start, and a narrow depth of field ensures that the bits and pieces in it, that are visible, are nice and blurred. I did sharpen the pic a little for display; it's quite often needed when a picture is resized to send by e-mail.

By Leanne Mackenzie

This is a great picture of this light fitting. The rich red of the wall contrasts nicely with the slightly time-worn fitting. Again, the exposure is good, with no blown highlights on the metal. The shadow really adds some class to the picture. The relatively tight framing of the subject does contribute to the success of the pic. The shadow leading off down to the right is intriguing and I wonder what effect including more of it would have had.

REMINDER

This is a reminder about our outing to Tala game reserve on Saturday, 19 May. We meet at the gate at 6:15am to take advantage of the reduced group rate. You'll have to pay the full price if you arrive after we go in.

Programme: May 2007

The meeting is on 8 May at the Hillcrest Sports Club at 7pm. There will be supper at 6pm as usual for those that want it. It is still R30 per head and some of the best value in town.

There will be a talk on developing RAW camera files and we will then look at member’s pictures. The set subject for the month is macro/closeup.

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The official outing for the month is to Tala Game Reserve on 19 May. Barrie is the organiser and will let us have all the details at the meeting.

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An unofficial outing, which sounds very interesting, is to the Baynesfield Estate on 13 May. A tourist web site has this to say about it:

Baynesfield Estate Museum & Baynes House
Farm Nel's Rust 849, north of Richmond.
The display focuses on Joseph Baynes and his great contribution to farming in Natal. The house was built in about 1887, and declared a national monument in September 1994. There is a dairy, piggery, and agricultural section. Has two dams , mountain bike trails and birdwatching.
Telephone: 033 251 0001

They are having an open day for Mother’s Day and there will be all sorts of displays, market, music, food, and beer to occupy the time. The whole place is very picturesque and we had a pretty good time last year. To make matters more interesting, Umgeni Steam Rail are doing a trip from Maritzburg to Baynesfield and back on the day. The train leaves PMB station at 10am and returns at 4pm. Doubtless, John will give us all the details at the meeting and take names for a booking. The train is R90 for adults and R60 for children.
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By Allan Jackson

EOS Roadshow

All you Canoniers might be pleased to know of a Canon EOS Roadshow being organised for 05 and 06 May 2007 in Durban. You can go to Roadshow section of their website at http://www.eosroadshow.co.za to check the exact details of what's on offer. The courses on offer are Course 3 (which covers the more advanced camera features) and Course 4 on Photoshop. Courses are held at the Elangeni and the costs are R600 per person per day although you get a discount if you book both. The contact e-mail is info@eosroadshow.co.za and the phone number is o13 744-9527.

Outing: March 2007

24-3-2007: Outing cancelled. Steam engine broken. Sorry.

Just a reminder of our outing on the Inchanga Choo Choo steam train on Sunday, March 25, 2007. We have booked seats for those who put their names down but other members are still welcome to come along; you'll have to book your seats yourself (on 031 3033003), or take a chance that there'll be some left on Sunday.

The people who put their names down, and who must pay even if they don't pitch, are John T, Allan J, Zoe, Allan and Gwynne, Cathy and Craig, Kevin and family, Barrie, and Geoff . Get tickets from John at the station and pay him.

We meet at Kloof Station at 08h00.

by Allan Jackson

Photo opportunity

There is going to be a great photo opportunity at the Cato Ridge Airfield. They are having open days on 3&4 March, from 7am to 5pm, with plenty of interest including skydivers and flips. With a case of tick bite fever acquired on the last outing, Allan isn't sure if he'll make it but will try.

Meeting: March 2007

Our next meeting will be at Hillcrest Sports Club on March 6, 2007. Speaking will be some or all of the celebrated wildlife photography family, the Van Den Bergs. The meeting begins at 7 pm and, after the speakers, we will show members' pictures as usual.

Special meeting

We are holding a special meeting for new members and people who have so far been too shy to bring their pictures to our monthly meetings. It will be held on Tuesday, February 27, at 7pm at the usual venue at Hillcrest Sports Club.

The aim is to get to know other members in less threatening circumstances than a full-blown meeting. Experienced members of the club will be on hand to answer any questions you might have and comment on your pictures. You’re welcome to bring you camera if you need anything explained. Depending on how things go, we might end up with a little talk on composition and then again, we might not.

Outing: February 2007

Our outing is at Shongweni Dam at 7am on Saturday, 17 February, 2005. Go through the gate and find your way to the canoe club. We’ll be in the area below the dam wall if you arrive late. We’ll be there a couple of hours and then we’ll go for breakfast to a restaurant nearby.

Frans Lanting

Here's a link to a fantastic slideshow of the work of Frans Lanting. There are 86 fantastic photographs which you are sure to find inspiring. Click here and then click Start the Journey when the A Journey Through Time website appears. Then click view the slideshow.

What's On

All of us occasionally battle to think of something to photograph but now Verena has found a calendar of events in and around the city which should provide plenty of inspiration. Click here to go to Durban Africa's website and you can download the current version of the calendar by clicking on the link. Hint: You'll need the free Adobe Acrobat to read it.