Another view of the shoreline of Lake Kivu occupied by the Padis Malahide Hotel. I was actually staying in the room you can see in the picture, just above the beach. If you look at this photo in full size you can see the church featured in this post. Just to the right of the frame is the dock where the fishermen set out every night and returned the next morning.
During the wet season water cascades over these cliffs. During the dry season you get to walk along them. It’s amazing how the water carves this chasm in the landscape. While down in the gorge rafting I felt like we were surrounded by mountains. As a result, when I went micro-lighting a couple of days later I was shocked to see just how flat the landscape is. It’s completely flat, all the way to the horizon, but for this fissure gouged out of the Earth’s surface. Also shocking is the zig-zag shape of the gorge as the waterfall has cut back on itself, forever retreating, the old face of the waterfall being left dry as a new face evolves.
I shot 7 exposures bracketed from -3 to +3 but decided that the two extremes were not adding any detail so I only used 5 exposures, bracketed from -2 to +2. After running the exposures through Photomatix I actually masked in a lot of the original photos to keep the shadows looking natural. I really like the details that have come out in the turbulent water below. You can get a closer look by clicking the image and selecting a larger size.
I like photos taken from the middle of roads but had never found an opportunity to take one myself. So when I found this view I decided I had to stop for the shot. It seemed like a nice quiet road. It turned out that it got a fair few cars. So, I had my trusty assistant stand at the top of the hill yelling whenever cars were coming so I could get out of the road. Having to move on and off the road made getting a shot framed up pretty tricky. In the end I used my 70-300mm lens to make sure that the farm didn’t become lost in the frame.
Before going to Toronto I wondered how my experience at Niagara Falls would compare to visiting the Victoria Falls in Zambia. It’s definitely different. The falls are equally impressive, but there’s much more concrete around them… and safety rails. There were a few that I desperately wanted to climb over but decided I didn’t feel like getting arrested. The whole place is very cheesy with its tourist attractions, replica CN tower and casino. But I kind of liked it. It was so over the top it was interesting, and I probably would have liked to spend more time there.
There was a lot of luck involved in this shot. The limitations on access to the falls (that safety stuff) was frustrating me as I was searching out an angle on the falls that would allow for a shot a bit out of the ordinary. As part of this attempt I was taking a photo of a section of the falls through a vine-covered doorway. I’m not sure that photo will ever see the light of day as the concept may have been a bit better than the reality. But, as I fiddled with my tripod trying to find the right angle a man I later found out was named Jay started chatting with me. Then, he told me about a somewhat secret viewpoint on the balcony of the hotel restaurant behind me. At this point I realized Jay was wearing chef whites and asked if he worked there. Sure enough he did. 5 minutes later I was stood on a tiny balcony outside the restaurant with this view in front of me. Then, I saw these five puffy white clouds drifting across the sky into a perfect position.
Bruce and Grey county are no distance from Toronto, but feel as far from city life as is possible. The landscape is dotted with farms, small towns and waterfalls. There are nine waterfalls, all of which are relatively easily accessible. This is the second waterfall I visited. After leaving the car in a well sign posted parking lot (this wasn’t always the case) I took off down a trail. I’d read that the majority of the falls in the area are a 5 minute walk from the road. I generally found they were a 5 minute walk back to the road, but on the way there I was either a bit lost or busy taking photos. This waterfall was particularly deceptive. About half way there the path disappeared. Eventually I decided the river bank had shifted and climbed down where I found the path again, going back up hill. There’s a viewpoint of this fall on the path that comes out just to the right of the top of the falls. This was my first stop, where I took a few photos with my camera perched on the edge of a ledge, on the outside of a safety fence. But, I wanted a shot from the bottom as this is where you could see the remainder of winter’s ice visible in today’s photo. Fortunately, on the way up I’d spotted a crack in the cliff face I could climb down. Soon I was on the river bank, hopping from rock to rock to get here. I set my tripod up so that each leg rested its foot on a separate rock, with my feet on an additional pair of rocks and got the shot I wanted.
I’m in the process of planning my trip to Iceland in June. I’ll be going for the summer solstice so will get to enjoy photographing sunsets that run right into sunrises through the night. I’ve also got a few interesting bits I’d like to do. The top of my list is snorkeling in the rift between the North American and European tectonic plates. Apparently, the water’s so clear you can look down for miles into the Earth and feel like you’re floating in space. I also need to photograph some puffins and want to go whale watching, as well as exploring some ice caves. There’s so much to do I wish I was going for longer. It’s going to be difficult coming up with a plan that won’t leave me totally exhausted. Despite the walls of my room having had sufficient insulation, I’m not entirely sure when I’ll sleep. If anyone’s got any advice on Iceland let me know.
When setting out on a hike through a few of Rwanda’s thousand hills it’s reasonable to expect to find something interesting around every corner. You encounter sights ranging from a young boy juggling a football made of plastic sheeting and twine, to two men using a long saw to split a log (with one man standing 8 feet in the air atop the trunk being cut), as well as the subject of today’s photo.
It’s somewhat startling to find this large, man-made pool of water in amongst the sugar cane, maize and potatoes. Initially, what it is ain’t exactly clear. Then, you notice concentric ripples forming on the surface as if the water was being disturbed by a light rain. It’s not raining so the only solution is that there must be something below. The guide confirms that it’s a fish farm and begins explaining how it works. It’s quite fascinating, particularly the purpose of the fence pictured below. I’m intrigued to see what people think it is for, so have a guess in the comments section. I’ll see what everyone comes up with then add the answer in a comment of my own if no-one guesses.
This photo employs 5 exposures bracketed from -2 to +2. I had shot 7 exposures but decided that the other two weren’t adding anything so decided not to include them.
This is the view of Niagara Falls that can be seen by going down behind the falls. The first stop is here, where you can look up at them prior to moving further down the tunnels to see the wall of water from behind. My camera and I got pretty wet getting this shot.
I’ve just gotten home after a week in Ontario where I stayed in Toronto and Niagara as well as Bruce/Grey County. So, it seemed fitting that tonight I upload Toronto’s recognizable skyline with the CN Tower prominent. I took this photo as I left the city for Niagara. It was taken from the rocks near Ontario Place. I set my tripod good and low to get some interesting patterns in the water. At first, I was disappointed that I couldn’t frame a shot without that sign in it. Then i decided that I liked the way the sign’s shape mirrored the CN tower.
This is an early evening shot at Chaplain Bay, Bermuda. Normally these rocks would be covered by sand, which has been removed through the winter. In a few months they’ll probably be covered up again. In taking this photo I misjudged a wave and got pretty wet. I’d been sitting in the sand with my tripod in front of me. There was a little trench in the sand between me and the rock which was absorbing most of the wave action. Fortunately my camera was far enough off the ground to be safe.
The morning after daylight savings time is pretty horrible. Getting up in the dark again so soon after we’d moved into light mornings. The upside though, for me, is the evening. It’s now staying light long enough for me to finish work and head out to catch the sunset. I set off with beautiful blue skies, so decided to walk the South Shore beaches. My Dad decided to join me. Shortly after we parked the car we came across a lady who said she’d just seen whales jumping. I began setting up for a photo and my Dad took off in search of high ground to see if there really were any whales about. As a result,we didn’t see each other again for at least an hour.
I came upon this viewpoint when the sun was still hovering just above the bushes to the right. I decided it would make a good spot for a photo later and moved on. Soon after I got a call from my Dad asking where I was. We met up and I brought him back to the spot I’d found. He then pointed out that this is the beach we used to come to when I was a kid and we used to climb up to this viewpoint a lot.
