The rather recent politico-social changes in South Africa are a major moment in our world's story. It is a country of cosmopolitanism, wilderness and search for identity. Strangely, I did not take many pictures: I was very happy to be a spectator and a student of the change.
The first is from Johannesburg. The couple is under the statue of a Boer, reminding us of the historical Western presence in South Africa. Yet, it is a joyful picture, full of promises. I used a Mamiya 645 1000s for this one.
The second is from an elephant preservation site. A wonderfully caring group of environmentalists adopt and care for elephants, and conduct educational sessions to help people understand these magnificent animals. This elephant would lay down so people can touch his feet, skin, tail and learn about the adaptive mechanisms to the environment and seasons. I took this picture of the feet to show the grooved tracks an elephant develops during the rainy season to enhance traction. During dry season the pads are totally smooth.
Taken with a Canon rangefinder model II-B camera and a Serenar 50mm 1.9 lens.
The third is a split-second click, against the setting sun, on the way to Signal Mountain in Johannesburg. The rays enhanced her transparent body veil and the iPad placed the shot into our new form of life. Pitty, perhaps the reply to an email could have waited, while the sunset was worth watching...
My Mamiya 645 and the Acros ASA 100 Fujifilm were very tolerant of the incorrect speed and aperture settings.
©Vahé Kazandjian, 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment