Yes, Bulb still exists!

As the New Year approached, I realised that I was feeling like a kid again, in more than one way. When we are young we are open to so much more, we absorb life and everything it has to offer. We are smart as hell, but in actuality we know very little. It’s a stretch to stay awake till midnight, we present during the countdown and shouting out ‘Happy New Year!’ to everyone. Usually it is the adrenaline we race on, the excitement of it all. As it happens, some parents decide to put on a firework show a bit earlier so that the young ones can still enjoy it and feel like they celebrated New Year’s Eve as well. I am one of those lonesome souls who, whilst not against it, do not conform to the status quo and party the night away on some South African beach with beer bottles and making out. The rebel inside me perhaps? Either way, as it was, I was spending the night with the family at home — with delicious ribs and sosaties on the Weber and a trifle in the fridge (the one my mom made for Christmas was a winner, so a repeat was accepted with open arms!)

For all the great things there are about South Africa, or more specifically — Afrikaans, Skouspel is definitely not one of them. Of course the entire nation will argue against this statement, the entire nation that get loud and rowdy when their favourite artist take the stage in SunCity for the annual Huisgenoot Skouspel, which has now become the preferred choice of TV entertainment for the last day of the year. As I was saying — not the biggest fan, yet this was what was playing in the background on the TV screen. Then, just before eleven, the fireworks began down at the beach. From our balcony we had the perfect view, it was also perfect as it fitted in perfectly for my little brother who wouldn’t have made it to twelve anyway. ‘Why not try take some photos?’ The question came up in my mind. Grabbing good ole Canon, I started snapping away at the display of shooting lights filling the late night sky, shining over the waters of the restful ocean. Suddenly this knocked sitting on the the sofa listening to another rendition of some classic Afrikaans rugby themed song, right out of the park. Now, remember that it has been a while since I have picked up a camera. Skills I have learned years ago comes back in fragments here and there. After some attempts to capture the fireworks, but not being too successful, I was busy trying to remember how to shoot a star trail. Bulb! Yes, Bulb still exists! It was like an answer finally making its way into your brain during a final exam after having tapped your pen against the desk a million times. I dialled down to Bulb, changed the ISO to 800 and from there onwards the fun began. A brilliant display of fireworks played off in front of us.

I do feel it necessary to say this though. Stunning as it may be and no matter how exciting, I am not the biggest fan! For the simple reason that I am a lover of the animal kingdom, and while we were celebrating the approach of 2015, our barely two month old baby Bullterrier wasn’t sharing the mutual feeling of excitement. At first she had no care in the world, not having the slightest idea what the loud noises were — that soon changed when she found out. Our miserable too-good-for-any-human cat obviously couldn’t care less about any of this — really, he’s a bit of a bitch, although I love the poor thing to death. Guys — in all seriousness, please keep the doggies somewhere where they can be calm and hopefully a bit away from the noise. They so often tend to run away, so keep an eyes on them, please!

That being said — let’s move on. After being woken this morning by our neighbour at 08:30, returning the very same two month old puppy who had slipped out to their house, I made a cup of tea — the first for 2015 (and yes, a very good one, thank you for asking) got back in bed and started going through the images from last night. While making my through some of the best of the best on iTunes, I worked through some of the best, and worst, of my attempt to photograph fireworks. It, thankfully, wasn’t a complete disaster! I didn’t do any editing aside from slightly adjusting the exposure here and there.

I am not the biggest believer in New Year’s Resolutions, obviously, but I will say this: in 2015 I want to be more like a child, in the best way possible. I want to be more open to learning, discovering and taking in knowledge as if for the first time — also, swearing a bit less wouldn’t hurt either. Hmm…

#2015 #newyear #newyearseve #photography #fireworks #bulb #southafrica