Cois Meyer Photo Library

African Purple Swamphen

2012-02-11T07:10:00.001+02:00

Photographed near Sedgefield, South Africa. One of the notable features of this bird is the size of its feet, visible in this picture.

Black Headed Heron

2012-02-04T20:18:00.001+02:00

It was entertaining to watch this Black Headed Heron maintaining its balance at the very top of a tree near Sedgefield, South Africa.

I am changing the formula and process that I use to create salt prints. I will be pre-sizing the paper and adding Potassium Dichromate to increase contrast and perhaps changing the tone of the prints by cooling it down slightly from the current plumb red. I may be able to publish a few prints within the next three weeks or so. Time is a bit limited as I do this on weekends. See www.coismeyer.com for more detail.

Yellow-billed duck

2012-01-22T09:25:00.000+02:00

I photographed this duck at a pond in Sedgefield, South Cape, South Africa. When people "get their ducks in a row" I have no doubt that this will be the duck at the front of the row.

African Spoonbill

2012-01-20T21:36:00.001+02:00

Another picture of the African Spoonbill showing the relative size of the flattened spoon-shaped bill.

African Spoonbill

2012-01-20T21:18:00.001+02:00

The African Spoonbill has a long flattened spoon-shaped bill. It feeds by sweeping the bill from side to side in freshwater lakes, flood planes and estuaries. It stands about 90cm tall.

White-throated Swallow

2011-12-26T17:28:00.000+02:00

Just another "LBJ". Not that brown though. I tend to see swallows without really seeing them. I will be visiting the coast during the next month or so hoping to take a few pictures to convert to salt prints, See www.coismeyer.com for samples.

Three Banded Plover

2011-12-23T21:50:00.000+02:00

The Tree Banded Plover is described as a "frequent visitor". This was however the first time that I have been able to photograph one from this close. I may have overlooked them because of their size, they are about 20cm tall when standing up straight.

Coot and Chicks

2011-12-18T15:08:00.001+02:00

All humans think our kids are the most beautiful in the world. I suppose the same to be true for animals. I photographed this Coot feeding her two young. She must think them to be the most beautiful in the world. An independent, casual observer may however differ. The two young are ugly to the point of being beautiful.

Lesser Striped Swallow

2011-12-17T10:48:00.000+02:00

This little Lesser Striped Swallow came by and posed for a photo. It sat close to the hide almost as if asking: "So why don't you photograph me?" I duly obliged.

Spur-winged Goose

2011-12-16T21:00:00.002+02:00

Photographed at the Rondebult bird sanctuary near Brakpan, Gauteng, South Africa. The sanctuary receives water from the Rondebult Sewerage Works. Unfortunately the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality is not maintaining the sewerage works as well as one might wish for. From time to time raw sewerage ends up in the sanctuary.

Melrose Arch

2011-11-20T07:38:00.001+02:00

Another picture taken at Melrose Arch, Johannesburg.

Melrose Arch

2011-11-14T19:49:00.002+02:00

This is a picture of a section of Melrose Arch an upmarket shopping centre near Johannesburg, South Africa. This is probably the best known part of the centre.

Burnt out taxi

2011-10-20T20:10:00.002+02:00

I photographed this wreck of a burnt out taxi in Rosebank, Gauteng. I have seen taxis almost as bad still in use. Looking at what is left, it is almost scary to see what proportion of a vehicle is combustible. One is literally cocooned by combustible materials - seats, roof lining, carpets etc. etc.

Ponte Building

2011-10-17T20:17:00.002+02:00

I believe in limited editing, enhancing rather than changing the picture. For once I pushed the limits of my editing tools and liked the result.

Edenglen High School Play

2011-09-20T20:34:00.003+02:00

Another scene from Edenglen High School's rendition of "Aladdin"

I have updated my website http://www.coismeyer.com/ to make it a bit friendlier.

Edenglen High School Play 2011

2011-09-09T20:18:00.003+02:00

This is a scene from the play "Aladdin" performed by Edenglen High School. It is an adaption of "Aladdin" - Aladdin with an African twist. Feel free to visit www.coismeyer.com to view some of my salt prints.

