Fisherman on the Wildside

Unlike my brother who has provincial colours for fresh water fishing, I'm not a fisherman.  I don't have the patience for it.  I would much rather go for a walk with my camera and find something interesting to photograph.  Perhaps its the same thing, just different.  Its the same with Geocaching.  I can spend hours doing it while others see it as a waste of time because other than a smiley face on my geocache map and my name on the log sheet there is nothing to show for it.  Different strokes for different folks I imagine.  I did "catch" this angler on Port Elizabeth's Wildside recently.  He makes for a nice subject on what would otherwise have been a very bland photograph without him.   

Shark Rock Pier on a sunny day

Everybody loved the beach in summer, but there is no reason not to love it in winter as well.  Specially on a warm sunny day like today.  Only difference is you can't go for a swim.  Personally I think winter is the best time for long walks on the beach or the adjoining boardwalk.  At least the sun doesn't burn my ever growing forehead as much.

Late afternoon at the beach

Late afternoon looking back towards Hobie Beach from Pollok Beach in Port Elizabeth

Penguins under pressure

Last week I saw a stunning yet very sad picture by Luc Hosten on Facebook.  Two days later I was down at Cape Recife in Port Elizabeth and came across the scene photographed by Luc.  The penguin wasn't in the same position anymore and I didn't want to try and recreate the exact scene anyway, so decided on something similar yet slightly further away.  African Penguins are highly endangered and under immense pressure at the moment with some people giving them only 5 years if nothing major is done soon.  The guys at SAMREC in Cape Recife do an awesome job with limited resources but they desperately need the support of the public and corporates to keep them up and running.

Shark Rock Pier in HDR

I've never used the HDR effect on any of my photo.  Some people over use it but making all their pics HDR although it does enhance some pictures beautifully.  My main reason though is because I don't have Photoshop.  Over the weekend I discovered that Picasa does have a HDR effect button (don't know how I missed it before) so I decided to try it out on a picture I took of Shark Rock Pier in Port Elizabeth last week.   

Walkway remains

Nature doesn't take nonsense from us people.  Sardinia Bay in Port Elizabeth has a problematic dune that just doesn't want to stand still.  A couple of years back a walkway was built across the dune to make it easier to get to the beach.  But as soon as the walkway was completed the dune started swallowing it in until this short section was the only bit left.  Vandals, probably looking for wood to braai with, did the rest after people were unable to use it anymore.

Sunrise at Shark Rock Pier

A golden sunrise at Hobie Beach in Port Elizabeth