Shark Freediving . . Again

Me & Scuba "Shark Whisperer"

Last week Friday saw me spending more time underwater with my big fishy friends at their home of Aliwal Shoal. This time I'd talked a friend into joining me. Slowly they will see there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

My friends at theBOMBsurf are running a slideshow.

SA Surf Photographer of the Year update

SA Photographer Poll Update

Update 23 June 2010 : An update from the South African Photographer of the Year nominee online poll reveals a favorable lead for myself at the moment. Thank you to everyone who has cast their vote, thank you to those who will be casting their vote, and to those who have not cast their vote - chop chop get to it.

Surflines Shark Month - WK3

Surflines Shark Month Feature

The third installment of Surflines Shark Month feature is now live on their website. Frame 13 of 18 is an image from my first free dive with the sharks of Aliwal Shoal. The photo is of a beautiful Tiger Shark who circled numerous times coming in for belly rubs and touches and on a few occasions let me hold onto her dorsal fin lightly for a swim along.

Friday I visit the toothy friends once again.

2010 Mr Price Pro Ballito

2010 Mr Price Pro Ballito Website

One of my water photos has been selected as the 2010 Mr Price Pro event image.

The event will commence in nine days time 2010 Mr Price Pro Ballito and is certain to be an action packed surfing extravaganza. Again the event will take place in Ballito and as this years edition coincides with the FIFA World Cup the number of international competitors will unfortunately be lower than before as a result of "World Cup" travel prices. This means the odds of a local surfer, including World Tour competitor Jordy Smith who lacks this one title in his already impressive list of accomplishments, is greater than ever before.

Hipstamatic yes I am 002

Hipstamatic yes I Am 002

I've developed a small addiction to this Hipstamatic iPhone application.

Clockwise in order taken.

1. I am on a quest to find the most sour sweet in existence. To date all attempts have resulted in nothing but a sugary disappointment.

2. My friend in the quest. She's a little camera shy.

3. Today, 20 June 2010, is Fathers Day. After a plate of moms Lasagna, two and a half bowls of Tiramisu and a bowl of Tipsy Tart and Custard I felt the need for a cuppa tea the moment the electricity went out thus resorting to the skottle and a pot of water.

4. Literally the moment I'd filled up the tea pot with hot water the power came back on. My dads family hand me down Italian coffee pot was put to the boil immediately.

5. A little light bulb, a meshed screen and a bottle of wine make for happy times.

6. Between my dad, sister, aunt and two of her friends six bottles of wine were consumed.

And if Michael Jacksons concerts ever happened I would have spent a little life savings for Golden Circle just because he can burn takkie like no other.

Hipstamatic yes I am 001

Hipstamatic yes I am 001

I've seen results from the iPhone app Hipstamatic and while simple and novel it is rather entertaining seeing the final output. I had to upgrade to OS 3.1.3 for it to work but that's the geek in me. Clockwise shown in order taken.

SA Surf Photographer of the Year nominee

SA Surf Photographer of the Year nominee

I have been named as one of the eight SA Surf Photographer of the Year nominees. We were asked to select 10 of our favorite images from the past year (Jan2009-June2010), it is no simple task whittling things to a handful of photographs. Whilst there are photos that jump out and stick in your mind marking themselves as no brainers for such things there are photos which have to fight for your attention amongst a handful of other equally impressive images.

I chose my Top 10 surf related photographs, they do not give a full representation of the surf lifestyle but more so of what I love about surf photography, the photography that butters my bread.

At the moment the galleries are only open for viewing on the ZigZag website with voting live from Friday 18 June 2010. You can view mine and the others of Greg Ewing, Louis Wulff, Alan Van Gysen, Craig Kolesky, Richard Johnson, Richard Hambloch and Luke Patterson.

The final decision will be based on 50% online votes and 50% from a panel of two judges including non other than Mr Chris Van Lennep himself. The winner will be announced at the awards function on 4 July 2010.

Surflines Shark Month - WK2

Surflines Shark Month Feature

The second installment of Surflines Shark Month feature is now live. Frame 10 of 18 is from my first free diving session with the wonderful sharks of Aliwal Shoal.

Slots Shots and Slideshows

theBOMBsurf Slideshow


For a week all eyes were focussed on the charts. First Wednesday looked good but it soon became clear Thursday was the day. Many phone calls were made and text messages exchanged before the first photo was captured but once the frame was on the card that was it, over the course of Thursday and Friday 700 photographs were made with a healthy amount being keepers. We should be seeing a few in print in the next issue of the magazine which is a whole damn three months away, but until then here is a very small collection in a slideshow on theBOMBsurf website.

Abstractly Arb

Arbitrary? Abstract?

Ever had one of those images that for some reason just tickles your fancy? Today produced some fantastic surfing photos along with this fancy tickler.

Archive Archive Archive

Love Thy Archives

Love your archives. Caress them. Treat them as a lover. Shower them with descriptive words. Label them lovingly. Bestow upon them affection enough to make them blush and glow with images that will jump when you push their magical buttons.

