Photo #11: Consumed by fire

Fire on the mountain

Date and time taken: 24 August 2009 @ approximately 20H04

Nikon D40, 150mm focal length, 30 sec exposure F/16, ISO 200

Cape Town is famous for its spectacular views, natural beauty and warm friendly people. It is therefore a photographers dream destination. However, sometimes photographers must of necessity capture the ugly side of life too, and this fire on the mountain behind the beautiful town of Noordhoek, an unappealing sight around winter in Cape Town, was probably caused by a careless, unthinking idiot discarding a cigarette butt, or perhaps more disgustingly, by an arsonist.

I used my trusty gorillapod to secure my camera to the wooden banisters of a sun-deck, to steady it for the 30 second exposure. Some time later after viewing the shot, I castigated myself for not using the Bulb Mode on my camera and a tripod.

Photo #6: The obligatory Cape sunset

Sunset somewhere near Chapman's Peak...I think

Date and time taken: 30 August 2009 @ approximately 19H06

Nikon D40, 55mm focal length, 1/800 sec exposure F/5.6, ISO 200

Everybody just  has to have that one sunset photo in their collection. Well, I’m no different. And Cape sunsets have to be the best in South Africa. I actually took quite a few shots and was lucky to get the two cars passing each other in opposite directions into the composition.

Yet again, I forgot to carry my tripod but a gorillapod did help with stabilization.