Nat Geo Photos @ Nat Hist Museum

Vince and I made it to the Ditsong Museum of Natural History in Pretoria just under the wire to see the 49th Annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit. We would have been sorry if we missed it too. It was fabulous!





The annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition sponsored by National Geographic Channel in South Africa ran from April 2nd until June 30 this year and as always it showcased a diverse set of wildlife images from all parts of the world and all ages. The competition received more than 43,000 entries, from amateurs and professionals alike, from 96 different countries. There were special categories for photographs taken by young photographers, ages 11 to 17, and even several in the category under 10 years old! The winners were impressive and humbling.

Essence of Elephants

This year was the first time the exhibition was hosted in Gauteng and it was very special indeed because as fate would have it, South African photographers brought home the lion's share of the most prestigious awards.

That included the overall winner of the exhibition Pretoria's Greg Du Toit, a friend of African Parks, for his photograph entitled "Essence of Elephants."  South African Isak Pretorius was the winner of the ‘Behaviour: Birds’ category with ‘Sticky Situation.’ Fellow countryman  Brent Stirton won the highly acclaimed ‘Wildlife Photojournalist Award’ for his portfolio of work on the illegal ivory trade.

The photographs are selected through a rigorous selection process, adjudicated by a panel of international specialists in the field, finally narrowing it down to the best entries based on creativity, artistry and technical complexity.The display forms part of a worldwide tour co-owned by the  Natural History Museum (NHM) London and BBC Worldwide.

Vince and I really enjoy viewing these exhibits because they are so inspiring. Not only do the photographs list the locations and inspiration for the shots, but the photographer usually gives details as to how he / she set up the shot as well as the technical details such as exposure and f stop, camera and lens used.

 

Simplicity

For instance I really liked this commended  photograph of a dog-toothed violet taken in Possagno, Italy by Valter Binoto. Valter explained that his aim was to capture the bokeh effect - a Japanese word for the aesthetic quality of out-of-focus points of light - as a way to honor this simple beauty. Taken at sunrise, Valter had waited for a perfect dew to form on the flower and the vegetation behind it. Using a Nikon D300 and a Meyer Gorlitz Trioplan 100mm f2.8 lens, a Gitzo tripod and a reflecting panel, it was shot at 1/1600 of a second at f2.8 using an ISO of 160.

Tiger Untrapped

Some of the photographs took an unbelievable amount of planning and patience. This picture of an endangered Amur, or Siberian, tiger is one of only a very few taken in the wild without the use of a camera trap. Toshiji Fukuda (Japan) has been photographing wildlife in the Russian Far East for more than 20 years, so when he heard that tiger tracks had been found on the shore of Russia’s Lazovsky Nature Reserve, he knew this was his chance. He camped out in a cave for 74 days in the Russian winter waiting for the tiger to reappear. It did only once on the morning of the 50th day! His photo won The Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Species.

Mother's Little Headful

Not all of the shots were as elaboratively planned. Some were just captured because the talented photographer was in the right place at the right time. Like this photograph of a crocodile mother whose babies jumped on top of her head in order to catch a ride as she surfaced out of the river. A magical moment!

True Love

While there were many incredible photographs of elusive snow leopards and lions, rare jaguars and alpine ibexes, underwater sharks and dugongs, I think this simple and sweet photograph of two mating northern gannets by UK's Steve Race may have been my overall favorite. It is called "True Love" and I may have to get a copy of it for Vince for Valentine's Day next year.

You too can order a print of some of the photographs exhibited (not nearly all unfortunately) online at www.nhm.ac.uk/prints.

Flower arranging in South Africa ...

... is so much fun with fynbos and proteas.

And cheap ... this is all about $6 worth of "exotic" material. Not including the porcupine quills which were found on the ground and were therefore free.

Just sayin' ...

Mozzarella di Bufala

I found and fell in love with Buffalo Ridge's Mozzarella di Bufala in Cape Town where you can get it at a number of specialty markets and delis around town including the Saturday Neighbourgoods Market.

