Photo Journal

Seek Experiences - Fun getting wrecked

kazhof — Mon, 4 Nov 2013 15:41:09 GMT

This subject was inspired by my love of scuba diving and an inquisitive mind. I had heard a lot of mixed stories about wreck diving so I wanted to try it myself.
My experience to date has been purely amateur. I love photography and I have been compiling still photos into moving collages with music, captions and text for quite a few years now. Adding motion picture opened up a new world again both above and under the water. I am far from an expert but my passion for an entertaining, inspirational and educational outcome is what keeps me learning.
I have always looked at travel segments and thought that I could do what they are doing - both on screen and behind. Now I have the equipment, there is no excuse so I have been filming and collating everything!
Gaining firsthand experience and mentorship from an expert, on location, would be the most effective way to improve and be exposed to this world I have only just scratched the surface of. Winning this scholarship would open doors to possibilities and dreams.

India with children....

kazhof — Sat, 5 Nov 2011 01:19:00 GMT

Travelling with children…in India.

Why India? Everyone would ask, even people I met in India. I travelled for two months with my two boys (5 and 8yrs) through Southern India. We arrived in Mumbai and the adventure began. With a backpack each and travel guidebook in hand we set off to find a taxi to take us to our hotel. I had prebooked the first night so we weren’t totally lost after the 11 hours of flying. Then we were on our own.

Everything is different in India. The people – how they look, the clothes they wear, ‘why does she have a red dot on her forehead?’, the cars they drive and how they drive, motorbikes, auto rickshaws, bicycles, overcrowded buses and trains, cows on the road….cows on the road? In the middle of the city? People everywhere. Sleeping on the footpath, washing in the river, jumping on and off moving trains. There are no rules in India which is what made this an even more exciting adventure.

Our first outing was a trip to Elephanta Island. We travelled by local train, auto rickshaw, public bus, boat and toy train once there. Elephanta Island is home to the World Heritage listed rock cut temples. It wasn’t just the impressive sight of the triple headed Shiva sculpture that interested the boys. It was everything along the way. Their first introduction to the local monkeys was while eating some roasted corn on the cob. Suddenly 3 monkeys all eyeing off that piece of corn surrounded us. The Indians were yelling at us…’your food, put away’. It promptly went into our bags and we continued up the 320 steps to see the carvings. Once at the top more monkeys wanting to steal out water bottles or anything that resembled food greeted us. They were too used to tourists here and were dangerous, despite being incredibly cute.

The highlight of our visit to Elephanta Island for the boys was probably playing cricket with the local Indian boys. They loved it, especially when a cow came to join in the fun.

Next stop Goa. Overnight sleeper bus from Mumbai to Goa took about 12 hours and we all slept quite well. It’s a good thing all the windows are curtained because you wouldn’t want to see what was coming up in front while half a sleep. Road rules definitely do not apply to anyone, except the bigger you are, the more right of way you have. Goa provided a nice blend of Indian culture and beach life with a distinct Portuguese flavour. The Indian children loved to play with the boys and provided hours of fun on the beach trying to communicate in English and Hindi. I quickly learnt that playing is a language all of it’s own that doesn’t need translation.

We continued southeast towards Bangalore, this time by train. Overnight sleeper, three tier was the perfect way to travel. We opted for the non-air conditioned carriage as it wasn’t too hot and it was much more social. The boys played gameboy and this time it wasn’t the local children who were interested but the adult men. Most couldn't resist stopping to sit down and watch.

Just outside of Mysore, south west of Bangalore, we were finally able to have an elephant ride. Bandipur National Park is located a hundred kilometres from Mysore and is home to jackals, foxes, sambars, barking deer, mouse deer, mongoose, wild dogs, flying squirrels and many common langur. We were lucky enough to see most of these animals during our morning safari. The long awaited elephant ride finally happened and was just as exciting as the boys had anticipated. There was a platform with a ladder to access the elephant’s wooden ‘saddle’. After rearranging the weight distribution so we didn’t cause the elephant to topple over we were on our way. Through the jungle we trekked, spotting deer, monkeys and a variety of bird life such as pheasant and peacock. The baby elephant accompanying us was as cheeky as any child its equivalent age, much to the children’s delight.

Continuing south we saw palaces and temples, went on horse rides, walked a 1000 steps (down) from a hill top temple, took a toy train through the tea plantations of Tamil Nadu, sat waiting at train stations (and waiting as they are always late), interacting with many of the local Indians. We swam in the Indian Ocean, drank chai tea from the local vendors and ate more naan bread than the average person would in a lifetime.

