Category: Stock Shots

White Orchid

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I have been busy going through images of mine from the last few years for a project I’m working on. One of my favorite subjects has been flowers. The absolute beauty of a flower has been the inspiration for many people over the ages of time. Whether for the office, home, special occasion, romance or art, flowers have the capability of letting one stop and have a second look.

With each flower and variety that God has put on this planet for us to enjoy, one of “show stoppers” must surely be the Orchid. Here are some white Phalaenopsis that I found in my archives. Two of these images hang in my office at home.

Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis
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The Urn Plant

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We have had an urn plant for a few years and about two years ago after it bloomed, it sprouted and we transplanted these into other pots. Sine then we have watched them grow and nurtured them as best we can and have waited with expectation to see when they will come into bloom. Three of these new urn plants have started their journey to blossom and they are now making their exit to open up and display their wonderful colours, blooming only once in their lifetime.

Aechmea fasciata (silver vase, urn plant) is a species of flowering plant in the bromeliad family, native to Brazil.

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On the Rocks

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We were invited by some friends of ours to join them for a weekend getaway to a resort in Hermanus. With some time to relax after the journey and stretching our legs by playing games with the boys on the field outside our unit, we headed to see what the beach was like. I was taken by surprise to see not a beach as in sand, but rock formations from one side to the other that have been battered by the wind and water of years gone by, leaving ripples in the rocks on one side and jagged edges in the other.

As I anticipated shooting these rocks the next mooring, I had to wait another day due to the weather, so on our last morning there, I was up before the crack of dawn to get sunrise over the rocks. Walking from one side of the beach to the other I would find these rocky outcrops fascinating. Nature has a beauty that The Creator put in place to shape and form the land on which we live and walk and have our being.

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Kalk Bay

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Kalk Bay is one of those places that can be revisited over and over and every time you go, you find something new. As mentioned before in a previous post, Kalk Bay is a place a beauty and when a friend of mine suggested he wanted to take some early morning images, it was our first place of choice.

Being summer with the sun rising a 5.20am and setting at 8.30pm, we needed to start early to get that “first light” over the bay. We experianced a peaceful quietness being the first people in the harbour. Looking for where the light would fall once it rose over the cloud bank on the horizon, we set up our cameras to take the photo at the right moment. I chose to go for a graphic look of the harbour wall and tied some filter options to control the light in camera so as to do as little as possible in post production. Once satisfied with my shot, I was happy to relax as move around the harbour looking for some other options.

Kalk Bay harbour offers many photographic opportunities, provided you look for them. Some early morning fishermen made their way into the harbour and I saw an opportunity to shoot something else. After a brief conversation, one of the fishermen allowed me to shoot a silhouette of him against the bright morning light. Looking for other details around the harbour allows you to be creative and achieve other results. The key is to observe and wait for some of the moments in life before capturing them.

It always amazes me how two people can be at the same place at the same time and photograph it completely differently. My friend took some amazing images going for a super wide approach as to mine being graphic. It comes to show that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and we are all unique in the way we behold.

Kalk Bay will be seeing me soon again, not only for the harbour, but for the antique, clothing and collectors shops, stalls, deli’s and restaurants that it offers. It is a great destination with many variables.

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Mini Gerbera

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Flowers are part of God’s unique creation where no two are alike. They resemble beauty beyond our grasp and we as mere man, can only be in awe of what is displayed for us to see. While passing by a florist, I saw these mini Gerbera’s. They were all bundled according to their colours. “But what if I could make a bundle of my own” I wondered. Wondering turned into question, so I asked the owner if it was possible. While giving me the nod, I had to ask one more question. “Would you mind if I hand selected my bundle, I need to photograph it?”

Giving me another go-ahead, I selected tree bundles of each colour, took them apart and reselect a multicolour bundle just for me. Yes, I know it seems a little selfish, but it was for a good cause and I’m sure you will agree.

Featured here are Rosalin in white, Damar in orange and Showgirl in pink.

 

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Incy Wincy Spider

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“Incy wincy spider climbed up the waterspout,
Down came the rain and washed the spider out,
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
So Incy wincy spider climbed up the spout again.”

Well…..Incy was not found by the waterspout but was camouflaged on a lavender. What an amazing find by my wife while visiting with friends. I had to bring Incy home and set up some studio lighting to be able to show off her beauty.

Thanks to my friends for helping me to identify Incy. She is known as a Crab Spider. Incy and her friends do not spin webs, but catch their prey with those extra long front legs as they are ambush hunters.

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Flowering Garlic Chive

Posted in Fine art, Flowers, Stills, Stock ShotsTagged , , , , , 2 Comments

At home we have our little herb garden near the kitchen door. I’ve been watching the herbs as they grow from season to season. This time however, I marveled at the white flowers of the garlic chives and waited till they were in different stages of flowering before doing this shoot.

My inspiration for these shots came from some birthday cards my wife bought years ago which are framed and hang in one of our bedrooms. I prefer these images in black and white making them more timeless.

There is just something about black and white photography that I love. It has the potential to outlast colour.

NLP GarlicFlower280213 018 1

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NLP GarlicFlower280213 037 1

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Exhibition Prints

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Galaxy Collection
Galaxy Collection
Galaxy Collection
Galaxy Collection
Galaxy Collection
Galaxy Collection
Hands Collection
Hands Collection

I’m glad to announce that the prints from the Month of Photography Exhibition are now available for sale. Peter Osborn Furniture has kindly agreed to have them hung in his show room at The Palms in Woodstock. Please go to The Palms to view, or you can contact me for further info.

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The Small Things

Posted in Decor, Flowers, Photo Shoots, Stills, Stock ShotsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

With a world filled with big ideas, God in His infinite wisdom is filled with small details. The things we pass by and hardly look at, are some of the most beautiful in all creation.

We often look at the stars and say WOW, I know, I do. But today, I’m stopping and looking at the small things. The things that are created to perfection. The things that had to be designed in Heaven and showed on earth. These are the wonders of the small.

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Eat Your Beer

Posted in Behind the scenes, Food, Photo Shoots, Stock ShotsTagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Many people I know love to have a beer or two, especially around the fire while having a braai (BBQ), at night. This morning, one of my clients phoned me and ask if I have an image of beer somewhere in my archives. I don’t, but quickly added that I’ll make one for her as it was on deadline for this afternoon.

I sent a selection of glasses that I have at home for approval of what type of glass to use for the shot. Now for those of you who know me, I don’t drink, so no beers in the fridge. I went to shop close by, bought some beers, got ready for the shot and saw that the glasses that I was about to use were badly scratched. Off to the shops again to buy some beer glasses for the shot and voila, the shot was made, sent and approved.

Now what to do with all this beer. How about a beer bread? So I phoned my client, asked if she could remember where the beer bread recipe was that I shot a few years ago. Got the food book, Plaaskos, followed the instructions and as advised, put in some cheese for a twist on the original recipe and waited in anticipation for the result. Mmmmm. Yummy!

Shot, styled, eaten, but not drunk.

Recipe:
500g Self Raising Flour
5ml Salt
1 Tin of Beer (340ml)
Optional:
1/2 Cup of Grated Cheese

Preheat oven at 180˚C
Sift flour and salt together in a mixing bowl
Don’t drink the beer, add it to the flour.
Add grated cheese and mix
Grease a small loaf tin with butter
Add mixture to loaf tin
Bake for about an hour.