Earlier this week I was asked to judge the Best Photography Blog for 2011 at the Jamaican Blog Awards.  Not only was this an honour to be recognised as an industry professional and having others value my opinion, but this was also close to my heart, having just been awarded runner up Best Photography Blog in South Africa for 2011.

The judging process was in-depth and looked at various aspects of the blog from concept, design and aesthetic value, to reader engagement and clarity of navigation. The process took several hours to complete, but in the end I was happy with the Blog that came in first position.

Having had the disappointment of not winning the title of Best Photography Blog in South Africa, I would like the other four finalists to not be disheartened. Remember why you love blogging, look at ways to improve, and try again next year, I know I will.

This past December Julian and I went to visit our Windhoek family in Swakopmund for 10 days. We wanted to spend as much time with the family as possible, so time for photographic excursions was pretty limited. This is where “drive by shooting” came in handy!

How to take landscape photographs from a moving vehicle:

1. Open the vehicle window so that you don’t pick up reflections on the window surface.

2.Use a really fast shutter speed. For a bright sunny day 1/1000 sec should do. For overcast days or late afternoon, use a faster shutter speed to compensate.

3. When selecting your shutter speed, check that your aperture is a large number (ie: f/16 and bigger numbers) so that your landscape has a large depth of field. For low light conditions, you may need to bump up your ISO to prevent camera shake from the moving vehicle.

4. Check the images on the camera – Zoom in to see if the photos are sharp. If they are blurred, you need to use a faster shutter speed, or increase your ISO.

A while back I wrote this post about photography tips for pet portraiture.

Dexter, our little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is now six months old, and my oh my what a delightful personality has emerged! I never used to be a dog person, but having this little cartoon character around has changed me. I have overcome my fear of slobber, and can single handedly scoop a poop without even gagging. Dexter has forced me to slow down, taught me patience and unconditional love (I learned that lesson when I had to buy the same pair of sandals for the third time).

I can’t imagine life without him. Yesterday when I photographed Holly Dexter was my furry assistant and helped get Holly to smile and laugh. Show me another dog that can do that!

Having a cute little dog not only makes you smile more (Dexter is a constant supply of amusement) but it is said that Cavaliers in particular, lowers ones blood pressure. That aside, he is an always-eager photographic subject matter, and never ceases to impress me with his vast array of funny facial expressions.

Following the post on Pet Portraiture photography tips if you’re photographing pets as quick on their heels as Dexter, also read this post that explains back button focusing and the various focus modes on your camera, and this post on how to use the exposure lock for consistently perfectly exposed images.

Holly is the daughter of Karen, one of my old school friends from The Wykeham Collegiate in Pietermarizburg. Holly is turning two on Saturday, and then next week Karen and Holly are going to Dubai for a few months to join Mitch, their husband and daddy.

The angel outfit images are also going to be used for the Olivier family Christmas card.

All images were shot with natural light and a reflector. Dexter, my six month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was my assistant for the shoot – and was a real trooper getting Holly to smile and laugh!

When Karen viewed the images for the first time she shed a few tears of joy – the ultimate reaction for a photographer!

Happy birthday Holly, and bon voyage ladies!

If you would like to book a portrait session for your child, please contact me on 084 567 8913 or rikki@rikkihibbert.co.za for pricing and availability.

This past weekend I went to Cape Town for the SA Blog Awards, sadly I didn’t win, but I was a runner up and still got to enjoy a weekend in the beautiful Mother City with some of my favourite friends, and in particular – Wayne & Jo, who are expecting their first child, Jesse James.

We decided to go for an urban vibe for the Maternity shoot, and took the indoor photos in our hotel room in Long Street, and the outdoor photos at the Hout Bay harbour. Wardrobe was kept simple, so that when Jesse is 16 he isn’t horrified at what Mom and Dad were wearing for the shoot ;-)

Wishing Wayne and Jo the very best for the arrival of their son!

Here are a few of my favourite photos…

I recently had the pleasure of spending a week in MalaMala photographing the three camps: MalaMala Main Camp, Sable Camp, and Rattray’s on MalaMala.

The timing could not have been better: the beginning of an African summer before the rains…

The magnificent camps at MalaMala are internationally acknowledged as the epitome of exclusive and gracious living – with luxurious accommodation, breath-taking surroundings and natural splendour teeming with wild life – including the Big Five…

I knew all of this and I was looking forward to the experience with eager anticipation; but I also knew that it was going to be hard work!

My days began with a 3.45am wake up call so that I would be able to capture the camps’ facades in the soft light of sunrise; and shooting continued right through the day until early evening when the light faded.

Professional photography also involves a certain element of ‘manual labour’ – moving the lighting equipment and lugging my camera, tripod and laptop from area to area, and also moving furniture, when necessary, for perfectly styled images. All this was made considerably easier with the full-time assistance of my dedicated ranger, Ross Forbes, to whom I give my grateful thanks!

Even though I was commissioned to do the photography for MalaMala Marketing, I was afforded the same generous hospitality as the guests with beautiful accommodation and my own private plunge pool. And, although the days were long and hot with temperatures reaching 39 degrees, the evenings were relatively cool and it was wonderful to relax in the tranquil ambience of MalaMala.

