HarveyG

Well it’s back to the grindstone for most of us. Hope you all feel refreshed like these little guys and have a fabulous 2012!

Splish Splash - Crowned Lapwings aka Kiewiet (c) H Grohmann photographed during a Workshop at Rietvlei NR

and all those togs that can afford the new Nikon D4 should have a blast at the Olympics with it this year.

Photographic Workshops:

Rietvlei is a hidden gem in close proximity to Pretoria (18km’s) and Johannesburg (38 km’s from OR Tambo Int. Airport). The reserve covers an area of almost 3800 hectares (38km²) and can support between 1500-2000 head of game. Currently some 1,600 head of game, including blesbuck, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, eland, Burchell’s zebra, waterbuck, reedbuck, springbuck, mountain reedbuck, steenbuck and grey duiker can be viewed here. There are other species but visit and find them for yourself From your own vehicle it is easy to spot these animals on the open endangered Bankenveld grassland plains. It is a relatively quiet unhurried reserve and well worth a full days visit. Rates are very reasonable.

Long-tailed Widowbird (Euplectes progne) (c) HarveyG Photography

The 60 km’s of tar and dirt roads in the reserve are fairly well maintained and serve for game viewing, park maintenance and for fire breaks in winter. Whilst a normal sedan can easily be driven around on the tar and most of the sand roads, there are some sections that require a vehicle with higher ground clearance. In the wet summer months I found that a double cab / bakkie with 4×4 or difflock capabilities allowed me to get into the odd area that I would not have gone with a family sedan due deep muddy ruts or washaways for fear of getting stuck. This is however the exception rather than the rule. Roads divide the reserve into 31 blocks and are well marked. A map, bird list and rules of the park are given to you when booking in. Rotation grazing is practised on the reserve by routinely burning blocks and using licks as supplementary feeding.

White-throated Swallow (Hirundo albigularis) (c) HarveyG Photography

4 well located Bird-hides (2 on Rietvlei Dam and 1 on Marais Dam with the 4th one centrally located on marshland) and 2 main picnic areas with braai facilities are situated along these roads. There is also a very special river crossing called Otter Bridge with some wonderful wildlife (I won’t spoil it for you, go and check it out). (continue reading…)

One of my nicer images taken on the day; AFB Waterkloof Airshow.
Hand panned, single shot, not “hold button down” burst.

Aerosud Mirage F-1 AZ from the SAAF Museum.

Top Gun © HarveyG Photography

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: Phottix /
Editing Plug-in: Topaz Labs for Noise Reduction, HDR.

Thought I’d do a motivational poster. Hope it pulls the heart strings about your country! Humans need good news. Discover South Africa. A world in one Country.

The Gautrain - Midrand Station - Gauteng | © HarveyG Photography

The Gautrain Project took 4 years to complete. It is a world class 80km new rail link between Pretoria and Johannesburg and our International Airport and Sandton hewn from virgin ground with many underground sections through some of the hardest rock and under existing cities. No-one believed this African country could do it. We did.

I love trains and train travel and have been collecting Märklin since the late 70′s.

Contact me for tuition and tours as well as event photography!

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: Phottix /
Editing Plug-in: Topaz Labs Noise Reduction, HDR, B&W Conversion & more!

Some casual shots Photographed on Saturday 01 October 2011. Very grey day. Battle to get any blues in the sky. Images shot with Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM and Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 II EX DG APO Macro HSM AF

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: Phottix /
Editing Plug-in: Topaz Labs for Noise Reduction, HDR.

To watch the mothers and children initially playing in the mud was so much fun. Then the old bull emerged from the bush, where he was hidden from our view feeding. With a flick of his trunk and a subtle move of his body the entire herd stopped playing, as if chided by him, and then proceeded to regroup and leave the water sports in the dam to go dry off. It was inspiring to witness the interaction and intelligence of these massive creatures, and yet not a sound was made by any one of them. Read on to see an edited image and decide what impact that has overall.

Elephant Dust Bath, Nsemani Dam, H7 near Satara © HarveyG Photography

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