Rhino eating sand

2011-08-07T11:55:00.001+02:00

Rhinos sometimes eat sand as part of their diet due to minerals present in the sand.

Volcanic crater at Pilanesberg

2011-08-06T20:39:00.005+02:00

My daughter overlooking the main dam at the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve. This used to be the main vent of a volcano that existed here millions of years ago.

Rhino

2011-07-17T16:13:00.002+02:00

I photographed this rhino at a waterhole in the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve. It is sad that animals like these are killed to "harvest" their horns to be used in eastern medicine.

Lions Mating

2011-07-10T09:41:00.003+02:00

My daughter photographed these two lions during a recent visit to the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve. Lions mating is something to observe. He would get aggressive and bite her on the head. She would then bite back or jump out from under him. At one stage she slapped him in a way that only a lion can slap. We came across the same two lions two days later and they were still at it.

Ponte Building

2011-06-20T19:35:00.005+02:00

This is the Ponte building in Johannesburg, South Africa. At 173 metre (54 floors) it is the tallest residential building in South Africa. It is cylindrical to allow air and light into the residential units from the inside. It was completed during 1976 but was infested by a number of gangs during the 1980’s. This situation worsened during the 1990’s. There were even rumors of plans to turn the building into a prison. From the 2000’s attempts were made to reclaim and revamp the building. Rumors are sometimes worse than reality. There were many rumors that the first three to five floors were filled with garbage from the top floors.

There were various news papers speculating on the sale of the building and plans to convert the living units to up-market apartments. As can be seen from the picture it will be technically possible to construct an entrance into the parking garage directly from the main roads passing the building. The economic downturn apparently scuttled these plans.

I would like to see the building restored to its formal glory. The expected return on the cost to acquire and revamp the building would however send most financiers running for cover. It is a well known and integral part of the Johannesburg skyline. The Vodacom advert at the top of the building would probably add +/- R 18 000 000 to the value of the building. (My calculation based on the capitalized value of the potential income derived from the advertising rights.)

It is as a pity that bean counters (I am one myself) can sometimes scuttle the most beautiful dreams. Currently the building belongs to the Kemtston group. Apparently penthouse apartments are still available at a reasonable rate.

Reed Cormorant

2011-06-17T16:54:00.007+02:00

This Reed Cormorant was photographed at the Rietvlei Nature Reserve near Pretoria, South Africa. It is a fairly common fresh water bird. It is a quiet bird that cackles when in breeding colonies but is quiet the rest of the time.

It is about 1/2 a metre tall. What attracted me to this scene is the bird's red eyes, here clearly visible. I did not edit these pictures. These birds' eyes are really this red.

I will soon be adding some of my color pictured to my website, www.coismeyer.com.

Cape Shoveler Duck

2011-06-11T15:15:00.002+02:00

I photographed this Cape Shoveler Duck swimming on a lake near Sedgefield, South Africa. Seeing it from this angle was the first time that I really appreciated the name "Shoveler" duck. Visit www.coismeyer.com for more of my pictures. I appreciate your comments.

Graffiti

2011-06-11T10:01:00.002+02:00

Graffiti next to Malibongwe Road, Randburg, South Africa. I enjoyed the humor in the concept of an old lady running away from a wall with her purse full of paint cans.

The Cross

2011-06-02T20:06:00.004+02:00

I Photographed this rock warn away by wind and sand erosion from a beach near Sedgefield, South Africa.

The rock was worn away exposing what I presume to be the tunnels of creatures that lived there before the rock solidified many, many years ago.

What caught my eye was the scene that was created. Look carefully and you will see a cross to the left hand side of the image. To the right hand side is a figure facing the cross.

The scene was difficult to photograph due to being monochromatic with high contrast between the sunlit and shadow areas. Visit www.coismeyer.com for more of my pictures.