Image submissions are so much easier when you have a simple brief and an archive adequately maintained. Something that would have taken a day quite some time ago today took an hour.

Yesterdays Encounter

Friendly Black Tip Sharks

Yesterday a friend and I decided it was time for a "Backline Diaries" surf session. Backline Diaries are were we can talk about matters of the heart in a manly environment while performing a manly activity. The spot chosen for the surf being Cave Rock. We had dilly dallied a fair bit so by the time we arrived the wind was kicking into third gear and the tide was dropping. We lolly gagged some more so by the time the inconsistent good looking waves convinced me it was time to get wet the wind had shifted another gear and I had to use all powers of persuasion to get my friend in the water. All tales of look its fun, you wont hit the rocks, there are no sharks, only a 40 minute session. I even offered to buy him a Green Dolphin mega toasted sandwich, considering my beyond stretched budget at the moment that was a big call. Luckily he declined stating "I want healthy food".

Suited up and negotiating the rocks next to the tidal pool I start hearing his screams. "This is scary" followed by screams of panic and fear as the white wash swept him off the rocks and into a tiny gully which was to his benefit in the end as we paddled out in two minutes. And then I broke it to him, "now I will tell you about going back in. The tide is dropping and you cannot just ride a wave in, you can only go so far and then you have to walk back in over the rocks".

Now I don't want to taint his 'Redemption & Justice' reputation so I will admit that when the waves get beyond 8ft and into the sketchy realm he is one of the very few who do not develop and acute case of tennis elbow or repetitive strain syndrome. He does have back issues but forgets them for a taste of the punchier action and then goes home and doesn't walk for two days with a legitimate excuse.

Not 10 minutes into our session he states "what is that" while pointing to a swell bump. It was a chip packet. But what I didn't say was what else I had seen. Whilst land lubbing and lolly gagging I had seen a pod of dolphins folicking 30 minutes before but they were a good distance from what I had seen. For fear of causing a stampede and missing out on the few good waves on offer I felt the obligation to investigate the shadow once or twice more. Okay decision made it's a shark. It didn't buzz us circle us or even try give us a fright, it was further than spitting distance. But still I knew if my friend saw it his reaction would be the least desirable one, so I paddle over and calmly say "don't want to panic you but go in". He says what and again I say as calm as if it were a sunrise "just go in". Thats all I needed to say. Before I even considered a wave in he had beached himself on the sand with little regard for his board which is now missing a fin and has a new hole all while I wanted to stay out and get closer but figured I best not upset the visitor so calmly turned and went it riding the wave all while looking back wishing I was still out there.

I can't tell you what species of shark it was but I can say it was not a Great White. Had it actually popped up right next to us I would like to say my reaction would have been the same. I love the sharks and hopefully they will continue to love me.

Surflines Shark Month - WK1

Surflines Shark Month Feature

Surfline has proclaimed June as Shark Month and will be using photos and video from my free diving with the sharks of Aliwal Shoal trips.

Every week there will be a new installation, the first becoming active this week. Follow the link and go directly to frame 13 of 16 to see my photo and video.

Sharks . . they are big toothy friends who mean no harm.

A Letter to Bonehead

An open letter to Bonehead Spearo . .

Dear Mr. Bonehead

If you had a problem with the Rock Cod I speared this morning and was subsequently dangling from my buoy you could have had a word with me instead of doing a bonehead and taking the fish off my pin amidst the silence of a 25 meter line.

Yes a Rock Cod is not the hardest fish to shoot and yes it was a good size. It would have made for a nice lunchtime nibble as an accompaniment to my high tea. But instead the fish lost its life for nothing as opposed of my plate it now sits on the bottom of the ocean because you objected to my hunting of it for a reason I will never know.

Also I understand how hard a Crayfish shell is, the two floating dead from your pin did you old school muscle them on or did you actually spear them?

Regards

Kelly Cestari (Mr.)

Slots & Pretty Shots

Where were you?
This mornings effort at redemption was nearly dealt a complete dose of failure. Out of bed bright and early ten minutes after my alarm, two doses of "5 more minutes" as opposed to my usual hours worth and I was up getting my oats and surf reports when my eyes on the ocean Goose phones in "it's a bit broken up from the east and still looks good but I broke my hand last night so I wont be surfing". Oh well jump in the car set the compass and burn some petrol.

Casey Grant

Checking in with Casey Grant as I pull out my drive-way reveals a surfer out getting milk for his breakfast and a confidence boosting surf report. Emitting these CO2 gasses might be worthwhile. It wasn't quite working but Casey would be hitting the water in an hour, the amount of time it takes me to reach the spot.

Chris Leppan

Matt Bromley

Mid drive Chris Leppan rings in, he has Matt Bromley with him up from Cape Town and they are looking for waves and photos. Telling them where I'm going the phone call ends as all photo mission phone calls end "see you there". Arriving at my chosen photo studio punches through the second failure. It's not barreling, the wind is up and there is a rip right where I would want to be with fisheye. The cool thing about this spot is you can get right up in spitting distance of the take off zone so observing the goings on is not too painful. Another phone call, Rudy Palmboom Jnr is checking in, his spot is a bit wonky but so is mine. The phone call ends as some photo mission phone calls do "it's nothing great, check you later". Chris and Matt check-in again, they looking at a spot 3 minutes drive away, they take 15 minutes to arrive.