Our adventure took us through Kerala as we explored the waterways and villages on the banks of the water. Bodhi (5) steered us through some of the wider passages of the waterways in the motorboat while Aamon (8) lead us through the more narrow tributaries in a dugout canoe. We saw the tallest coconut trees with men up high cutting down the fresh coconuts and passed other dugout canoes so full of sand, fronds and fruit that there was hardly a gap between the water and the top of the gunwhales.

We saw the sun rise and set from the same spot in Kunya Kumari, the most southern tip of the continent. The rough sacred waters were filled with Indian pilgrims that had travelled from all parts of India to cleanse themselves of evil. This was particularly intriguing to the boys and they too wanted to swim with them.

The boys were a hit and the star of many Indian tourist photos. They received constant attention from the locals wanting to know their names and where they are from. My younger son had his cheek pinched so often I was surprised there was anything left on his cheek. They were able to ride on motorbikes, without helmets, cross the train tracks on the tracks themselves, sit up front with the auto rickshaw driver and steer us to our hotel (couldn’t be any worse than the local driving) and even hang out of the train door while it was moving. All the simple pleasures that made this trip so memorable for my children, and for me.

Travelling with children allows you to see a country through their eyes and what an amazing non-judgemental perception they had of everything they faced. As an adult travelling with children it was a good reminder about living in the moment and enjoying what’s here right now. My answer to the question ‘Why India?’..... Why not.

Karen Hofman

Carnavan Gorge, QLD

kazhof — Sat, 5 Nov 2011 01:15:00 GMT

Carnavon Gorge.

I wanted to take my boys on an adventure for Easter and Carnavon Gorge, some 200 kms north of Roma in Queensland appealed to me. I booked well in advance knowing Easter would be busier than usual and headed west from Brisbane on Good Friday morning. Being the only driver I had intended to drive only as far as Roma, stay overnight and continue north on the Saturday. The drive went so well we made it through by mid afternoon.

I called ahead to the camp ground to ensure we could come one night earlier and we apparently managed to secure the last spot for that night. The 6 hour drive was not without preparation. I had been sure to include plenty of entertainment including books, CDs and games both on paper and verbal. The verbal games were also to ensure I stayed alert whilst driving.

Upon arrival and an urgent bathroom visit we proceeded to set up our tent and camping area with all equipment in tact and not one peg too short. We headed out around the camp ground to check out the facilities. It was perfect. A large outdoor cooking area with plenty of BBQ’s and eating benches, the compulsory playground for the kids, a creek with platypus and a communal camp fire surrounded by sitting logs. Perfect!

I had all our meals planned and all the food survived the trip and the weekend except the Easter eggs which were suitably flattened en route. Chocolate still tastes like chocolate round or flat.

On Saturday we went exploring and started off our walk to the Hanging Gardens. This was a 1.5 km walk so quite manageable for the boys at 3 and 6 years old. Being a gorge the walking tracks are all very flat as you meander your way between the rock walls of the gorge. After the first stop we continued on to another spot one more kilometre away. The boys were still going strong. During a stop for morning tea including the compulsory chocolate for energy (and moral support for me), I persuaded (bribed) the boys to continue to the ‘Art Gallery’. This was six kilometres into the gorge and housed an interesting array of Aboriginal paintings on the wall under an overhang. The bribe was for my youngest and that was that if he walked all the way there I would piggy-back him back to the start. After asking numerous times along the way if we were there yet and could we go back, we made it, hot and sweaty to the gallery.

The boys, and I were suitably impressed with the art and enjoyed the surrounds of the Australian bush during lunch. Keeping my promise I had to piggy back my youngest all the way back to the car park. Six kilometres. I was grateful it was flat. Years of backpacking through various countries with a heavy backpack must have prepared me somewhat for this haul. Most people we passed commented on my dedication with one passerby saying he wouldn’t complain anymore about his day pack he had to carry.

I was impressed with my 6 year old having walked 12 kilometres by the end. Ice-creams all round on our return!

Our evenings were spent cooking dinner on the BBQs provided at the campground and staring into the camp fire that resembled a small bush fire at times with the amount of wood being thrown onto it. We did unfortunately have a small accident with my older boy falling and hitting his top teeth onto a log. Lots of blood and tears later we were back enjoying ourselves and roasting marshmallows in the heat of the fire. Especially when travelling with children it is so important to be prepared for absolutely anything. Having travelled rather extensively on my own previously I would just put up with a blister or a small cut but with children you have to have the right equipment handy for any possibility.

Platypus spotting was on our agenda for this trip and the reason I chose this particular campground to stay in. The creek running along the grounds is home to the elusive platypus. The requirement at the viewing area was total silence. Unfortunately we were only able to stay a few minutes as total silence is difficult to maintain at three years old. Hence no successful platypus spotting for us.

