Photography is something I wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I got my first camera was I was 6. It was a Kodak and it was magnificent. I know that when I received this gift, I had been asking for a camera for some time. It arrived just before our first trip to Botswana, one of many over the next 40 years. And so began an aspect of these trips that my Dad and I still share today – prepping camera equipment. Pre digital, a large part of this involved buying film, at great expense, and allocating the number of photos per day. I think this taught me more maths skills than any school teaching. How many travel days? How many days in game reserves? I remember clearly that on one trip, I had an allocation of 3 photos per day. Some very serious deliberation surrounded taking each photo.
When I started to outgrow by Kodak, my Dad patiently taught me the basics of photography – shutter speed, aperture, ISO. Many long discussions with pictures drawn in the sand followed and he started to share his manual Pentax with me.
For my 12th birthday I got a Minolta with a 55mm lens and a 70 to 200mm zoom. Prepping camera equipment became more focused. We still did the film calculations.
Learning on a manual camera with limited film was unforgiving but it did make me learn the basics and start to think about composition. The fact that I had an incredibly patient teacher in my Dad and that my love for both photography and the places it took us continued to grow made the learning process an adventure.
I guess it is not a surprise that both Botswana and photography – preferably the two together have become my soul space.
Beyond Botswana, my love for travel grew and I have had the privilege of traveling to Namibia, Zambia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Lesotho and, of course, extensively in South Africa. I have ventured off our continent a few times, including to walk the Camino de Santiago. Susan Sontag’s quote “I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list” rings very true for me.
I have heard some people say that taking photos distracts you from experiencing the moment. For me that is not true. When I take photos, they seem to imprint on my brain. When I look at photos I took years ago, I can remember the moment with absolute clarity – how I felt, who I was with, sounds, jokes shared.
I guess we are all different but for me photography enhances my experiences.
Enough about me.
Covid lockdown coincided with my parents moving home after 30+ years in our family home. The photo cupboards needed to be sorted out. This became a monumental task that more or less kept me sane during the various lockdowns.
As I scanned printed photos, slides and 8mm videos I realised that photography may actually be genetic.
I have already mentioned my Dad’s love for photography but I also found literally 1000s of photographs taken by each my grandfathers.
My maternal grandfather name was James Matthew Campbell. He was a soldier, engineer, mathematician. He was an engineer in the World War II and then worked on the railway throughout his career. His had two nicknames - Ox and Boss Jim. By the time I was born, he had more or less stopped taking photos, so I never really thought of him as a photographer. I adored him and vice versa. He was strong, would do anything for his family and laughed from his belly.
I never knew my paternal grandfather. His name was Cecil Thompson Hay. He was a hockey player, accountant, Kruger Park honorary ranger, springbok scout. I knew he had been a keen photographer and bush lover and apparently we share a sense of humour. I have always felt a deep connection to him and have a sense of loss because we did not get a chance to know each other.
Working through photographs taken by each grandfather made me feel so close to each of them. What made me smile the most is that, like me, they took many sunset photos with skew horizons. This was a real issue pre photoshop. They attempted moon rise shots that were very marginally successful and, when in Kruger, took too many photos of impalas and hornbills.
Going even further back I found some exceptional images taken by my great grandfather (maternal side) in the early 1900s.
I have decided to share some of our combined images. I believe that photography and my love for African (and beyond) travel is part of who I am - part of my genes - and I love that.
I will share my grandfathers’ photographs on an ad hoc basis with as much background as I have for each.
I will share of the images my Dad and I took in our early Botswana days as well as some background on those trips as they were my foundation in both photography and travel.
I will also share some of my recent images which I believe are a continuation of four generations with a love for the art of photography.
These are not just only what I consider to be good images but ones that tell a story.
When I started to outgrow by Kodak, my Dad patiently taught me the basics of photography – shutter speed, aperture, ISO. Many long discussions with pictures drawn in the sand followed and he started to share his manual Pentax with me.
For my 12th birthday I got a Minolta with a 55mm lens and a 70 to 200mm zoom. Prepping camera equipment became more focused. We still did the film calculations.
Learning on a manual camera with limited film was unforgiving but it did make me learn the basics and start to think about composition. The fact that I had an incredibly patient teacher in my Dad and that my love for both photography and the places it took us continued to grow made the learning process an adventure.
I guess it is not a surprise that both Botswana and photography – preferably the two together have become my soul space.
Beyond Botswana, my love for travel grew and I have had the privilege of traveling to Namibia, Zambia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Lesotho and, of course, extensively in South Africa. I have ventured off our continent a few times, including to walk the Camino de Santiago. Susan Sontag’s quote “I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list” rings very true for me.
I have heard some people say that taking photos distracts you from experiencing the moment. For me that is not true. When I take photos, they seem to imprint on my brain. When I look at photos I took years ago, I can remember the moment with absolute clarity – how I felt, who I was with, sounds, jokes shared.
I guess we are all different but for me photography enhances my experiences.
Enough about me.
Covid lockdown coincided with my parents moving home after 30+ years in our family home. The photo cupboards needed to be sorted out. This became a monumental task that more or less kept me sane during the various lockdowns.
As I scanned printed photos, slides and 8mm videos I realised that photography may actually be genetic.
I have already mentioned my Dad’s love for photography but I also found literally 1000s of photographs taken by each my grandfathers.
My maternal grandfather name was James Matthew Campbell. He was a soldier, engineer, mathematician. He was an engineer in the World War II and then worked on the railway throughout his career. His had two nicknames - Ox and Boss Jim. By the time I was born, he had more or less stopped taking photos, so I never really thought of him as a photographer. I adored him and vice versa. He was strong, would do anything for his family and laughed from his belly.
I never knew my paternal grandfather. His name was Cecil Thompson Hay. He was a hockey player, accountant, Kruger Park honorary ranger, springbok scout. I knew he had been a keen photographer and bush lover and apparently we share a sense of humour. I have always felt a deep connection to him and have a sense of loss because we did not get a chance to know each other.
Working through photographs taken by each grandfather made me feel so close to each of them. What made me smile the most is that, like me, they took many sunset photos with skew horizons. This was a real issue pre photoshop. They attempted moon rise shots that were very marginally successful and, when in Kruger, took too many photos of impalas and hornbills.
Going even further back I found some exceptional images taken by my great grandfather (maternal side) in the early 1900s.
I have decided to share some of our combined images. I believe that photography and my love for African (and beyond) travel is part of who I am - part of my genes - and I love that.
I will share my grandfathers’ photographs on an ad hoc basis with as much background as I have for each.
I will share of the images my Dad and I took in our early Botswana days as well as some background on those trips as they were my foundation in both photography and travel.
I will also share some of my recent images which I believe are a continuation of four generations with a love for the art of photography.
These are not just only what I consider to be good images but ones that tell a story.