Hippo

2010-12-05T19:30:00.002+02:00

When posting my hippo pictures I mentioned strange behaviour where hippos sometimes save other animals. There is some excellent footage of this at http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/Hippo-saves-wildebeest-zebra-babies-20101203

Squacco Heron

2010-12-04T15:19:00.002+02:00

This Heron was lining itself up for the kill. One could almost feel the focused attention. I waited patiently but it eventually decided not to procede and flew away. Disappointing for me but life saving for some frog or small fish.

Goliath Heron

2010-12-01T20:40:00.002+02:00

At a height of up to 1,52m the Goliath Heron is the world's biggest Heron. It is much bigger than any other type of Heron.

Black Heron

2010-11-26T18:57:00.003+02:00

I was sitting at a picnic spot minding my own business when this Heron asked me to take its picture to send home to its family. It is called Black Heron, well, because it is black. Its feet are bright yellow. One wonders why nature developed it with those bright yellow feet.

2010-11-20T20:33:00.002+02:00

I was photographing this Squacco Heron waiting for it to do something. When they sit around doing nothing they do exactly that – nothing. They have the ability to just sit there and watch the world go by. Wish I had the comfort and patience to sit like that. It may have noticed me peering at it through my camera. At some stage it stared straight at me, perhaps waiting for me to do something rather than just sitting there watching the world go by. Eventually it scratched its head before moving off, presumably to find something to eat.
Squacco Herons are about 45 cm in height, are waders and live on fish, frogs and insects

Jacaranda Trees

2010-11-18T19:38:00.002+02:00

One of the Jacaranda lined streets in Johannesburg South Africa. These trees form part of what is regarded as the biggest man made forest in the world. Johannesburg is on what is known as the highfeld - what used to be grass land. Settlers planted trees along streets and next to their houses creating a forest that impacted on rain fall patterns. See http://www.coismeyer.com for more of my pictures.

Sun circle

2010-11-08T07:36:00.001+02:00

I photographed these sun circles in Johannesburg during October 2010. Light from the sun gets refracted by ice particles high up in the sky. It is not something that we see frequently in Johannesburg.

Elephant balanced

2010-11-07T07:13:00.003+02:00

This Elephant likes the new growth on the trees surrounding his enclosure. His enclosure is surrounded by a concrete lined trench rather than a re-enforced fence. He has stripped the leaves back almost as far as he can reach. This picture shows him balanced on the edge of the trench leaning over the trench to reach out as far as he possibly can. Amazing to see an animal of this size balanced this delicately. Go to http://www.coismeyer.com/ for more of my pictures.

Chimp

2010-10-30T16:25:00.002+02:00

I thought about calling this something like “After the Office Party”. I photographed this Chimp in the Johannesburg zoo but have seen people in a similar situation after a party,.

Meerkat

2010-10-17T12:26:00.000+02:00

I photographed this Meerkat at the Johannesburg Zoo. I like meerkats. They would sit like this and watch the sky and surrounds for danger. They alert the other Meerkats when they spot danger in the surrounds or sky. They are brave for theirs size and will take on a poisonous snake. I saw footage of one being bitten by a snake. It got seriously ill for a few hours but survived to tell the tale.

Mandela Statue

2010-10-09T07:27:00.001+02:00

The statue of Nelson Mandela in Mandela Square Sandton.

Waiters

2010-10-09T07:22:00.002+02:00

At a quick glance this looks like a group of devotees preparing for a church service. The dish cloths tucked under their belts gives it away as a group of waiters listening to a pep talk before the start of the evening shift. Photographed at the Sandton Shopping Mall.

Sic Blesbuck

2010-10-03T14:44:00.001+02:00

We came across this apparently sic Blesbuck in the Rietvlei nature reserve. Living in a reserve with almost no predators has its benefits. But it also has its harsh side. In a reserve with predators sick or slow antelope tend to be the first to be taken out. It must be hard to be taken by a predator but it must be quicker than just lying there waiting for death. It barely managed to lift its head when we approach. A hard way to go.