Our last full day was spent exploring some of the closer places to our camp. We found a very narrow gorge to explore. We all enjoyed the challenge of not getting our feet wet by walking along fallen logs and rock hopping our way through to the dark end of the gorge only to arrive to a point where the gorge was so narrow the water filled up all flat areas. We had to succumb and get wet feet and shoes.

Another successful trip with the boys although the drive was quite long on the return it was quiet with two exhausted children snoozing in the back seat.

Sumatra Orangutans

kazhof — Sat, 5 Nov 2011 01:08:00 GMT

Sumatran Orangu-tans…

The zoo in Bukkitingi in Sumatra, Indonesia was not one of the better zoos I’ve visited around the world, but also not one of the worst. With the mandatory bottle of water tucked under my arm, eating monkey peanuts (the type with the shell still on), I stopped to take a closer look at the magnificent orangutans. A female at one end of the cage and the majestic male at the other end, I stood in front of the female on the far left and observed her closely. Her human like mannerisms convinced me even more of the theory of evolution.

This was confirmed even further when she moved toward the front of the cage and put her delicate, yet hairy hand toward me through the bars of the cage. Her black coloured nails curled softly up as she held her open palm towards me. Her fingers were long and thin with each knuckle joint showing through her dark skin, not unlike my own pale skinned fingers.

I was surprised but more so curious as to what she wanted from me. I looked from left to right to see if anyone else saw what was happening. There were two other people looking on, both with just as much intrigue in their expression as I had.

Wondering if she wanted my water I did a quick scan of the cage to see if she had any. There was none visible. Or did she want the peanuts? I offered her the peanuts first and she withdrew her hand. When she put her hand back out I offered her the water bottle. Now I know the general zoo rule of do not feed the animals but being in a developing country zoo and it being water I didn’t think it could do too much harm.

She took it very gently from my hand and guarded it with her body. She then moved to the middle of the cage and took small regular sips. She seemed to enjoy the taste as though it had been a while. A few moments later she moved toward me again and whilst holding the bottle in one hand she offered me her open palm once more. Afraid she might grab my hand, I carefully dropped a number of peanuts into her open palm. I held my hand high enough to be able to give me space to pull it away if she tried to grab me. She quickly, yet gently closed her hand and moved back again in the cage.

By this time more people had stopped by interested to see what was happening. As I looked around at the crowd gathering I noticed the male swoop down through the cage. His stretched out arms looked like massive hairy wings. My first thought was that he would snatch the water bottle and peanuts from her. Instead he stopped briefly to see what she had then he thrust his massive body toward me. With only the cage bars between us he stopped and gently put his hand out through the bars to ask for the same. His hand was twice as big as his female counterpart.

I didn’t have any more water so even more cautiously I placed another handful of peanuts in his outstretched palm. He crouched down at the front of the cage, maybe to be first in line if anything else was offered. He put the handful of peanuts in his mouth all at once and one by one the shells were spat out on to the ground. When he was satisfied with his treat he moved to the middle of the cage and climbed up high on the branch-like bar.

With the female in the back carefully shelling and eating her peanuts and taking little sips of the water, the male looked up at me lifting his big lips to show me his gums lined with the shelled nuts, smiling, as if to say thank-you.

If these magnificent creatures were able to ask me with spoken words for the water or peanuts I would have to wonder if I was looking in the mirror as there was very little difference between myself and the orangutans. I think Darwin was onto something….

Karen Hofman

Photos: My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

kazhof — Fri, 2 Sep 2011 23:03:00 GMT

The images I have selected represent the people of the Mekong Delta. This includes the locals, both adults and children and the tourists visiting this incredible expanse of waterways in Vietnam. Life is hard here, a life unknown to most Westeners. The images I capture are always an attempt at interesting composition. I believe my raw natural talent combined with limited training allows me to achieve this in most of my photographs. Desire, motivation and passion, I have. I need guidance, mentoring and instruction to improve my photography to a professional level. I find the more I learn, the more there is to learn. I compose photos constantly wherever I go, more often without a camera in hand. That image may never present itself again but another, different one, will. I enjoy capturing people in their natural environment. I like to use a longer lens so as not to impose on someone’s privacy. To me the best photo is the one taken without the subject knowing and whilst in their most natural state. I am inspired by photographic exhibitions, but always disappointed to find out how much computer enhancement has taken place after the photo was taken to achieve that image. I am proud of the quality of my photos at present but feel they cannot compete with all the digital enhancement used these days. This scholarship will allow me to learn from someone who believes as much in the raw image captured as I do. Although I love to travel and still have so much more to see in the world, I see opportunities every day to capture the heart of a subject, be it a person, animal or landscape, through my photos. The opportunity to share my images with the world would be a life long dream come true.