My First, rather dismal attempt at Lomography - 18 June 2011

Around October last year I attended a photo and film expo and I was drawn to this stand that had all this awesome looking plastic retro looking stuff. The list and possibilities seemed endless. The very clever guy working there saw me coming and had me believe that if I didn't make that purchase then, I would miss out on the biggest thing to hit this earth. HAHA. yes, you can buy a lomography camera quite easily without waiting years. Now I know better.


So what is lomography anyway? And I quote from Wikipedia - Lomography emphasizes casual, snapshot photography. Characteristics such as over-saturated colors, off-kilter exposure, blurring, "happy accidents," and alternative film processing are often considered part of the "Lomographic Technique."[citation needed] Users are encouraged to take a lighthearted approach to their photography, and use these techniques to document everyday life, as the Lomo LC-A's small size, simple controls, and ability to shoot in low light encourages candid photography, photo reportage, and photo vérité through the "10 Golden Rules" to maximize their chances to capture strange photos and to embody a Lomographers' statement of life being unpredictable curious adventure of "having fun while taking good pictures":

1. Take your camera everywhere you go.
2. Use it any time – day and night.
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it.
4. Try the shot from the hip
5. Approach the objects of your Lomographic desire as close as possible.
6. Don't think! Just Shoot (also the credo of Lomography).
7. Be fast
8. You don't have to know beforehand what you captured on film.
9. Afterwards either.
10. Don't worry about any rules.

I feel that there should be a number 11: Kindly remember to wind the film after each shot taken. I forgot and have some serious multiple exposures going on in them. And only 12 came out, seems I also just would up the un-used film and then that was it. It has taken close to 8 months to get the film on disk and today was the day. R75 later and a CD with some of the worst photo's ever taken. But for some reason, are special in their own right! And on any normal occasion, we will use very expensive software to make our images look like they were taken with a really cheap camera. This camera is not cheap and it's not fancy (it does look helish funky though), but I do think I am going to try this out some more and look forward to wasting another roll of film on random things.

So here I share the photography bloopers!


ps - to find out more on this Fad that is Lomography, check out: http://www.lomography.com/

Angelic Stones - Through My Looking Glass - 16 June 2011

Same day as Thursday, writing today. I feel like I am on the ball, another episode of 'Through My Looking Glass" so soon after that last one. Time seems to pass by without me noticing and I would love to have a few more hours to just do these kinds of things. This is not to say that I am always so busy, I am often so busy doing nothing to do anything.

After I found my car still intact on Thursday after our trip to soweto, I drove home with such an amazingly warm and fuzzy feeling. I felt connected to something special. I decided to go back the way I went in the morning and when I drove past the West Park Cemetary and the light from the setting sun seemed to make the stones sparkle and I thought that I just had to go in there.

My intention was not to stay very long, but once in, I couldn't help reading what was written on many of those stones, there are the most beautiful messages. The little angel statues caught my eyes and I found that many of those graves belonged to babies and children. I chose those to photograph because I almost wanted the parents to know that someone acknowledged their babies. Although, those graves were so unkept, I am sure that the parents are long gone and buried somewhere near by.

There have been many deaths of late, close members of family of those that I know. And it is amazing how different we all are and how we deal with it. I see death as a part of life, my life goes on, even if someone's has ended. Mourning death is sad, celebrating the life seems to be more appropriate for me. But with that said, when I saw how young those little children were, there was no life to celebrate and my perception has changed a little. Perhaps because I couldn't imagine how those parents must have felt to bury their babies, to not have been given the opportunities to see their little lives flourish. Kelso completes me in many ways and I think this is why my perception is different when it is little children.

What I did realize that one day we will all be forgotten. We will not live the hearts of others forever, they too will pass on and one day no one will know who Candice Peetz was, not even possible great great great generations to follow. Perhaps I should bury some things?

While alive, we all want fame and fortune, we want to be somebody great. There are many who will do anything to satisfy this desire without a thought of who may be affected... and in the end, it doesn't matter, because they too, will be forgotten (Unless you are Daisy De Melker - and even her crimes seem soft by today's standards).


I choose life, I choose happiness and I choose wonderful things filled with the Juju of goodness.
This is Candice Peetz signing off on this pretty Nippy winter evening!

xxx

A little Unnerving

xx

Youthful Sowetan Shananagans - Through My Looking Glass - 16 June 2011

This week in 'Through My Looking Glass', we explore a little of Soweto, have a small history lesson and learn a few other things about the human race and the... well.... the humanity that surrounds that. I think I learnt a lot on Youth Day and it wasn't just the route students marched in 1976.

All ready to go in the Taxi to Soweto

Taxi Money

This was, yet another, wonderful day with the Joburg Photowalkers. This time we travelled by taxi to Soweto for a Youth Day walk. It seemed fitting as June 16, commemorates the day 35 years ago where students from numerous Sowetan schools began to protest in the streets of Soweto, in response to the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in local schools. 176 students were killed by South African Police. (Gosh, as I sit here tears well up.) The images from that day are nothing short of shocking and heartbreaking. 

