So off to a wine farm today

[elsa hoffmann]

some wine tasting - 2 farms - and one being the oldest producing farm in SA - since 1798 or something like that.

De Grendel (the Gateway) and Altydgedacht farm (always in my mind - translated) still makes wine the old fashioned way. If you want to know what wine making was like 100 years ago - go visit this farm in 2026. At Altydgedacht - the wine-makers are not allowed to work in the cement basins on their own - always 2 people (the last photo) because if they fall in and hit their head - the risk of death is high due to fumes or something like that - and no one will hear them call for help. It has happened.

[Gary]

Nice.  SA makes some fine wines. When I wine taste, this is how I shoot:

[elsa hoffmann]

Gary - clearly you are better at wine tasting than I am.I am seriously stuck on one red wine - the rest all tastes terrible to me

[Jakov Minić]

Nice image Gary!
Dare I say I am in love with Californian wines and are always my first choice when in a restaurant.

[Jan Anne]

Really sorry for being so blunt Elsa but could you please leave your flash at home next time you visit a winery?

Making good wine is an art form and drinking it enhances the mood in general, your flash blasted away any link to those emotions.....

Look at Gary's image, so moody and so inviting that it almost made me open a bottle of wine

Just sniff the vapours of the fermenting grapes next time and let your creativity take over 

D3s with 50/1.2, Spain 2011

[elsa hoffmann]

well thats putting me right in my place 
Thanks Jan Anne - valid comments - and much appreciated.
Some I did were without flash today (last image) - but I do hear you loud and clear - next mission......
Or better - come and show me 

[Jan Anne]

I don't think any man can put you in your place Elsa 

Might take you up on your invite, things are returning to normal here after the relocation and I'm slowly getting my camera kit back on track for a serious photo trip but have not clue yet where to go 

[Gary]

Nice image Gary!
Dare I say I am in love with Californian wines and are always my first choice when in a restaurant.

Thank you Jakov, When I was living in Paris, wine ... French versus California was a daily topic, lol.  But it was impossible to find the better California wines in France. Hopefully, things have gotten better ... or maybe it was only France ...

Maybe a white ...


Mary Lou and I go wine tasting all the time and all over the state. (We're even going tomorrow to wine country in Temecula. Less than 90 minutes away.)

[Jakov Minić]

Gary, when I grow up, I want to be just like you!

[Gary]

PS- I ALWAYS shoot the pours ... I get longer pours when I shoot.

G

[Gary]

Gary, when I grow up, I want to be just like you!

Handsome, smart and funny ...? lol  I also have Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir vines growing the yard. (No I don't make wine, but they taste so much better than table grapes.)

[Jan Anne]

PS- I ALWAYS shoot the pours ... I get much more tastes when I shoot.

G

So do I, but some pours make me sad though

D3s with 50/1.2, Spain 2011

[elsa hoffmann]

Handsome, smart and funny ...? lol  I also have Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir vines growing the yard. (No I don't make wine, but they taste so much better than table grapes.)

Ah a bit of a Viticulturist 
Sorry  - there are MANY drinks I find enjoyable. Wine isnt part of that list 99% of the time.

Jan Anne - I am sure you know by now that SA is a beautiful place -

[elsa hoffmann]

And today we toured the Brandy Distillery.... omg that place is soooo dark - for the mood I assume (or not to see who is drunk)

Jan Anne - no flash..... but hell the ISO scared the daylights out of me

[Jan Anne]

Jan Anne - no flash..... but hell the ISO scared the daylights out of me

Much much better

ISO1600 to 2500 should't be a challenge for the D800, I had not problem with the D800E going to ISO3200 to get the shots I wanted. Your images are pretty hot btw, about 1EV over what I would shoot in these circumstances to capture the warm mood (but thats rather subjective), another stop can be found in shooting the lens at f/2.8 instead of f/4, at 24mm the DOF shouldn't be all that different.