Image disclaimer:None of the photos on this page are Peters Corbett,nor have they been processed for optimum presentation.They are meant to give the viewer a taste of the area where are going into.
Led by Peter Corbett,Cape Town based fine art photographer,this 5N Eastern Cape trip will focus on:
Understanding Landscape Photography
- Basic camera handling techniques: holding & shutter release, remote shutter release, IR (image stabilization) tripod use & technique – general tips & tricks.
- Moving away from P (programmed mode) aperture & shutter priority, manual, long exposure & BULB. What and when to use these camera functions.
- Understanding camera lenses: optimizing image quality with aperture, DOF (depth of field) understanding the “focal plane”.
- Exposure: understanding DIGITAL sensors and how to capture optimum image quality & dynamic range.
- RAW vs jpeg file capture formats. When to use; benefits & practices. File maintenance/security/backup in the field. CF & SD cards uses and benefits.
- Filters: ND (neutral density) uses and techniques.
- Photographic vision, image composition, “Rule of Thirds”, light, its colour and quality, WB (white balance)
During our evening’s I will be giving some basic instructions on file processing using ACR (Adobe camera RAW) & LR (Lightroom). The different approaches to image processing in order to achieve optimum image “output”
Participents should ideally have the following in addition to their own camera gear:
Tripod with remote release.
Laptop & charger
Spare portable HD
Spare batteries and or chargers.
ND filters – not essential but useful.
Spare CF/SD cards.
About Peter:
I started taking photographs when I was 16. Inspired by David Bailey and the 1960’s film Blow Up I imagined a life of a sharpshooter for Vogue.
Captivated by Ansel Adams landscapes; his iconic images irrevocably changed something inside me.
My real entry and subsequent success to selling my work came as a result of my dedication to myfine-art-printing.
As in my artists statement I have always believed, and indeed worked with the concept of the final print in mind and considered it my artistic responsibility to articulate the seen image through to the final print.
Printing for other photographers not only inspired me but, sustained my belief in my own work and the love of landscape photography.
This is not a story of exhibitions, awards and an incremental career – more a tortured stop start erratic progression of self-belief and obsession, perhaps summarised in the following
“There is a phrase I heard somewhere, which I like – it also lurks: ‘detached reverie’. Some kind of mood or state-of-mind where flow happens; one doesn’t make appointments here. This is of course both a blessing and a nag, a paradox to be sure. Once you have been to the well then the effort to get back so often negates the very quest. But I do have these times when the noise stops and my art begins. Once again the outcome, the end game, my end game, a Fine Art Print does not always result, but the pleasure of those times when one can contemplate the moment, when the light and form wait for the shutter and the simple joy of being there is the stuff of the landscape photographer.”
Note from Stephen who created this tour:
I have been custom designing South Africa Tours for many years.
My aim is to introduce local South African to areas that they would not normally visit.
Along with the photographic education portion,the scenic beauty,immersion into the culture,and person to person interactions available to us,I hope that we all leave with a greater appreciation of the potential that South Africa has.
The question of what type of lodging etc is available always comes up when i design such trips.
While their are Luxury products to choose from,this trip is not a Luxury trip in the sense of leve of lodging.
This trip is luxury in the sense of the memorable experiences that awaits all who travel.
All lodging will be clean,neat,simple with shared Western style bathrooms.Singles may be hard to come by, however if requested we will work on reserving one.
Meals:
Dinner Day 1 and Breakfast day 2 is included. The rest of the meals will be at each partcipants expense. Drinks are based on the “trust you” record your own basis.
We may do a early morning sunrise pancake breakfast at the one location.
Group Size:
Limited to a small group of 12 particpants.
Dates
October 11th return the 16th.
Air Rates:
Flight from Cape Town to East London r/trip.This portion each partcipant can book themselves.Everyone travelling must be on the this flight from Cape Town,as this flight works well with the logistic’s for Day 1,FLight 1363 to East London departs at 7am.
If you are coming in from another city,please ensure that you are at East London airport by the arrival time of the Cape Town flight.We can be flexible and wait for a small amount of time.Commuicate with stephen before booking your flight if you are coming in from a another city.