Buffalo Ridge is a farm just outside Wellington in the Western Cape. They have almost 30 Water Buffalo, imported from Campana in Italy and they are the only cheese makers in South Africa who make genuine Buffalo Mozzarella. (They also make a delicious Buffalo Yoghurt.)

Luckily my favorite cheese purveyor, The Cheese Gourmet in nearby Linden, also carries it. It is shipped fresh every week from Wellington to Joburg on Wednesdays. Whew!

The Sardine Run

That should be Vince with his GoPro

Vince really wanted to scuba dive with the sardines this July during the annual Sardine Run in the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa. He wanted to do it last year too but just like last year, he is simply too busy at work at this time of year. That pesky job! And unfortunately diving with the sardines is not the kind of thing where you can just bop in on the fly if you get a free day or two over the weekend. It takes advanced planning. It is quite a production. To be more precise, scuba diving during the Sardine Run is an "expedition."

So what is the phenomenon exactly? The sardines migrate from the colder waters of the Cape into the warm sub-tropical waters of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal in a northwards direction, coming close to shore in the Wild Coast area during autumn and winter, moving further offshore in the Durban area and finally, disappearing into the vast blue yonder.

Because of the cold currents along this stretch of coastline and their appetite for plankton, these fish converge close to the shoreline and to the surface, making ideal targets for hungry predators and perfect viewing for snorkelers (that would be me)  and scuba divers (that would be Vince.) And by predators we mean cormorants and dolphins, okay. And sharks and whales, not okay.

In order to participate in an expedition you have to first be a master diver. Check, Vince is. And you have to be willing to dedicate a week to the experience. No check, Vince isn't. For a week (the minimum length of an expedition,) the drill is the same. First the sardine safari organizers use reconnaissance planes and helicopters to locate the sardines in the open ocean. If they find them, then they communicate the location with the group on shore who race to the identified sweet spot by zodiac. It is very controlled and very monitored because it is also very dangerous. Did I mention there are sharks? And you are not in a cage? And whales who come flying up from the deep with their mouths wide open to catch any or all of the food in their path before they burst out of the sea? Yeah.

Anyway, I am sure it is super cool to see live and I feel bad that Vince can't do it this year. During the height of the sardine run, he will be way off-shore back in the US of A. Here's hoping for next year! In the meantime watch this great video called The Sardine Chase by Nick Bernhard from the 2013 Sardine Run.
 

Sandton awaits you ...

Last night I went to the launch party for the new book Sandton Places. It was fittingly held at the San Bar at the Sandton Sun right smack in the middle of Sandton.

If you live in Sandton (or even if you don't) you should buy this book. Like Joburg Places did before it for the Johannesburg CBD, Sandton Places gives you a one-stop source for all the fun things to do in the greater Sandton area. Otherwise you are left to your own devices to ferret them out for yourself and believe me, it has been a job to source the little gems that are scattered about the "great northern beyond" that is greater Sandton. This book is about two years too late in coming as far as I am concerned, but I am sure I will still come away with more fun things to add to my must-do list.

I was able to get my copy signed at the launch party by the three authors, Joburg Places' Gerald Garner, 2Summers' Heather Mason and Brian Unsted. And because Vince and I pre-ordered the book, we found a little surprise waiting inside the front cover. Our names are listed in the forward as subscribers!

Gerald signed my book with the inscription "Sandton awaits you"
Oh I know Gerald, I know.

Buy this book!

Ballet in the Bush

Two of my favorite things - the New York City Ballet and baby rhinos - came together to marry art and conservation when the Legend Golf & Safari Resort was host to South Africa's first "Ballet in the Bush" event. After successful ballet galas in Johannesburg, the Stars of American Ballet headed out to Limpopo to perform at Ballet in the Bush in what is set to become a spectacular annual event on the arts and conservation calendar. Yay!

The ballet stars visited the world's first dedicated baby Rhino Orphanage and immediately pledged their support in the battle to save the species. Among the ballets stars was none other than New York City Ballet principal dancer Ashley Bouder who had the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the young rhino orphans. 
 
The proceeds of this event will go to The Rhino Orphanage and as well as a very generous donation made at the event by some of the ballet supporters and dancers.
 
