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16May

SAAF Museum AFB – 40th Anniversary Airshow

Posted in Airshows, Arms/Military/Weapons, Events, Planes, Portfolio, Road Trip, Transportation | Leave a comment

Despite wet, windy overcast weather and almost no blue sky I managed to pull off a few decent shots. Patience was the key and timing the aircraft’s flight into sparse blue patches of background AND simultaneously getting it in what little sunlight there was. Very tricky photography with very low shutter speeds for prop blur. I spent the day looking for unusual and unique images and not run of the mill aircraft fly-past images.

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“Out of the Sun” – The business end of the SAAF AFB Museum Harvard AT-6C Mk III aka “Nelson” #7111 at yesterday’s SAAF Museum 40th Anniversary air-show at Swartkops AFB. A common tactic of fighter pilots was to attack enemy sorties from high with the sun behind them. I’m playing with some flare and star techniques and avoiding the usual boring yearly flyby shots. Enjoy!

Tech Specs: The weather was atrocious for flight photography, overcast, grey, wet, windy. There were very few blue sky opportunities and thus the photography was extremely technical. ISO 100, f/14, 1/125s, @300mm Hand Held and no VR/OS or IS assistance.

Gear I use: Bodies: Nikon D-SLR’s / Lenses: Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, Vivitar
Filters: Hoya UV & Polarizing / Flash: Nikon Speed-lights / Bag: Lowe Pro
Tripods & Heads: Manfrotto / Grips, Triggers, Timers, Batteries etc: BandH
Editing Plug-in: Topaz Labs Noise Reduction, HDR, B&W Conversion & more!

ALL IMAGES ON THIS SITE ARE © Harvey Grohmann. Read more for Terms and Conditions:
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15May

Topaz Labs – Clarity (Sneak Peak)

Posted in Gear, News, Software | Leave a comment

As a Topaz Labs Evangelist I’ve just received word about the pending release of their new plug-in called “Clarity” next week. Topaz Clarity features powerful contrast control that results in compelling images with a very natural look and no halos. What has impressed me the most so far is the exacting finite control I now have over EACH individual colour range in SATURATION, HUE and LUMINANCE which for me was very difficult & time consuming in other photo applications:

Zoom Zoom edited with Topaz Labs Clarity

Zoom Zoom before edit (SOOC) © Harvey Grohmann 2013

Zoom Zoom edited with Topaz Labs Clarity © Harvey Grohmann 2013

Example images and screen shots:

: Portrait

: Car

: Bridge

: Building

: UI Mask Mode

: Quick Look Preset View

: UI

: UI Split

: UI

: UI ToolPanel

: Quick Look Preset View

: Mask Module

Topaz Labs products can be used with many industry standard applications such as Adobe PhotoShop CS4-CS6, Light Room, Elements 9-11, Apple Aperture 2 and 3 and other editors that support PhotoShop plug-ins like IrfanView, PaintShop Pro etc. Download the Topaz Labs Clarity Technical Specifications PDF here.

However if you do not have any of these applications you can use Topaz Labs amazing standalone application called “photoFXlab”. See details on the link below.

From the Clarity release:

Topaz Clarity uses proprietary technology that allows you to quickly and easily adjust various levels of contrast with no halos or artifacts. The results are compelling images with a very natural look. Here is a quick look at some of the features:

Clarity Module – The Dynamics section of this module allows you to selectively adjust contrast in your image, without adding halos or artifacts, resulting in a very natural looking, yet compelling image. The contrast sliders range from micro to high, and refer to the original image contrast variations allowing you to increase or decrease the contrast in that specific variation. The highlight of this module is the ability to adjust mid-tone contrast quickly and easily, something that would normally take many steps to achieve.

The Tone section gives you the ability to adjust the tone levels to retain a high range of tones in your image. It includes black, white, and mid-tone sliders that can bring back details in the shadows and highlights that would normally be lost with high contrast adjustments.

