Daily Inspiration #190 by Nick Willliams

Hi Steve, Thought I’d submit some shots from a xmas holiday in South Africa.

All shots here are with Leica MP and Fuji Reala or Kodak Ektar from memory.

We spent 4 weeks travelling in a semi trailer converted into a

beautiful train carriage style interior adorned in timber, seats and even a bar!

Trying to know how much film to take can really be hard! in the end I carried

30 rolls, half colour half B&W mix of 35mm and 120.

I’ve learnt that next time I’ll just shoot colour and let someone else process

all the film. (I still have 10 rolls of ilford sitting months after in a cupboard waiting for developing!)

I missed having an SLR telephoto option, but the rangefinder was a dream,

especially when travelling with a toddler and all that requires!

We have plans on returning again soon and going on safari, by then I’ll have

purchased a much needed Leica R9 SLR so I can reach out a little further.

23 Comments

  1. Nick, beautiful shots! I just got back from SA myself but shot digital because of the X-ray issues. How did you address this problem? I would have loved to take the G2 and some film instead of or in addition to digital.

  2. Love these shots, especially Nr 1 and 2. Two years ago a spent xmas holiday in South Africa and had an M8 and Sigma DP1 with me. Same experience as you made, a DSLR or mft with a long lens to complement the M would have been great for the trip.

  3. They are all great but I especially like the first one. Leica look and good layers of texture and colour.

  4. Peronally I like the contrasts of the images. South Africa is a fantastic mix of scenary, cultures and development. One can in the same day be out in the beauty of the wilderness where it feels like the same undisturbed beauty of 1000 years ago and then also one can be in the centre of Joberg and at the cutting edge of urban design. South Africa… it’s possible.

  5. love the colours, that too me is the biggest advantage of film, all your work will have a certain look. Love the first two, third shot is also nice just not in line with the first two, and right now im cold and need warm images 🙂

  6. Hi Nick
    I love the way the eye is taken to the horizon through the dark shading in the first shot, the giraffe shot is special, 3D like and great sheen and the sud station shot is good and moody. I reckon you deserve a bit of wall space for these.

    Thanks Peter

  7. I only showed 3 shots as if you read the guidelines on Steves submission page your limited to how many you can submit. I’m pretty sure I went over the allowed amount with 3. I thought that shot, which isn’t a fav by far complimented the first 2 showing South Africas industrialization.

    Wilderness, wildlife, man.

  8. First two are quality, I am not so sure about no. 3 (where does it fit in?). Also, you spent four weeks there and returned with only three shots worth sharing?

    • Wow Mex, you’re quite the downer. What was that old saying, something about a gift horse…

      I agree with the rest of the comments above, very nice shots. Especially the second. Excellent.

  9. Excellent pictures. I didn’t know SA had trains like this anymore. Nice idea and really takes me back to when I was there.

    • It’s kinda crazy being in a train carriage that’s being towed behind a truck! people were in awe every time we stopped for fuel. There is however a real train that takes trips all the way from Capetown to Cairo, the shots you could capture would be timeless. It costs a fortune but is 1st class in every aspect. Your room even has a bath! http://www.rovos.com/index.html Maybe one day if I ever become a rich man this will be on my list.

    • I was lucky with that one, we had been motoring along for hours in the truck and I was asleep. I woke in a daze, glanced outside and thought wow, great light, “click”, back to sleep…. Forgotten for a month until the film was developed.

  10. wow – nice, very inspiring.. and good to see film getting some love.
    +1 for the variety on these ‘Daily Inspiration’ post, keep em coming!

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