Young Rhino

2010-10-02T14:13:00.004+02:00

We were privileged to witness this interaction between a mother rhino and her calf at the Rietvlei Nature Reserve near Pretoria. The mother was sleeping in the sun, lying on her stomach. Her calf wanted to drink and tried to roll her over. It tried from various angles until she rolled over far enough to allow him to drink. She rolled over but the calf probably thought it managed to push her over.

Sadly, the mother has no horn as it had to be removed to protect her from being poached. A bunch of these poachers has recently been arrested.

Home sweet home

2010-09-03T19:58:00.001+02:00

I came across this house on a pavement in Benoni early one morning while waiting for my daughter to complete her exam. The owner agreed to be photographed wile reading his morning paper. On the one hand we cannot allow people to erect houses on pavements everywhere. On the other hand I have to respect the owner for what he is doing. Behind him is a flat trolley typically used to collect recyclable material like paper and plastic. Instead of doing crime or begging he is making a living for him self. His dwelling seems fairly comfortable given where and what it is. Much like the owner of a much bigger business, he is reading his morning newspaper in the early morning sun.

Old mine house

2010-08-22T10:26:00.004+02:00

Some more pictures of the old mining house near Etwatwa. One of the pictures shows three round openings in the concrete slab between the ground and first floor. They are right above the fire place. I presume they were created to allow heat from the fire place to circulate to the first floor. The other two photos show the corridor and window of one of the living units.

Old mine house

2010-08-14T17:26:00.014+02:00

I drove past this old house on my way to Etwatwa on the East Rand. It is on farm land but I presume it used to belong to one of the old mines that were active in the area many years ago as it is located near an old mine shaft. It consists of two or four residential units. I could not confirm as I could not get to the top story. The stairs were on the outside and are not there any more. None of the downstairs units has a bathroom. Outside is a small square building, +/- 1,5m x 1,5m that used to be an outside toilet. In Afrikaans it used to be called a “kleinhuisie”, literally translated as “small house”. I took some more pictures of the inside of the house. I will publish these in my next post.

Sandton

2010-07-31T16:30:00.000+02:00

This is a picture of a section of Sandton, South Africa. Sandton forms part of a collection of suburbs to the north of Johannesburg, known as the Northern Suburbs. The Corporate Head Offices of various businesses used to be located in and around the Johannesburg CBD. Business owners and high level managers used to live in the Northern Suburbs while lower ranked employees used to live closer to the city itself. With time development moved to the Northern Suburbs. Sandon has developed into a major business hub incorporating office towers, shopping centers and residential estates. Traffic can be a nightmare.

Hippo

2010-07-19T20:35:00.001+02:00

Another picture of a Hippo at play. Note the mud on one of the bottom teeth. It would dive down and come up again with its mouth open. I don’t know if it hit the bottom by accident or intentional.

White Rhino

2010-07-10T13:21:00.010+02:00

These two white rhinos came down to drink late one afternoon while I was waiting at a waterhole. There are two types of rhino, white rhino and black rhino. Color has little to do with the distinction between the two species. The white rhino has a wide square upper lip adapted for grazing. “White” was adopted from “wide”. Now that we have a white rhino the other species naturally became the black rhino. Black rhino has a narrow hooked upper lip adopted for foraging. White rhino are more common than black rhino but are endangered. White rhino are threatened by commercial poaching to get hold of their horns, believed to assist under endowed under performing men to improve sexual performance.

White Rhinos reaches a height of up to 1,8m at the shoulder and reaches a weight of up to 2,3 tonnes. The horn can reach a length of up to 1,6m. A calf weighs approximately 40kg at birth. A white rhino has a lifespan of up to 45 years. Bulls who have no water in their territories leave every 3-4 days to drink, passing through other bulls’ territories as they go. If confronted they squeal and shriek and hold their ears back to demonstrate their submission. They are then usually allowed to proceed.

