Now that the majority of my studies have been completed and life is returning to normality I can get back to what I love, blogging about my passion. I have always been a lover of photography but have not always had the time or the means to explore it as I am today. My interest was started by my Uncle Danie (pronounced 'Daa-nie') when I was about 10 years old as he gave me a "Box Brownie Camera" for my birthday, ....no I no longer have the camera as I have three younger brothers and I was never able to say no to my family.
I was just getting into film (16mm, 8mm and Super-8mm) when it became necessary to leave our homeland in trying circumstances. I was able to pack and send one of my camera's to myself but unfortunately it was damaged in transit so that was the end of that for some time. In 2011 after some serious health issues I was advised that I had passed my 'use by' date and that I should get away, de-stress and enjoy what was left. Well I bought a few camera's and booked a world tour with my (wife) Bonnie Ronnie, determined to experience and record as much as possible. I didn't expect to actually complete the seven month tour, which had become a quest to reconnect with as many family members as possible and this was a determining factor when deciding where to visit.
Between us we shot 30,000 short video's (most badly as it was memories not quality I was after for my family, especially Bonnie Ronnie) and 35,000 photographs, a good 50% of which were of no interest to anyone but us. We put up a travel blog and made many (about 90) entries while sharing our experience and images of interest thus reigniting my passion for photography and videography. Along the way we decided that, should we reach Singapore we would invest in some equipment for our hobby and this we did.
It has now been over two years since our return and only yesterday did I open the last package that I purchased in January 2012. What did we purchase? - Enough equipment to set up our own studio (not a professional studio but a very nice hobbyist studio). We have been learning how to use each piece of equipment and only moving to the next when proficient with the currently open equipment, a slow process. By the way the last package contained a completely manual Samyang 85mm F1.4 Aspherical IF Lens. I had a fear that it would not fit my Sony a99 as this was purchased here in Australia, after our trip. I am pleased to say that not only does it fit but it works like a charm. Now I just have to become familiar with it.
When we first got back from our holiday I spent a little time starting to get back into video and movie making, I produced a couple of very amateurish clips ( New Zealand and Hawaii) before deciding that I needed a few lessons on photography and videography. Well the 'few' lessons have turned into a 2 year study of photography and I'm only just starting the videography stage.
Last night I entered my very first 4 prints into club competition and I'm very nervous, but excited at the same time. I've included a copy of one of the images here - I'd love to get a little feedback from you.
I absolutely love what I'm doing and love the fact that people are interested enough to join me on this journey, it's about to get a lot more interesting I assure you.
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| Altered Reality-Creative Print called "A Blast from the past" |
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