Slade Prestwich

And then it happens, the first dredger swings on to the sandbar. Then a freight train arrives and in my head the clouds part the skies clear and angels sing. A cup of coffee and suit up. That was the plan before failure number three sends its greetings. Flat batteries. I don't use the auto power off feature on my MKIII because before I've had a camera develop errors when waking from slumber and when locked in a housing in the ocean that is not fun. Because I had last used the camera a few days ago and never turned it off the little blinking battery icon sent the obligatory curse word or two from my mouth. It's not exactly what I wanted to do but my 7D was okay to attempt fisheye. I use the auto power off feature on my 7D because I use it when doing photos while free diving with sharks and the time from sealing the housing to getting in the water can be quite long. Another blinking battery. What? Followed by more expletives. It's a strange trick but it works, remove the battery place it back and the camera thinks the battery is full. By this time the rip makes swimming not an option unless doing long lens pull back but that by default of a flat battery was not an option. And this is were redemption comes in. With only one option you are forced to create more. Lately I've been admiring the pull back action shots by my friend Greg Ewing. He has been doing them for a while but lately I've been enjoying them more and more so into his shoes I step and walk

And walk away with a few good frames in the bag and a smile on my face I did.

Slots & Not So Pretty Shots

For every amazing barrel photo you see inside surf publications the world over there are dozens sitting in pixelDUMP13. For those back in the day shot on film there were assigned to the floor to be stood on, stomped on, smeared with dog poo and swept into the bin. Today with digital I can shoot it yesterday and blog it today.

Rudy Palmboom Jnr

Gavin Roberts

For some images it is plain to see the cause of their fate. Simply put they are not pretty but they do reveal the work it takes to achieve that single frame and at times what happens after THE shot. Surfers are either decapitated by cascading chandeliers or the lip of the wave refuses to throw how we thought it would or want it to.

Yesterday I went shooting at a place known by many but regarded as secret by few so for the sake of being welcomed with camera in hand I will say no names. If you know you know, if you don't you still do. Gavin Roberts and Rudy Palmboom Jnr are two surfers I managed to make a half decent photograph of all while getting the pixelDUMP13 allocation too. Conditions were very good with a glassy ocean and windless sky but the inviting barrels where hard to find making it a tricky session. Some days it's like shooting the proverbial fish in a barrel while others are spent flapping around like a wounded penguin.

Gavin Roberts

Music in Black & White on APX400

Violent Femmes Crowd

Last Saturday I spent the night at Burn, it's a night club for live music where people dressing strangely is the norm, sometimes girls are mistaken for guys and the Tequila they serve has a hint of Mexican meths. Just because it comes out of a Tequila bottle does not mean it is Tequila. It was the finale of the "Battle of the Tributes" and a friend of mine was doing vocals for the Pearl Jam tribute band. Fun was had and sing alongs sung. Through it all were a small group of young photographers capturing the moments. I know one of them and his images are pretty good, I can see him reaching the highest of heights should he choose to continue in the music realm. Watching them stoked the fire to continue scanning my images.

Michael Stipe : REM

REM was the first concert I ever shot. A few weeks before the concert I had approached a local music based website about the possibility of photographing the concert for them and provide some images for their concert review. I didn't hear anything back. That was until two days before the concert. The email went something like this : "Our photographer bailed on us, I have a ticket, you can shoot and then stay for the rest of the concert". My reply, simply "Yes". I learnt a lot about photographing from "the pit" in that single concert. Rule 1 - do as security says. Rule 2 - no flash. Rule 3 - and this to me is the most important - do not follow the artist from one side of the stage to the other, you will miss many photo opportunities by chasing others. The concert has just started, the artist has a lot of energy, he/she must engage the crowd with in the first song to hype everyone and some artists like showboating for the photographers. Pick a side and stick to it, you will get your close ups and you will get your pull backs. Michael Stipe is a strange yet entertaining character. It rained during the Durban concert, it always rains during Durban concerts. Between one song break he looked into the crowd, focussed on a guy wearing a yellow unbuttoned raincoat and said "thanks for wearing that, you made my night".

Kahn Morbee : The Parlotones

My favorite local, South African, artist to shoot is Kahn Morbee from The Parlotones. His face emits a million expressions, his makeup enhancing them. Some people speak with their hands, Kahn seems to speak with facial contortions.

Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne is one of the more memorable concert experiences I've enjoyed. Firstly because I was highly impressed by her live performance. I'd surmised that her recordings were digitally enhanced etc etc, she put those assumptions to rest. Second being that I bagged a number useable frames. The lighting at most concerts is not up to par, the lighting at this venue is always miserable however this time my exposures were more than half decent.

Tweak

In a pervious post I hinted at a South African band who pulled a preMadonna and cut the pit time to one song. It may have just been their management, but it was Tweak and I got two frames. This being one.