White rhinos have poor eye sight, relying on sent and hearing. White rhino are more even tempered than black rhino. I once came across a white rhino bull, cow and calf while walking in a nature reserve to seek help to recover a stuck vehicle. The bull noticed me and started to move towards me. I stood still and it stopped. Fortunately there was a thin, tall tree nearby that I climbed – fast. The rhino came to the tree and stood right beneath me sniffing the ground and air. Eventually the cow and calf broke away and he soon followed. From personal experience I can confirm:
- They do have poor eye sight.
- They do reach a height of 1,8m at the shoulder.
- I was very scared. Running would not have helped – a white rhino can reach a speed of up to 40km/h.

Source: Own experience and Smither’s Mammals of Southern Africa.

I have started watermarking my images. I was recently confronted by what a commercial printer cam do with even a low resolution image. You may contact me at http://www.coismeyer.com/ or e-mail me at cois@coismeyer.com to obtain an un-watermarked copy, depending on intended use.

Hippo yawn

2010-07-03T14:27:00.003+02:00

I visited the Ratlhogo waterhole in the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve near Rustenburg a few times. This Hippo was around most of the time, floating in the water with just its eyes and nostrils showing or basking in the sun. One morning it was in a playful mood diving and surfacing and snapping at the water. This picture shows it yawning. It was around roughly every second day. Hippos travel during the night. I presume it travels to another waterhole a few kilometers away to make the return journey the next night. The photo shows a number of broken and missing teeth. I would stress if my teeth were broken and missing but it does not seem to bother this Hippo.

A male Hippopotamus (Hippo) can reach a height of up to 1,7 meter at the shoulder and can reach a weight of up to 2 tonnes. Hippos graze on short grass close to water but can travel distances of up to 30 kilometers to reach grazing. It consumes up to 13 kilograms of grass per day. This seems like a lot but is actually half of what is expected considering the body size. A hippo can reach an age of up to 35 years. Lions and crocodiles will attack baby hippos but seldom fully grown individuals.

The temperature was 3˚ C when I took this photo. It can stay submerged for up too 6 minutes, closing its nostrils and ears to stop water getting in. Now and again they travel to different parts of their environment. One is known to have walked 1 800 kilometers, from Lake St Lusia to the Keiskama River.

Hippos are one of Africa’s big five and are quite dangerous. They will trample most anything coming between itself and the water or itself and its calf. There is still one mystery about these animals. There are three documented cases where they have rescued drowning animals from other species. On one such an occasion in the Kruger National Park a hippo forcefully freed a young Impala from a crocodile and carried it to the side. It stood next to the Impala to fend off any possible further attacks, but lost interest when the impala died. This happened before the days of digital photography but I have seen sets of slides displayed at shops in the Kruger National Park. The set must have been scanned to electronic format by now.

Source: Smither’s Mammals of Southern Africa and own knowledge.

I will publish some more photos on my website within the next few days - http://www.coismeyer.com/

Fire hose reel

2010-06-18T19:05:00.003+02:00

I drove past a building that is in the process of being demolished. It is being demolished by removing the outer walls before breaking down the concrete floors. In this picture the outer wall has been removed leaving the fire hose reel standing free on its own. It made an interesting picture. http://www.coismeyer.com/

Street Art Clarence Road

2010-06-13T11:45:00.003+02:00

Street art next to Clarence Road Johannesburg. Unfortunately I am unable to credit the original artists as I don't know who they are. http://www.coismeyer.com

Telkom Tower 2010 World Cup

2010-06-11T06:54:00.001+02:00

The Telkom Tower in Hillbrow, Johannesbyrg dressed up for the World Cup. Photo taken from Honey Street, near to where I photographed some of the street art included elsewhere in my blog. The first game kicks off today, South Africa against Mexico. http://www.coismeyer.com

1855 St George's Church

2010-06-06T13:24:00.008+02:00

This is the smaller of the two churches on the shady stand in the middle of the town of Knysna, South Africa. There are a number of graves around the church. Some bears what appears to be a royal coat of arms and bears the family name “Rex”. Legend has it that the then King of England banned his illegitimate son to South Africa to avoid embarrassment back in England. George Rex did a lot of good for the community, playing a roll in amongst other the development of the harbor at the Knysna Lagoon. Today the harbor is used mainly by pleasure craft. Craft entering the Lagoon has to pass through a narrow channel. Navigation is tricky due to the fast moving current that passes through the channel due to tide movement. The South African Navy still visits the harbor from time to time for ceremonial purposes. http://www.coismeyer.com/

Street art

2010-06-04T19:49:00.004+02:00

Along Louis Botha Avenue between Houghton and Hillbrow runs a stretch of clay brick wall decorated by street artists. Some of the art incorporates the standard symbols and interlocked thunder bolts. Others are quite unique. Most of them are really good. I photographed this early one morning. I will include a few more images in my website, www.coismeyer.com, in the “Objects” gallery within the next few days.

