May 2014

On 24 May 2013 Steve Hofmeyr performed in the Klerksdorp City Theatre. Many fans have asked me in the past to photograph them after the show during the signing of CD’s, Posters and other memorabilia and on this occasion I made a point of concentrating on the fans instead of just the show.

I have created an online album from which the fans who were photographed can order copies of the photos as digital download, print in various sizes or even canvas. This album will be available until 31 August 2013 after which it will be deleted to make room for new event albums. If you were photographed by me at the the event, find your photo at the link below or by clicking the “Shop” link at the top of the page.

Order Steve Hofmeyr Fan Photos Online

Steve Hofmeyr Show Klerksdorp 24 May 2013

On Thursday 16 May I visited the annual Grain SA showcase for agriculture, the NAMPO Harvest Day, near Bothaville in the Free State. Last year I browsed the halls and stalls and pretty much ignored everything outside. This year I decided to look more at what was going on outside and grab some photos of those things which interest a farmer.

Photo Galley of NAMPO 2013 will be available until 31 August 2013

Exhibitions of Tractors, Trucks, Ploughs and various other types of farm equipment littered this huge show ground which takes one around and hour to circle on foot if you just stop here and there for a quick look. The NAMPO show is big, very big. I doubt one would be able to see everything there is to see outside in just one day, then there is still the halls!

If you are interested in some more photos, see the “Photo Shop” button at the top of the page, but note that the NAMPO 2013 photo Gallery will only be available until 31 August 2013.

It is so awesome to see the end result of a project you have been part of. For Megan’s Debut CD I was responsible for the photography of the Cover, inner jacket, back, rear display and CD face. When I received my copy of the CD from Kevin I cannot describe the feeling of joy, pride and accomplishment. It really is great to be associated with such an amazing CD. If you have not heard Megan Pereira yet then you have got to get your hands on her CD. Megan is only 15 years old and I see a great future ahead of her as she is really a very talented artist with an amazing voice.
Contact Kevin on 0794912801 to order your CD (R100 collect or R125 with postage). You can also book her for shows! Visit her page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Megan-Artist/386536048028582

It was awesome working with her and I have to also congratulate Loudmouth-Audio Recording who did the recording and audio production. This is truly an outstanding and world class product! Visit Loudmouth-Audio Recordings here: https://www.facebook.com/loudmouthaudio.recordings

On Thursday 1 May 2014 I had the pleasure of doing some photos for Calvin Schroll, the F3A National Champion for 2014 in South Africa. When it comes to radio controlled aircraft, Calvin is in the elite ranks. His ability to control aircraft via radio is amazing and it is a pleasure watching him fly. On the afternoon I did the photos I watched him fly not only his own, but a few other peoples aircraft. It seems he has a natural ability to adjust to the various types of craft and he makes flying seem incredibly easy. It takes years of practice to get to the level he is at in competition. He won his first competition at the age of nine and has been practicing and competing ever since.

A while ago I wrote an article on how you can easily create bokeh with just about any lens. See: What is Bokeh and how do I photograph it? In this article I would like to explain very simple, and incredibly cheap, ways of modifying the bokeh you get into different shapes.

There are a number of attachments you can purchase which will modify the bokeh for you, but if you are on a budget or rarely use this method you can use various self made “filters” which do the same thing. Paper is the simplest and most inexpensive way to create this effect and experiment with until you get the look you want. Using thinner white paper will produce white vignetting and using black will produce darker vignetting. You could even experiment with various colours of paper!

Take a square of paper with enough space on the sides so you can use an elastic band to tie it around the front of your lens. Cut a shape into the paper (NOT while attached to the lens!) and then use the elastic band to tie around the head of the lens as I did in the image below.

Bokeh Modifier

In my case I was not too concerned with the shape of the cutout, but if the shape is important to you then make sure the paper is parallel to the lens surface. You can experiment with various sizes of the shape, but the larger it is the harder it is to get the shape to show up. It doesn’t even need to be in the center, but bear in mind that if it is not centered then your focus point needs to shift with it.

The paper I stuck on my lens was slanted backwards (the top was closer to the lens than the bottom) and here was my result (I used a Minolta 50mm lens at f/4).

Modified Bokeh

If you want to make your bokeh shapes re-useable you could cut them into hard card paper then use a spare lens cap with a large circular hole cut in the middle (leave enough room at edges for stick down) as a mounting with some tape or prestik.

Have some fun with this!