HSL Module – Topaz Clarity is the first to use a quality enhancement method in the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance adjustment module, which can produce strong adjustments with much less artifacts and noise. The HSL module allows you to selectively enhance specific colors in your image. It works by breaking your image into 8 different colors, giving maximum control over the colors in your image.

Advanced Masking Technology – We have incorporated several new features in the masking module to allow for more precise masking. Clarity offers three different types of brushes; normal, edge aware, and the new color aware. You now have the ability to feather the mask and control the color range. You also have the option of choosing a gradient mask that includes linear, radial, and reflected types of gradients. In addition, there is a separate mask for the Clarity module and the HSL module, which allows for much greater control of adjustment areas in your image.

New User Interface – We are premièring a brand new user interface that is more intuitive, polished, and user friendly. As requested, both the navigator window and the buttons are larger and easier to view. The modules themselves are streamlined for quicker and easier adjustments. The masking section is condensed, even with the addition of new masking features.

Over 100 Presets – For the first time, we have categorized the presets by types of photography. This will enable photographers to quickly identify which presets would be most useful for their particular image.

Click here to get your copy (next week):

30Apr

Clarens and Golden Gate National Park Visit 2013

Posted in Camera and Equipment, Landscape, Locations, Portfolio, Rural, Sunrise / Sunset, Workshop | Leave a comment

The Park’s expansive scenery from grasslands surrounded by the Maluti Mountains is a photographers dream. Hiking and birdwatching are also a great reason to getaway here at the first opportunity. Many unusual species of bird can only be found here. Why did it take me 30 years to visit Clarens and Golden Gate National Park!?

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Mild highveld summers with the possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon and cold winters with occasional snow transforms the park into a white wonderland. Birds are a lot more scarce in winter but it shouldn’t stop you from being vigilant, as they are there and patience is required to get sightings and photos. I went to try catch a glimpse of the bearded vultures but despite a wonderful new hide funded and built by the SAN Parks Honorary Rangers on the site of the old hide, there were no regular drops of carcasses despite Park staff insisting this happens on Thursdays.

I’ve underlined the species I saw on my trip bar one or two LBJ’s I’m still identifying.

Look for Cape Rock-Thrush, Pied Starling and Red-winged Starling, Malachite Sunbird, African Stone Chat, Yellow Bishop, Ground Woodpecker, Swainson’s Spurfowl, Cape Rock-Thrush, a number of sparrow species and Cape Weaver. Cape Grassbird and Bush Blackcap in summer have been seen at the Campsite as well as Barratt’s Warbler between the wooded bush and the sandstone cliffs. Alpine Swift and African Black Swift nest in summer and Rock Martin and Greater Striped Swallow. A pair of Verreauxs’ Eagle usually breed each year on the ‘Brandwag’ or sentinel buttress, directly opposite the hotel; other smaller raptors such as Lanner Falcon and Rock Kestrel. Behind the hotel the valley has been noted to be good for African Harrier-Hawk, Cape Grassbird and Wailing Cisticola. Grey-winged Francolin, Bearded Vulture, Cape Vulture and White-necked Raven. At protea Corner look out for Gurney’s Sugarbird and Malachite Sunbird, especially when they are flowering. There’s a small dam on the Western side of the park and African Black Duck, assorted warblers and Southern Bald Ibis breed in the park and surrounds.

Winter temperatures can drop to a mere -9 to -15 degrees C with snow a regular occurrence.

Golden Gate primarily falls in a summer rainfall area (September to April). Annual rainfall is approximately 760 mm per year. In very wet years this figure can rise to 1250 mm. The area is prone to sudden weather changes.

