Giba Gorge

Wow I never knew that this place existed. So much beauty, so close to home. From relaxing in the shade at the picnic area with a warm cappuccino to riding adrenalin-filled enduro trails, Giba Gorge has something for everyone.

I took my son Zayd with a few friends on a hike/ride. After a light hike i was pleasantly surprised by a beautiful little cascade. A fitting reward after a 40min walk. I was glad that I carried my camera and tripod with so I squeezed out a few shots while the kids splashed around at the small plunge pool at the base of the cascade

I’ll definitely be back to try out the other trails

Sunrise delight

Oh I hadn't done a sunrise shoot in ages but last Sunday I'm glad that I got out early while it was still dark and braved the cold to do a shoot. The conditions looked good, I just remember hoping that the clouds will play nice for a good composition. I was joined by Umar and Taahirah who were keen to do a sunrise shoot as well. I wanted to shoot something different, not the usual sunrise over the ocean. We decided to head out to Wilson's wharf for a different perspective. The Durban skyline did not disappoint. The colours changed over 30mins from rich magenta to blue with orange making each shot uniquely beautiful. Toward the end of the shoot we noticed a flock of feral pigeons feeding at the shore. Every now and then they'd all fly out at once in an overwhelming burst of pulsating wings, circling in unison. They'd fly right over us an I swear I now know what little Bruce Wayne felt when he fell into the cave and the horde of bats came streaming out. 

Here are a few of the shots from that morning:

Umgeni Bird Park

I can't believe that I hadn't been here before. Such a gem right under our noses. Jamiela, Zayd and I had loads of fun feeding the Lorikeets nectar inside the aviary. Their bright colours, screeching calls and semi-friendly behaviour made it an amazing experience.

Here are a few pics from that day:

Weavers: Hunt for a Super Zoom lens

It's been a while since my last post so I do apologise for not sharing more of late. I've been doing loads of research for the ideal super zoom lens that can be used for wildlife and birds in flight. I've hired lenses in the past but I'm at a point where I want to rather invest in my own but at the same time looking for a balance between quality, functionality and price. At this point I'm leaning toward the Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary f/5.6 - f/6.3. I should have checked the weather before I hired one a couple weeks ago on possibly the worst weekend of the summer. It rained pretty much all weekend. I had just an hour before sunset on the Sunday when the rain had stopped and I could get out and test the lens. I drove out to Botanic Gardens in Durban and decided to practice with the weavers and a couple other water birds. Lighting was flat, cloudy and getting dark quick but I had to squeeze off a few shots before returning the lens the following morning. I had to shoot wide open and at high ISO to get relatively sharp eyes. I could have gone faster to get freeze frame wingtips but that would have meant too noisy images. In hind sight, I quite like the wing motion blur. Here are a few of the resultant images. Let me know what you think in the comments field below.

Click on the images for a better viewing experience

Nyarhi - Kruger National Park

I've just gotten back from an amazing trip to the Kruger Park. We spent three nights at Nyarhi rustic camp situated a few kilometres from Mopani rest camp. Nyarhi is unfenced so one always needs to keep a lookout for visitors especially at night. Our routine entailed a wake up call by the birds before sunrise, prayer and a hot cup of coffee and a snack before a morning walk in the bush. A brief by the rangers before each walk "Stay behind the rifle, stay in a group and don't run". We follow game trails and stop regularly to analyse tracks in the sand or chat about fauna and flora that we encounter along the way. We get back to camp, have brunch and a refreshing cold shower. Lazy afternoons in the heat of the day, relaxing in the dry riverbed, under the massive Fig tree or in our tents. We head out for sundowners at the spring watching the elephants silently drink and have a dust bath. We get back in time for prayer at sunset and start a fire for the supper braai. After a nice meal, we sit closer to the flames to keep warm, replenishing dry wood and talking random stories. We hear the hyenas around the camp periphery calling out to let us know they're around and curious. The rangers aren't stressed so we remain calm as well. At night the camp common area is cleaned to avoid attracting curious critters from coming in and making a mess. The call of the Hyenas at night are both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. As we exit the park on the Sunday we can't help feeling sad but also overwhelmed with the beauty of God's grandeur.

Here area few pics that I took from the trip: