Monday, February 2, 2009

Time Out

I took out a day last week to get creative. My good friend Pete Rimmell ( professional photographer) and I went on a photographic safari. Now this is usually one of those things that normally just gets talked about and never done. Yet at 05h00 on Thursday, it all felt decidedly real.

There is a theory that one should take some time out from your work on a monthly basis and spend it doing something creative that you really enjoy. For both of us, taking photographs is that something that brings great joy, while also being creative. You may well laugh at the idea of taking time off, what, in this world??


We started off at a beach for sunrise, where we immersed ourselves in some really special light. Then it was off to a section of hills between Rooi Els and Betties Bay. This entire area burnt about three years ago and in the right light looks a bit like a lunar landscape. We did not have the right light as my pictures show a land well into recovery! By about 09h00 the light was really flat as the sun had turned on its power and so we found ourselves taking a walk up to Leipard’s Kloof (I blogged about this walk a couple of posts ago). The great thing about this walk is that most of it takes place in an indigenous forest, which provides just the right circumstances for photography in the middle of the day.




We took hours to do this short walk. At a certain point, I just sat down on the path. It was beautiful. The stream was gurgling away on my left, birds called to each other in the trees, a woodpecker was busy with his new home, Pete was somewhere or other taking pictures, and I concentrated on becoming one with the forest floor. Where all I had seen was a profusion of trees and leaves, I now saw heaps of photographs that I just had to take.



A gentle reminder that taking time out, even on our day of time out, really brings the important things back into focus! I took loads of photos, most of them not very good, but I learnt so much!! My pics pale in comparison with Pete's, he just has this amazing eye and ability to back it up.



After procrastinating for so long to take this day out, we are now armed with heaps of ideas and the certainty that there will be many repeats!

1 comment:

AngelConradie said...

oh those are spectacular!