I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations I had with my clients after the day’s shoot over a glass of perfectly chilled wine. We’d discuss the next day’s shoot and sometimes we would have lively and interesting discussions – conversations that are comparable to the kind of conversations I would have with some of my life-long friends. I felt at home at MalaMala – almost embraced by it.

I’ve seen all of ‘the Big Five’ before – every time a friend comes back to South Africa for a holiday with their foreign partner, the first thing we do is head out to the Lion Park and Johannesburg Zoo – so, prior to arriving at MalaMala, I assumed that the wildlife would not be a big attraction for me. I could not have been more mistaken! On my last evening, Ross took me for an hour’s game drive… In less than 2km we saw a herd of about 50 elephant, a lazy pride of lions, and – the highlight of my trip – a leopard that literally brushed up against the side of the game vehicle! I was speechless… and trembling from the experience of being so close to a leopard in the wild!

On my last morning, we slept late (05h30!) and went on an early morning game drive. Ross asked me what I would like to see and, still in awe after the encounter with the leopard, I thought I’d make it tricky for him. “A herd of rhino, a cheetah (Africa’s elusive and rarely seen ‘cat’) and a porcupine!”

He nodded, ready to accept my challenge. Minutes after heading off, we were driving through bamboo in the riverbed, tracking rhino. We reached a clearing and there they were: Four magnificent rhino. It was poignant to see these misunderstood giants… and it was heart wrenching to consider the impact of rhino poaching on our environment. The reality of what poachers are doing to this country’s rhino population hit home and I could feel the emotion rising in me…

After I had taken several photos, Ross heard on his radio that there was a cheetah sighting on the other side of the property, and he set out to fulfill my wish list. Fifteen minutes later, we found two cheetah brothers, fat and lazy after a big meal, chilling under the shade of a solitary tree. It was truly an extraordinary experience and it was hard to tear myself away… but I had to get back to camp to catch the flight back to Johannesburg. I didn’t get to see my porcupine, though…!

This experience has made me throw aside my ‘city girl’ impressions of the Big Five. Seeing them in a zoo or an enclosed park is nothing compared to tracking them in the wild and seeing these majestic beauties up close and personal in their natural environment… it was a humbling and life-changing experience.

MalaMala’s tag line is, “It’s all about the wildlife” – and this is so true. MalaMala has the well-deserved reputation for having the best and most abundant wildlife in South Africa. And they are dedicated to protecting this natural heritage for the good of all and for future generations.

In retrospect, my MalaMala experience was multi-faceted: I experienced Africa’s wildness at its very best and took photographs of three unbelievably beautiful five-star camps; and I was privileged to share an unforgettable few days with the MalaMala ‘family’ who willingly shared their knowledge and their love for MalaMala with me. My time at MalaMala changed me and challenged me…  and I returned home with memories that will last a lifetime.

“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.” – John Ruskin

If you have a Canon 5D Mark II, you will notice the ISO range is impressive – from 100 ISO – 6400 ISO. This ISO range can be further expanded in your Custom Settings to an effective 50 ISO to a whopping 25600 ISO.

You may be thinking who on earth wants to shoot at 25600 ISO; it will produce so much grain! Well, yes, there will be grain, but I have shot at this setting and it wasn’t too bad – for travel and holiday shots and when you don’t have a speedlite handy. I’d never shoot any commercial work on an ISO setting higher than 400 ISO.

How to expand your ISO:

1. Go to the Custom Functions Setting

2. Select C.Fn I: Exposure

3. Scroll through the Exposure options to Option 3: ISO Expansion, and select 1:On

As explained above – shooting on extremely high ISO setting WILL produce grain. But when I’m travelling, most of the images I shoot are “memory shots” and I’d rather have them grainy than ruined by camera shake.

View of Hong Kong from The Peak, shot on an excessively high ISO!

Meet the DIY Twin Lens Reflex Camera that you assemble yourself – first build the camera, then shoot with it!

Building a camera from scratch will give you valuable insight to the inner workings of the camera

The easy to assemble DIY Twin Lens Reflex Camera uses any type of 35mm film, and the plastic lens produces gorgeous flare and saturated lo-fi images.

The camera once assembled, measures 3”x5”x3” and boasts a 1/150s shutter speed and f/11 aperture

Buy the DIY Twin Lens Reflex camera from PhotoJojo

The Light Paint Can is a super-bright LED light housed in a very convincing spray paint can.

The Light Paint Can also comes with letter stencils and a reusable UV-sensitive backdrop so that your light paintings will last longer for film or video.

Graffiti is messy, so rather vandalise your long exposures!

Product specs:

Bright LED housed in a can | Comes with 24”x24” UV-sensitive backdrop | Also includes letter stencils | Runs hard & long on 1 AA battery

Buy the light paint can from PhotoJojo

You’re a photo magician. Your trademark trick: making a lens cap vanish.

This is such a crafty little invention; I wish I had thought of it!

The Lens Cap Holder simply slides onto your camera strap like threading a buckle, so there is no need to alter your camera strap.

Your lens cap snaps into the holder (as it attaches to your camera lens) keeping it safely in place while you snap away.

Buy the Lens Cap Holder from PhotoJojo