NikonGear'23
Images => Nature, Flora, Fauna & Landscapes => Topic started by: elsa hoffmann on September 02, 2017, 11:50:45
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We have the worst drought in more than 100 years (in Cape Town), and 10 days ago there were just about no flowers. We didnt think we would see anything this year. Then it changed (not the draught - the flowers)
The West Coast is known world wide for it's displays in spring.
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Ansel knew what was coming and would be quite comfortable with Photoshop and the like.
Dave who is uncomfortable with Adobe.
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:) this was colour correction and sharpening - you dont even need Adobe for this :)
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Elsa, I would so much like to go there....
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Been there - with Elsa as a guide nonetheless. Highly recommended !!
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Namakwaland is indeed a very special place. The well-known Canadian photographer Freeman Patterson published a book on it many years ago with the title “Garden of the Gods”. He just happened to spend a night in the Kammieskroon hotel many, many years ago. The owner of the hotel, Colla Swart showed some slides of the flowers to the guests after dinner. Freeman gave her one of his books to read after the show - her photography was not so great. She told us the story that she sat in her bed with a torch to read the book as Kammieskronn did not have electricity after ten o’clock – it took most of the night. Towards morning she suddenly realized that the author of the book was her guest. The nest morning, she confronted him at breakfast, and a life-long friendship ensued. She told him she would show him where the most beautiful flowers were if he taught her photography. Every year thereafter she would telex him in Canada when the flowers started and he would come to South Africa - Namakwaland to photograph the flowers. I was privileged to attend two of his workshops in Namakwaland about twenty years apart - the last one his last one as well. It was a special experience both times – Colla Swart was also in attendance. She has retired from the hotel and lives in a retirement home. Freeman Patterson’s book is a classic – and many of his subsequent books contain images of Namakwaland. A very special place indeed.
Martin
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No-one ever believes that photographs of the West Coast flowers are a true representation but they are — and these lovely photographs of Elsa's do not exaggerate in the slightest.
The only difficulty if you live far away and have to plan in advance is the timing because just a few days can make all the difference between carpets of flowers (of myriad colours too) and almost nothing.
And the flowers also need the temperatures to rise above 60°F and for enough sunshine before they open.
If you live in SA you just need to stay in touch with the locals and be flexible enough to just jump in your car and go although the problem with that is finding somewhere to stay because the guest houses on the local farms do get booked up months before-hand.
I have had both experiences but during the less-spectacular visit I managed to find individual flowers of incredible beauty which I had never seen before while trudging across muddy fields in the rain!
I will try to post some of my photographs from that area in another thread shortly.
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Elsa, what is that brown material filling the building with collapsed roof?
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The carpet of flowers should look spectacular out there! Which kind of flowers are most popular in these images?
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Jacov - there are thousands of visitors who return to SA just for this - every year. The time frame is narrow as it is 100% weather dependent - and your shoot between 11 and 3pm. Otherwise the flowers sleep. This year the time frame will be very very short.
Thanks Bjørn. I find it difficult to shoot an image what shows it all. its just impossible.
Martin Kellerman We actually went right up to Kammieskroon in 2015 - Bjørn was on that trip with us. That year the flowers were exceptional.
Ann - yes it is true. We are lucky that we can pop out for the day. Which we mostly do.
Jack Dahlgren that is a cape Dutch house *which will be restored I believe* The roof is thatch - and it is the thatch which collapsed.
Akira . mostly it is daisy - but there is a huge amount of diversity.
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Thank you for sharing your photos, a very nteresting thread!
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That must be a spectacular place to be with that display of colours covering the ground. I imagine the insects are pretty busy those days .. like the photogs ;D
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Thank you Arthur!
Lars - indeed. If you go into the national park, you can queue for 2 - 3 hours to get in. We go to off-the-beaten-track places. Friday's tour - we were the only vehicle in the area. Did some nice 4x4'ing to get where we wanted to go - some roads - but mostly no roads at all. We are very respectful of the area and the sensitivities thereof - so it's not a case of just drive like a hooligan, but we do know where to explore. And you dont have to drive days to get there if you know where to go. Lots of birds and insects. Cows and horses.
Here are some older images - one from 2006, and the rest from the 2015 with Bjørn.
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Akira . mostly it is daisy - but there is a huge amount of diversity.
Elsa, thanks for the explanation. The last series looks gorgeous!
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Lovely series Elsa!
The farm tracks less travelled are definitely where one needs to go (which is also where Pepe and I have always gone) because the flowers are in profusion everywhere — when the time is right.
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Thank you Ann
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Some more from previous trips
I seriously can post another 50 different ones. The west coast offers just too much...
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Spectacular!
I recognise some of the plants but others are completely new to me.
And where, and how, did Mrs. Peahen get into the act ?!!
:)
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I enjoy all these sensitive rendition of the stunning flowers in Elsa-esque style!
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Thanks Akira
Ann - this was on one of the side roads we took. Off the beaten track. We usually dont do the West Coast National Park - too busy and far to complicated to sit at the entrance gate for hours.