On these gravel township streets…
Posts Tagged ‘eastern cape’
Africa
Friday, January 21st, 20112009.6 retrospective: A long road through the Karoo…
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
A long road through the Karoo
…and out of South Africa (for now)…
Trying to capture a ‘best of’ retrospective set of images from South Africa has proved near impossible – too many images – too many subjects – too much personal connection – so I am going to wrap it up with this image taken on the road that runs from Middelburg through Graaff Reinet to Cape Town. It’s a long, straight and hot journey especially at 3pm on a Sunday afternooon when every cornershop inland seems to be closed…
About the photograph:
‘This photograph is taken on the N2 road to Cape Town, The Glen (my mother’s ‘family farm’), outside Graaff-Reniet, Eastern Cape South Africa, sits nestled among the taller vegetation to the centre of the image.
…if, like me, you haven’t been ‘home’ for a long time, go, look at your grandparents gravestones, smell the air, taste the food, remember your heritage, take a deep breath, give thanks you can, and go on…’
2009.4 retrospective – inspired by disgrace
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010JM Coetzee, John Malkovich, Eastern Cape, South Africa…a recipe for something of interest…disgrace.
If you have been following the retrospective posts you will be aware of the time I spent in South Africa last year – in the heart of the Eastern Cape – 100 kilometers from Grahamstown – it’s currently a dry place where ‘post-apartheid’ South Africa doesn’t neccesarily carry the same understanding as it may in other parts of the world…the film is worth watching…
'small town, eastern cape'
About the photograph:
‘small town, eastern cape’, Adelaide, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 2009′
View from ‘Nel’s Hill’ over the town of Adelaide, with the Winterberg Mountains in the background.
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Watch the film…
2009.1 retrospective – snow in a dry land
Saturday, January 9th, 2010
snow in a dry land.1, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 2009
2009 was an interesting year…3 countries, 3 continents, for almost 3 months at a time – with the last -being Australia, (which is where we have now settled). It really was, an interesting year.
Indulging in a little ‘retrospection’ the 3+ months in South Africa were definitely the highlight of 2009. A unique opportunity to indulge photographically, slow right down, and spend time with family. Being in a place where you still have a sense of ‘freedom’ or unaccountability was both frightening and liberating at the same time and in stark contrast to the CCTV socities of most major international cities.
The country, on the cusp of hosting the 2010 Football World Cup, is an interesting place to be. Ignoring crime for a minute (if you can) and I am not going to blog down that road…I had some fantastic photographic experiences ranging from charging white rhino to a horrific RTA/MVA (for those in SA) outside my window at 3am one morning…
So, as a last look back over the shoulder at 2009, I have decided to share some of my highlights and the images created during that time.
As I have often found, when travelling, it’s the places and situations slightly off the beaten track that present opportunities that you would least expect to capture some of the most dramatic images…
About the photograph:
‘snow in a dry land.1, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa 2009′
The irony is that the nearest country town situated an hours drive by 4×4 is currently rated as a disaster area due to the incredible drought … far from the night glow of urban sprawl people in areas like this need one thing to survive and when no water comes out of the tap, you have a problem.
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