This is close to the Orlando West School

The Plan was to walk the route the students took, but with roads being blocked, we did the walk the other way round and started close to Orlando Stadium and walked to the Schools on Vilakazi street. We made the first stop at the Hector Pieterson Museum. Hector Pieterson was a 13 year old boy, one of the first to be killed during the uprising. There is an image of a boy carrying him to a clinic, it shows the real horror of the day back in 1976. I have been there once before and it is certainly worth a visit. 

There was the most amazing vibe, the people in the streets festive and friendly and I have been told that is how it is there. I met some friendly people and as a White South African, I didn't feel like I should have been transported around in an armoured vehicle. :-). In fact, I felt welcome and more safe that I feel walking to the shop 100m up my road. (The images above don't seem to depict what I have just said, I am not entirely sure what that was all about to be honest.)

Got to see the Artist create this (almost)

Last stop was lunch at Nambitha. It was quite possibly the most expensive burger I have ever eaten (well worth every cent though) and i am sure Jerome would disagree with the review given by Eat Out website - the service is quite far from "top notch" as the food took really long. But I am patient when it comes to eating out, so it didn't bother me at all. The waiter was also really friendly, so I would go there again and try one of their traditional dishes.

Gary through his looking glass, through my looking glass

Bonine's very photogenic Milkshake (and Martina above and Bonine below

I hope everyone had as good a day as I did. And I hope that next year everyone takes the time out to remember those that died in that struggle. Although it was a long time ago, I realized that it is a pretty significant day in history and it should not be forgotten. It is so easy for us to say; "you know, why live in the past, time to move on", but this day I don't think I will forget. This may be because I am English speaking and I would also prefer Kelso learn one of the other official languages instead of Afrikaans. It pleases me that he can say hello to me in Zulu. 

To finish this off I would also like to clear up a few things:

• In all honesty, I found the public transportation system affordable and efficient.
• Soweto is not a scary place full of bad guys, it is quite the opposite. I am sure like all area's, there are your bad eggs, I was fortunate enough not to encounter any.
• I "survived" a taxi trip to and from Soweto and made it home with everything I went with, minus the money I spent behaving like a tourist (I returned home with left over money, my atm card, license, Camera, 2 lenses, cell phone and car keys)
• I got back to Market Theatre parking lot and my car was still there, in one piece, all 4 wheels still there.

I think we live in an amazing country that still has a long way to go, but we are getting there. With some mutual respect, some understanding of where people come from and their history (this does go both ways - we weren't all born with silver spoons in our mouths)

This is me, signing off. Wishing everyone a wonderful week end ahead filled with Love, good Juju and some smiles.

Ps - here is the link to what went down 35 years back: Soweto Uprising

What a pearler of a sign

Some people outside their tiny house - taken while in a moving taxi

Mini Humans and Ducks - 12 June 2011

Gosh, where do I begin. What an amazing week end. This time not so much through my looking glass! I took so few photo's this week end because I decided to interact without a camera in front of me. It was a week end of Mini Humans, soon to be Mini Humans, Get-together's and random meetings at parks. 

I never considered myself to be a "child person". For sure I have my own, and until him, I looked at small people and wondered why some people would actually pay to have them. Not like there is anything wrong with them, I just could not understand why people would willingly put up with poo, puke and tantrums, nevermind pay to put up with it. But I get it now. With all the Poo, Puke and Tantrums, there are smiles, sillyness and unconditional love that cannot be matched with anything - it is that unconditional. 

Tamara and some of her gifts for her Baby Girl on the way

Madison and her Balloons

I was privileged enough to watch 2 girls interact with one another yesterday. Very different to what I am used to. (I say this with the sounds of explosions coming from the lounge as Kelso makes one robot kill the other one.) Where was I? Oh Yes, Girls - Cat fight... love... cat fight... love... dolls... bags... cat fight... love.... Girls seem to have this love hate relationship with each other, I found that incredibly amusing because I never realized it started so early. Women love to hate each other. We are Best friends and worst enemies, often at the same time, all through life and can never get enough of the drama. I enjoyed them immensely, I got to nurse a sick doll back to health, wipe it's nose and build a puzzle out of piece of a broken polystyrene cup. And all this at a baby shower, hanging out with only women. It was bliss. Such a change from the normal routine.

Skye-Ann and her Doll - the one that was sick

Today I held someone else's baby, also out of my normal routine, but just couldn't resist (What is happening to me?) - Thanks Kate, for not freaking out when I held your 4 month old in the air just to get him to smile at me - hahaha. I forget that babies aren't as study as 3 year olds and you actually shouldn't toss them in the air. But what a delightful little guy. And his brother is such a darling. Kelso really enjoyed having someone to show off his skills to. His climbing skills, sword-fighting skills, his list is endless. And of course I would say that, my child the most talented genius!

William and Alex (in that order)

My Super Robot Love bug