ALL IMAGES ON THIS SITE ARE © Harvey Grohmann. Read more for Terms and Conditions:
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29Apr

Wakkerstroom – Jewel of Mpumalanga

Posted in Bird Sanctuaries/Hides, Flora and Fauna, Flowers and Plants, Landscape, Nature, Portfolio, Road Trip, Rural, Wildlife, Workshop | Leave a comment

I decided to make a long overdue visit to Wakkerstroom on my way to a wedding in Sodwana Bay to visit friends and birders Sandy and Kevin. They escaped the bustle of the city in 2009 and bought a home a stones throw from the wetland. I can now understand why it’s is such a popular destination, especially for birders.

I only had half a day and a night at early Autumn (April) to explore, yet I had some good bird sightings (photographically though too far for any award winning bird shots). One needs a week or long weekend with the usual amounts of patience with a side order of…time. However scenery and travel style images also await your camera as you will see in the slide show.

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Lying in a unique grassland Biome; the source of the Vaal, Usuthu, Phongolo and Thukela rivers and surrounded by the Versamel Mountains the valley village of Wakkerstroom is a must see destination when exploring South Africa. In isiZulu, the river that passes close to town is known as Uthaka (Utaga), which roughly translates into a wide-awake (Wakker) river (Stroom) or lively stream.

There are also numerous historical sites and as always in towns throughout South Africa a number of beautiful churches, the oldest, St Marks – Anglican dating back to 1880. There are also Catholic, Lutheran and an NG Kerk to explore or worship in on a Sunday. There is much to see and do; Arts and Crafts, biking, hiking, bushmen art, a 1938 SAR Class 19D No 2690 Borsig steam locomotive, Opikopi Museum. Ossewakop & Scotch Hill which may have inspired Sir Ryder Haggard who sometimes stayed in Wakkerstroom in the 1870’s to write about two enormous lava-covered volcanic mountains, called Sheba’s Breasts, in his novel, King Solomon’s Mines. A Roller mill, which dates back to 1904 is the only one of its kind still in operation.

Wakkerstroom is indeed a hidden gem and whilst this was a quick recce for future workshops, I immediately fell in love with it. The Wakkerstroom Country Inn serves a killer lunch / dinner and the numerous bistro’s, cheese factory and craft shops are also a must visit for their healthy fare, bric-a-brac, antiques and owners with heart warming stories and genuine love of the area. Townsfolk are friendly and real characters. There is also an annual classic music festival in March. A beautiful town steeped in history, period buildings, wetlands and the vistas of surrounding hills are to die for. If you have a few bob buy a hideout here and visit as often as you can.

I can arrange a photo workshop with self catering cottage, B&B or fully catered for between 4-6 budding photographers (spouses welcome).

Get a quote / Book a workshop here.

The area conjures up sightings of many of Southern Africa’s endemic birds as well as migrants, pristine wetlands, perfect hides, beautiful hikes, fishing and fine dining.

According to SA Birding:

The Wakkerstroom/Amersfoort area is famous among birders as the easiest area to find three highly endemic species restricted to South Africa’s high altitude grasslands – Rudd’s Lark, Botha’s Lark and Yellow-breasted Pipit. A total of 13 bird species are endemic or nearly so to South Africa’s Grassland Biome and nine of these, including Rudd’s Lark, Botha’s Lark and Yellow-breasted Pipit, plus Southern Bald Ibis, Blue Korhaan, Eastern Long-billed Lark, Sentinel Rock-Thrush, Buff-streaked Chat and Drakensberg Prinia can easily be found here during a full day’s birding in summer. A second day could yield forest endemics such as Bush Blackcap and Chorister Robin-Chat. Add to these another 33 southern African endemics or near-endemics and it is easy to see why the area is a magnet for foreign as well as South African birders. Habitats range from open grassland to mist belt forest, gorges and cliffs, with extensive wetland habitat in the form of vleis, pans and dams.

Thank you Sandy and Kevin for putting up with us Joburgers and making us feel at home. We’ll be back in the summer! Sandy is a keen birder and photographer. Her bird book collection could fill a library and her images not only of the birds but of the area are unhurried, natural and breathtakingly beautiful: