Nelis' Photo Blog

In the weeks leading up to Christmas we see so many beautiful decorations and wonderful displays. Colourful lights and nativity scenes enchant us. Sometimes it seems as if it escalates every year. Is it possible to convey something of the wonder of the birth of Jesus in a modest way? John used the symbol of the true light that came into our world. Click on the images to view them in full.  View previous blogposts that referred to Christmas:  https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2022/12/christmastime.html https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/a-candle.html SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/   FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

When I started to take photos, I received the advice to keep the sun at my back. I later learned that aiming the camera into the light source can give interesting results. Backlight photos (Contre-jour in French) can create dramatic and also dreamy or translucent effects. Click on the images to view them in full.  View a previous blogpost with backlight photos: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/autumn-2012.html To comment, follow the link, "Continue Reading", to open the blog. You are welcome to share this with someone. The best would be to share the address:  https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/   You can also use this link to view previous blogposts / photos.

Although I've read about the nutritional and health benefits of Dandelions, I still look at them in our garden as weeds. When their yellow flowers appear you cannot miss them. In groups they can be charming.  Then the flowers turn into puff balls - and suddenly the puffs are gone!? The small seeds or clocks have been carried away by the wind. Click on the images to view them in full.  View macro photos of Dandelion clocks in this post:  https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/dandelion-clocks-dance.html SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/   FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

Following on the previous blog post here are a few more photos of what I found while walking on a beach.  To me they look like artworks. Click on the images to view them in full.  SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/   FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

One of my favorite places to walk is on a beach at low-tide. It can be so interesting to find what the previous high-tide left behind. There is often something new to discover. Click on the images to view them in full.  View a previous blogpost about walking:  https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/going-for-walk.html To comment, follow the link, "Continue Reading", to open the blog. You are welcome to share this with someone. The best would be to share the address: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  You can also use this link to view previous blogposts / photos.

I tend to think that trees have their trunks, branches, leaves and fruit above the ground while their roots are hidden underground. There are many trees and other plants who grow aerial roots. These roots are fascinating and can be beautiful. Click on the images to view them in full.  SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

A little past halfway from Ceres on the gravel road (R567) toward Sutherland there is a turnoff to the farm Jakkalshok. This part of the Karoo does not receive enough rain to sustain permanent farming. It is in a winter rainfall area and summers can be long, dry and hot. In winter it can be very cold, but beautiful, quiet and serene. A place to walk the open spaces and pay attention to the beauty of nature at your feet. Click on the images to view them in full.  The bush with flowers is probably Sarcocaulon crassicaule and the lichen is probably Xanthoparmelia. SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

The 2024 Food Lover's Market Tekkie Challenge took place on Saturday, 7 September 2024, at the Jan Kriel School in Kuilsriver, Western Cape. Three races - 16km, 10km and 5km - started 15 minutes apart. The "challenge" was the 10km race where the women had a head start before the men to set up an "even" race. This year the winner was a woman.  This is an annual charity event in aid of children with special educational needs. Due to a cold I could not participate, but my second prize was the opportunity to take photos. Click on the images to view them in full.  SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

For many, a picture of a winding road can be an invitation. The question, where is this road going?, opens possibilities of discovery, exploration and adventure. Even if it is a familiar road, it may stimulate a craving for travel and freedom.  For those not planning their next journey, such pictures may stimulate journeys of a more inward nature. Click on the images to view them in full. SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

Stones can tell stories of change that happened over eons of time.  When were they scattered to form a landscape of stones?  How long did they roll and roll and roll to become big marbles?  How long did it take to grind their surfaces so smooth?  When we compare our daily changes - the first rays of the sun or the tides and waves of the sea - stones seem to be unchanging. Click on the images to view them in full.  SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

Many say that silhouettes can be used to emphasise shape and form. That it can create dramatic contrast. It can be used to tell a story and create emotion or mood. Maybe a silhouette's power lies in the absence of detail and thereby giving opportunity for the viewer's imagination? Then a silhouette becomes a way to invite viewers to create their own stories and emotions. Click on the images to view them in full.  SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

Parkrun has been around for some years now. It started in London on 2 October 2004 and in South Africa in November 2011. I've participated in many Parkruns. While there were always serious runners, most participants ran for fun. On 2 April 2016 I volunteered as photographer at Root 44 Parkrun. Despite the chilly, misty morning, everyone was excited to have fun. Taking photos was as enjoyable as running - and walking. Click on the images to view them in full.  View a previous blogpost about walking:  https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/going-for-walk.html SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

It seems as if the winter rains have finally arrived in the Boland! Will there be snow on the mountains this year? Winter can be wet and cold here, but then there are beautiful days. Especially in the mountains. This is to recall some of those days from years ago when we lived nearer to the Boland mountains. Click on the images to view them in full.  There are other "winter photos" in this post:  https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2023/07/winter.html SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

Maybe I was in grade 7 when our English (second language) teacher taught us a poem telling the story of a train journey from Worcester crossing the Hex River mountains. He got so excited that I still remember him exclaiming, "out of De Doorns she thundered, and over the vast Karoo!". This came to mind when we recently travelled from Britstown to Carnarvon. Therefore I tried to capture the vastness of this little part of the Karoo with a panorama. Do yourself a favour and open the photo on a bigger screen, zoom till the height fills the screen and then pan from the one side to the other (covering about 150 degrees). PS: I found the poem (Crossing the Hex Mountains by John Runcie) on the Internet, but the line I remember reads, "Then out of De Doorns she thundered, and over the starved Karoo". Did the teacher change the wording to "vast Karoo" or was it changed in my memory because I have experienced the Karoo? SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: h...

When visiting coastal areas from time to time I've been fascinated by the long streams of birds flying in one direction in the morning and coming back in the evening. The Cape Cormorant (Trekduiker) may fly up to 40km to a feeding location (following the movements of schooling fish) and can dive to a maximum depth of 37m. Their population have declined from millions in the 1970s to "endangered" in recent times - attributed to shortage of food due to commercial overfishing. Click on the images to view them in full.  Previous post of sea birds:  https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2023/03/sea-birds-at-gansbaai.html SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

Keys can be buttons that are depressed to be accepted as input by a computer.    They can be tonal systems necessary to play music in line with the composer's intentions. They can be notched and grooved metal implements to open or close locks. Keys can enable us to understand or achieve something. It may be what we need to solve a problem.  Click on the images to view them in full.  SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]

The wildflowers of the Western Cape become a tourist attraction when fields are covered with flowers after a good raining season. What a joy to drive through landscapes of flowers! There is also joy in following trails and pay attention to individual flowers. These were taken during a lovely walk with friends in the hills of Hermanus. Leucospermum cordifolium (Red pincushion-protea) Berzelia lanuginosa (common button bush). Click on the images to view them in full.  Previous posts with wildflower photos: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2023/10/tankwa-2016.html   https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/wildflowers-at-elandsbaai.html   https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/2023/08/spring.html   SHARE this page OR share the blog's link: https://ndt-photoblog.blogspot.com/  FOLLOW this blog through the subscription widget on the sidebar.  [Click on the "3 lines" on the top left of the home page to open the sidebar.]