Website

2010-05-31T20:38:00.001+02:00

I am in the process of upgrading my website. At this stage it is still a work in progress. A rather slow process as I am not a programmer. But it should go faster now that I have the basics sorted out. Please feel free to comment. http://www.coismeyer.com

Hollow Tree

2010-05-31T20:32:00.002+02:00

I photographed this tree in the Knysna forest while hiking there. It looks like something should be living there, but nothing is. Probably too close to the ground. If I could think something should be living there, so could most predators.

Graaff Reinette Church

2010-05-23T20:00:00.001+02:00

The town of Graaff Reinette in the Karoo is dominated by this Church. I took this picture early one morning while traveling back to Johannesburg from the Cape. It is a beautiful town rich with history, museums and old buildings.

Sedgefield Lake

2010-05-16T21:45:00.002+02:00

I was sifting through old photo stock when I came across this photo that I took one morning while cycling. Wish I was there rather than preparing for a new week. (It is Sunday evening 21h49 in South Africa)

Old house in Johannesburg

2010-05-15T13:51:00.004+02:00

I came across this old house in an old part of Johannesburg. Many years ago this must have been someones pride and joy, sitting around this fire place on a cold winter evening.

Refuse removal strike

2010-04-25T11:52:00.002+02:00

Yeoville, Berea and Hillbrow are high density residential areas in the heart of Johannesburg. A two week strike by municipal workers ended recently. Rubbish has not been removed for the duration of the strike. People in flats have nowhere to go with their rubbish, thus the rubbish ends up at collection points in the streets.

Three Sisters

2010-04-23T19:49:00.003+02:00

These three hillocks are located next to a small Karoo town called Three Sisters. The town was named after the three similar looking hillocks. This image shows two of the sisters with the third sister just visible in the middle.

Cape Town Harbour

2010-04-07T20:15:00.002+02:00

The harbour at Cape Town from the V&A waterfront. The harbour developed into a vibrant shopping and tourist hot spot. The nearby aquarium is worth a visit.

Table Mountain

2010-04-04T11:39:00.004+02:00

Table Mountain remains one of South Africa's special sights. This view was special to me as I last saw the mountain in this way when I serviced in the Navy many years ago.

Mandela's prison cell

2010-03-14T19:10:00.002+02:00

This is the furniture inside Nelson Mandela's cell in the Robbin Island prison. To the left is a toilet bucket. Next to the toilet bucket a table / chair and eating utensils. To the right of that a bed roll. Due to international pressure the bed roll was eventually replaced with a simple bunk style bed.

Robbin Island Prison

2010-03-12T19:37:00.001+02:00

The entrance to the Robbin Island prison complex.

Table Mountain from Robbin Island

2010-03-07T10:16:00.003+02:00

This is Table Mountain as seen from Robbin Island. It must have added to the feeling of being banned from society, having to see this every day but not being allowed to be there.

Robbin Island

2010-03-03T21:01:00.002+02:00

This is the harbor at Robbin Island where Nelson Mandela was jailed for 18 years. The prison itself is in good condition but it is sad to see how the rest of the island is slowly deteriorating. The house where the first leader of the ANC Youth League was held is overgrown by weeds. During the war the island was used as base to defend the waters around the cape. Significant block houses housing some of the biggest guns used were built on the island. These are in a sad state of repair. Previously the island also housed a leper colony. Their grave yard is in a sad state of repair.

Probably the result of nepotism and political interference. Maybe one of the instances of about ½ the staff employed on the island actually “working” on the island.

