Just another "DAM" bushveld afternoon...

Having grown up in the bushveld of the Limpopo province in South Africa, this region will always hold a special place in my heart. Our country is blessed with a very diverse range of ecological systems and biospheres. The bush in this region looks different than the bush in the lowveld region of Nelspruit and Hoedspruit.

We spent a day or two on a farm north of Pretoria to celebrate my father's birthday, and I managed to capture this image late one afternoon at a small dam where the local wildlife come to quench their thirst.

This is a 3-image HDR blended in Photomatix and Photoshop, with some extra levels and tonal adjustments done. The aperture setting was f=11 and the ISO was set to 100 to minimise noise.

I just enjoy the golden afternoon light on this scene and the reflections of the clouds in the water.

A lot has happened in South Africa over the past two weeks - may we realise that we have a wonderfully diverse country (both in natural aspects and in cultural aspects), may we embrace that and nurture a safe and peaceful environment so our children's children can inherit a better land than we have now.

I trust that you will all have wonderful week ahead...

Morkel Erasmus

An ancient tree...

Once again I have to apologise for a very short blog post. I merely wanted to share this photo I took this morning. It was a very emotionally loaded day for me and my wife and this tree just made me think of the cycle of life and death... 


How many summers and winters has it seen? How many storms has it weathered? How many pests has it had to endure, and was it ever threatened with being cut down?


So I share with you this tree - bearing scars that have healed well and others which are still visible.


May you stand strong and grow where you are planted despite the storms, the hardships and the turmoil. May you soak up every ounce of sunshine and rain as if it were your last. And may I do so as well...

Morkel Erasmus