clouds

Shot for the Day (3 September 2015)

| Zapfly

Shot_of_the_day_03SEP15

Following on from my last entry, this was taken a few minutes prior to the last shot (below) in Alcudia, Mallorca. Unfortunately, I was not well positioned for the sunrise, which was behind the head of the peninsula, to my left.  The reason for this was main due to the fact that the westerly facing headland was several kilometres on the other side of a private golf course and I had no idea how long it would have taken me to walk there.  Has anybody ever made this journey?

One thing that resonated with me the most about this particular dawn was the strength of the yellow in the sky.  Singapore tends to be far more orange due to pollutants in the atmosphere.

Shot for the Day (23 June 2015)

| Zapfly

Dawn on Vancouver Island

Dawn on a stretch of beach a few miles south of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada.  No another person around for miles, just the gentle lapping of the Pacific ocean against the shore.  Mist was rising from the land, creating a very other-worldly effect.

Holiday season was well over and the temperature was only a just in double digits. Still, one of my favourite beaches in Canada.

Shot for the Day (16 June 2015)

| Zapfly

Langkawi end of days

Bit of eye candy for today’s image.  End of my first day on Langkawi, I was wondering along the beach with my camera and tripod.  The scene was beautiful but it was the delicate hues of different colours that I recall.  The faint orange juxtaposed next to the pale yellow.

I wish I were there right now…

Shot for the Day (14 June 2015)

| Zapfly

High in the Dolomites

A few years ago, I went to the Dolomites, the Italian part of the Alps, to do some via ferrata and trekking.  We had just descended form a glacier and were traversing along the mountain line, before dropping down into the valley below.  Even though it was mid summer, there was still snow on the ground in places.

If I recall correctly, I think we were around 3000m altitude.  We stayed in a large refugio a did day long treks.  One key memory I have of this trip was that I did not know any of the group and spent much of the days lost in deep thought.  Where better to have an euphony?

Shot for the Day (13 June 2015)

| Zapfly

The open road ahead

In the mountains of Peru, on the road to nowhere, I stood with a friend, surveying the eerie landscape in solitude.  We ended up trekking up to 5000m and walking on the glacier you can see in the distance a couple of hours later, when the clouds cleared and the sun bathed the landscape.

High on a mountain

I have fond memories of walking up to the glacier above, undaunted by altitude sickness or concerned with the cold.  My companion had to remind me that a T shirt at that altitude and level of cold was not in keeping with an efficient circulation.

I will always have fond recollections of the mountains o South America, with Peru, Bolivia and Chile in particular.  All were familiar but unique in their own special way.

Bizarrely, both images above is about the size of my negative (6cm x 12cm).

Shot for the Day (8 June 2015)

| Zapfly

Shot_of_the_day_08JUL15

 

Back in 2003, after completing a 4 month stint as expedition photographer for Raleigh International in Coyhaique, capital of Region XI in Chile, a few colleagues decided that the best way to end the experience was be to trek Torres del Paine, situated at the southern tip of Chile.

Amongst this ensemble, only three of us were foolhardy enough to attempt the full loop and circumnavigate the entire range.  It was April, the very end of the season and all the refugios were being closed down for Winter.  Consequently, we had to carry all of our food with us for the multi-day trek ahead.

Temperatures varied from a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius during the day to a chilly minus 20 degrees Celsius at night.  We restricted our gear as best we could but our packs stilled weight in at just under 35kg each.

The effort, however, was more than worth it, as we were constantly treated to such beautiful vistas as the one above, with not a soul for miles to break the tranquility.  In the end, it took Tom, Bill and I just under 8 days to complete the trek.  I eagerly hope to return and do it once again in the future.

Shot for the Day (9 November 2014)

| Zapfly

Riding the storm out

I miss the big country.  The violence of the weather, the sheer size of the landscape. Most of all, I miss nature.  Singapore is so many things but alas, not natural.  Everything here is outlandish, larger than life.  Perhaps the weather in this image I took in California a couple of years ago is also as prodigious in its own way as Singapore is.

Two hours after I took this image, the rain had washed the road out leaving all timorous motorists stranded.  However, I was in the world’s best off road car; a rental Ford Mustang convertible, which ploughed through the rushing waters.  Although it leaking into the footwells as the water level rose above the base door height, the car made it.  I can still recall the sight of several scared drivers disappearing behind me in my rear view mirror, all huddled motionless in their pick up trucks.

Shot for the Day (24 April 2014)

| Zapfly

Bantham Bay sunset

Dreaming of the summer nights at Bantham Bay in Devon, looking into the sun with no one around.   Actually, the reason there was no one around was because it was Easter 2013 and it was bloody freezing.  Still, one way to get such a beautiful beach all to oneself.

Shot for the Day (13 August 2013)

| Zapfly

Shot_of_the_day_13AUG

Following on from my last shot of the day on August 10th, this shot was take a few hours earlier at Ayrmer Cove, just as the sun was setting behind the peninsula.  The magic of the moment was having this entire beautiful scene to myself, something that rarely happens at sunset.