Bus-truck

2010-02-14T07:23:00.003+02:00

This half bus half truck is in the railway transport museum in George. Interesting concept. It must have worked in days gone by - when there were less people, longer distances, and a need for a transport service along the bus route.

1939 Dodge

2010-02-12T19:52:00.002+02:00

What a car should be. Simple strong, reliable.

19950Studebaker Champion

2010-02-06T18:10:00.002+02:00

This is the grill of a 1950 Studebaker Champion. It must have made a statement back in the 1950's - given the boxy look that was more or less standard at the time. I wonder if it was at all inspired by jet engines that were then still fairly new and at the edge of engineering achievement.

Perimeter Fence

2010-02-03T20:02:00.004+02:00

A veterinary practice in Sedgefield, South Cape, has a perimeter wall made up of concrete animals painted with various patterns. This one is the most interesting.

Church Window

2010-02-01T19:00:00.002+02:00

This window was photographed in ST George's Church in Knysna. Though a pretty picture on its own, I found the inclusion of both old and new interesting. The people in the left hand panel are dressed in period clothing while those in the right hand panel are dressed in more modern cloths. There is however one person dressed in modern cloths in the left hand panel as well.

On top of Lion Rock

2010-01-29T20:32:00.001+02:00

This is my daughter standing on top of "Lion Rock" looking out to sea.

Gericke Point

2010-01-23T09:48:00.001+02:00

Gericke Point, South Cape, South Africa. The tiny dots, halfway into the picture, close to the right hand edge of frame are people walking up to the point. I like the golden yellow colour of the rock.

Lake near Sedgefield

2010-01-22T20:55:00.002+02:00

I took this photograph of the salt water lake near Sedgefield early one morning. To me, it was such a peaceful scene. The rays of the sun just reaching the shore, with the sounds of birds and people taking their dogs for an early morning stroll.

1855 Knysna Church - inside

2010-01-17T07:47:00.002+02:00

Inside view of the little church in Knysna, erected in 1855. I don't know why but to me it feels like what I believe a church should feel like.

Walking on the beach

2010-01-13T10:01:00.003+02:00

I found this family walking on the beach late in the afternoon. I suppose there is nothing preventing them from living on a beach. Previously I found them near lakes and dams. It was interesting seeing the family going for a late afternoon walk.

Neighbours

2009-12-23T20:08:00.001+02:00

I photographed this building in Johannesburg. I grew up expecting a church building to be a free standing building, with steeple etc, looking like a church. I think it is positive that churches are moving out into communities where they are needed. I thought it interesting to find a church and sex shop (Hustler) being housed in the same building.

Boat wreck.

2009-12-02T20:18:00.001+02:00

This has been posted before. I changed the colour and saturation to imitate a lith image.

Old Jug

2009-11-05T18:42:00.000+02:00

Just playing.

Lilac-Brested Roller

2009-11-01T06:21:00.001+02:00

One of South Africa's most beautifull birds.

Grateful

2009-10-24T17:07:00.001+02:00

As single parent to two teenagers I understand the concept of being on a budget. I am assisting a day care centre in a struggling area by creating two A2 montages of photographs taken at the centre during the past two years. Looking at these photographs it is an eye opener to see the pure joy expressed at things that I accept as part of every day life. Al of a sudden I am grateful for what I have – a house, a car, a computer, etc. etc.

Secrets

2009-10-23T17:41:00.001+02:00

I have noticed an increase in claims of secrets being disclosed in magazines, on the internet and in adverts. Walking past the magazines in a local bookshop I notice the following – 10 Secrets to taking great pictures, The secret to happiness, The secret to better health, etc. etc.

It seems that everybody writing anything has some or other secret to disclose. I wonder about these secrets. For instance the 10 secrets to taking great pictures turn out to be 10 tips on handling a DSLR camera. I wonder – Why does the camera manufacturers keep these things secret, surely publishing them will improve camera sales, How did the writer discover these secrets, etc. The 10 secrets are fairly well known techniques commonly used. Maybe they were secret to the writer or maybe the writer does have a secret. Not to taking great pictures but to getting people to buy the magazine to once again read stuff that they have read before. Now I have also discovered a new secret. The secret of publishing common knowledge as being secret.