After the event, Ashley Bouder pledged that "When we go back to the US, we will promote the tremendous work The Rhino Orphanage team are doing. We have a lot of friends and fans who follow us on social media and we will do everything we can to help get the message out there." 

Be on the lookout, New York!

Bertram House

albino squirrel in the Company Gardens

If you walk down Government Avenue in the center of Cape Town, through the Company Gardens and go past the large South African museums and historic government buildings to the very end, you will come upon tiny Bertram House. Built circa 1839, it reopened its doors to the public at the end of 2010 after extensive renovations.

Bertram House is the only remaining example of the English Georgian-style red brick houses that were once common in Cape Town. It was built by the English immigrant and notary, John Barker, who named it in memory of his first wife, Ann Bertram Findlay. 

Subsequent owners and tenants of the property reflect the society of 19th century Cape Town. They include Captain Robert Granger, a merchant and owner of 5 ships after whom Granger Bay is named, as well as Tiberias Benjamin Kisch, the first Jewish professional photographer at the Cape. The interior has been recreated with porcelain and furnishings in order to depict Bertram House as the home of a prosperous English family of the first part of the 19th century. 

The house was cool but I really enjoyed the Georgian colonial style garden tucked away on the side of the house with its center sun dial and brick walks. It reminded me so much of my own vintage tempus fugit sundial that sat in the middle of a little herbal tea garden I cultivated in my backyard in NJ. Lemon verbena. Chamomile. Mint.

my tea garden in the USA was always ready for 4 o'clock

the winter tea garden covered in snow and Christmas lights

Like my garden, the gardens at Bertram House would be a great place to just sit for a while and have a cuppa. But they weren't serving so next time I will have to bring my own.

Tortoises in the West Coast National Park

We weren't the only ones in the West Coast National Park saluting the sun on the Summer Solstice.The tortoises were all out as well soaking up the rays.

Enjoy!

The Great Karoo

We didn't stop and take many (any really) photographs of the landscape while driving through the Karoo. It just seemed so impossible to capture it in a photo frame. Vastness, endless sky, grandeur, emptiness, and infinite space are tough to convey in a still picture. You just have to experience it yourself.

Droewors and biltong are like maple syrup in Vermont. You can buy it everywhere!

windmills and monkeys.

The Owl House

Some 50 kilometers north of Graaff-Reinet in the valley of the Sneeuberg Mountains is the tiny hamlet of Nieu-Bethesda. There are no street lights. There are only a couple of streets anyway. In fact, it has only recently had electricity installed! Nieu-Bethesda sells no petrol, has no banking facilities or ATMs and no one will take your credit cards anywhere. (Warning: if you visit, bring cash and a full tank of gas.)

What it does have is a reputation for being an artists' colony and a place for creative people like Athol Fugard whose play The Road to Mecca is based on the little town. Fugard was actually born in the Karoo in nearby Middleburg and still uses Nieu-Bethesda as his retreat. There is even a Fugard Festival that happens at some point in the year. (We saw signs.)

And one of the characters in Fugard's play The Road to Mecca was based on an eccentric artist who lived in Nieu-Bethesda and whose home is now an art gallery and museum called The Owl House. Her name was Helen Martins and she was a recluse who took refuge in Nieu-Betehsda after her failed marriage left her alone and destitute. She began to create art objects and sculptures using broken glass and cement in order to "search for the light" in her closed world. She and her assistant Koos Malgas created a menagerie of camels, human beings, lambs, sphinxes and owls which are all displayed in the yard. Many of the inside walls of her house are even  "wallpapered" with finely ground colored glass giving it an enchanted igloo feel.

"The Camel Yard"

I love these skirts made from beer bottles.

This cat has eyes made from car headlights! Clever up-cycle.

inside the house

She particularly favored the owl, but there are many sculptures of mermaids and angels too.

And the other thing of note to visit in Nieu-Bethesda is the Brewery and Two Goats Deli.

We stopped in for a brew (or two) and a platter of cheese and kudu salami.

They make their own goat cheese!

And Karoo Ale ...