We are working on obtaining a group air rate that will help stabilize the air rate.Will need to have 10 travellers to obtain this rate.
Land rate per person:
R6,435.00 per person payable by wire transfer.
All rates quoted are subject to space available at the time of booking. Air rates will flucuate.If we obtain a air group booking, that will stabilize the rate.
October 10th:
Early am flight from Cape Town departs Cape Town at 7am to East London where we will be met by Velille our local guide who will be with us through this journey until we return to the East London airport.
We will spend some time in East London,photographing the old “Colonial “buildings,if time we will visit Mdantsane township for some street photogrpahy.
Thereafter we will proceed to Cata Village.It should take us about 2 hours to reach Cata Village where we will spend the night.We will be be part of the village experience,our dinner and breakfasts will be provided by the women of the village.
Nestled in the Amatole Mountains in rural Eastern Cape,surounded by indigenous forest and grasslands,with spectacular panoramic scenery and authentic Xhosa hospitality found within the village,Cata Village is out first stop on this jouney.
We will meander/walk around the village/area,with Peter providing hands on information/understanding regarding camera settings/understand for the different settings we will come acorss for both landscape and some people photography.
October 11th
After breakfast we depart for the Wild Coast via the Kei river mouth where we will use the pontoon crossing,and head up north via the rural village areas..plenty of photo opportunities,and we will stop as we want to, meandering up to our destination Mdumbi.
Along the way we will stop at the Icamagu Institute.
Icamagu Institute or “Icamagu” was founded in 1998 by Dr Nokuzola Mndende who is an academic, a diviner and above all, a practitioner and leader of African Indigenous Religion.During the time of the establishment of Icamagu Dr Mndende was a lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Cape Town.
Camagu is a Xhosa term that is used in all the activities that are associated with ancestors. Camagu broadly means, “Be honored”, “Thank you”, “Let it be so”, “I have heard”, “I promise”, “Give respect, dignity and spirituality in the African context”.
In essence, Icamagu Institute aims at teaching the communities about the ways of giving honor to Qamata, the Creator and to the ancestors as intermediaries between the living and the spiritual world.
Icamagu also aims to revive indigenous African spirituality as a basis to moral regeneration in the country and beyond.
Icamagu also uses the family values as a unifying factor and a measuring rod for all community affairs.
Our destination for the next 2N is Mdumbi nestled right on the coast,immersed in the rural beauty of the Wild Coast.
A backpacker/lodge that was awarded a Silver award in 2014 by the World Responsible Tourism Awards for Poverty reduction.
Our staying at the lodge provides much needed income to the locals.
Here you still find people living off the land sustainably, plowing their fields with oxen. Scenes of Old Xhosa women sitting in the late afternoon sun, smoking pipes.
Mdumbi Backpackers is a community driven incentive – striving to promote broad based community involvement in sustainable eco-tourism.Their affiliated NPO,TransCape – www.transcape.org, is active in the area since 2004.
30% of Mdumbi Backpackers is owned by local employees. 10% of its profits goes to a local community representing legal entity and 9% to TransCape.
Mdumbi keeps our Earth and future generations close to its heart. We are continuously exploring better systems of energy generation, recycling and economical sharing that could contribute to a more natural, equal and fairer Earth.
October 12th
We will spend the day immersed in the village’s around Mdumbi,with some free time to enjoy the beach.
We will be walking and if necessarily will drive short distances contiuning on with our photography skill building.
At night we will spend some time focussng in on editing/developing our photos in Lightroom
October 13th
Today we will walk down the coast about a 3 hour walk,with photo ops, about 4 hours. At Coffee Bay we will meet our transfer vehicle. If you dont want to walk, you can meet us with the transfer van.
From Cofee Bay we go south for about 90 minutes to another village immersion on the coast,Bulugula.
We will stay at Bulungula for 2N,continuing our photo opportnites and lightroom journey.
15th October:
On the 15th we leave in the am, head back to East London, to catch the 630pm flight back to Cape Town.
If we have time,we plan on meetingwith local photographers from the local township either on or arrival day or on this last day.