I think I should publish the five secrets to living longer. If they don’t work you will not be around to come and harass me. Hey, I have just discovered another secret!

The old law

2009-10-07T20:20:00.002+02:00

The old law, the law of diminishing returns, still applies. Also to photographic equipment - TTL hot-shoe flash specifically. There is very little difference between a photo taken with my modern Nikon TTL speedlite and my old thrysistor controlled Sunpak electronic flash gun dating back to 1980. Please don’t test my theory by using just any old flashgun on your DSLR! Some of the old flashguns used a trigger current of more than 300v. Not a great idea to apply this to your DSLR’s circuitry designed for 7,5v.

The main differences between the two are:
1. The Nikon connects directly to the camera’s light meter to control the intensity and duration of the light flash. The Sunpak on the other hand uses a built-in thrysistor to cut the light flash when it estimates that enough light to secure effective exposure has been generated.
2. The Nikon can be adjusted via a system of menus and sub menus. The Sunpak can be adjusted via a number of sliders and dials.
3. The Nikon should in theory be able to do a better job of reading ambient light, including backlighting, and it does. The thrysistor sometimes misjudges the situation but less frequent than I expected.
4. The Nikon is fully automatic. For the Sunpak I have to manually adjust the camera’s aperture.
5. The Nikon can be used as master or slave to be used off camera. The Sunpak has to be fired via a sync cord or inexpensive optical trigger.

Is the Nikon better than the Sunpak? Yes it is. I would however like to get back to my point that the law of diminishing returns is applicable. A lot of time, cost and effort allowed flash to progress from burning magnesium to an electric spark that could be controlled to provide a measured amount of light. Pushing on, the Nikon has had the benefit of 30 years’ further development and it costs more than four times what the Sunpak would cost, had it still been available. That is thirty years’ development at four times the price to gain little in final image quality. The Nikon will eventually be replaced. It will probably take much more development and cost to be able to provide a more advanced, more expensive flashgun that will result in even less gain in overall image quality.

This is probably why Vivitar re-launched their classic, the thrysistor controlled Vivitar 285. (Exactly the same as the original but with the trigger voltage reduced to a level acceptable for use on DSLR’s. I used the price of the Vivitar 285 as approximate price for the Sunpak to make the comparison.)

Old Door

2009-10-02T18:30:00.001+02:00

The door of a dilapidated old house near Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.

Black smith's shop

2009-09-26T21:27:00.001+02:00

I took this picture in the black smith's shop at the agricultural museum near Pretoria.

Driving Lamp

2009-09-13T07:47:00.001+02:00

I tried to capture the gleam of the chrome driving lamp on this classic car.

Rock pool

2009-08-27T17:29:00.001+02:00

Wish I was sitting here rather than in the city in front of my computer.....

2009-08-16T15:31:00.001+02:00

Hi

I have posted some new pictures at my website, http://www.coismeyer.com. I prefer posting photos there as I find the navigation a bit easier than with blogger.

Pied Kingfisher

2009-08-05T20:57:00.002+02:00

My favourite South African Bird.

Waterbuck

2009-08-02T18:20:00.002+02:00

Waterbuck reach a height of up to 1,7 metre and can weigh up to 270 kilogram. Only the males have horns. They live in grassland always close to water. They are grazers but will also browse from time to time.

Giraffe

2009-08-02T14:42:00.004+02:00

It is something special to watch a Giraffe drink water. They are, if possible, even more cautious than other antelope. Possibly because they are at a disadvantage while drinking. They have to spread their front legs apart before bending down to drink. They cannot reach down far enough to reach the water if they do not adopt this stance. Male Giraffes reach a height of up to 5,5 metre and a weight of up to 1200 kilogram. They are browsers who lives in open woodlands, and can exit independent of water sources, subject to being able to find sufficient green foliage.