G'day VPS...

G'day VPS.

Well, can you believe that three months has passed by since I left South Africa? It seems like only yesterday that I left for Australia. I'm glad to report that things are going well. I've acclimatised well to the Aussie way of life, but have to admit that I still miss certain things from back home, like the sound of the redeye bulbul [tiptol] that always sits on the TV antenna, and the howls of the guinea-fowl when they suspect danger. I also miss my wife very, very much...
Fortunately, I will be coming home to visit soon. I've decided that I'm going to give Perth a try aswell, but not before a well-deserved, one month break back home.

On the photography front, I've been pretty active with the camera whenever and wherever I get the chance. And when Johann gets to pay me a visit here in Sydney, then things really get busy, as I'm sure he has told you already! It was great to see a friend and fimiliar face again, and we spent all the time we could catching up on lost time. As usuall, time goes by too fast when you are having fun...
The only sin that I've committed here in Australia [apart from eating too much], is the amount of money I spend on photographic magazines. Crickey, I probably buy two mags a week! I'm not sure how I'm going to get them all home!

I can see from the newsletter [which looks really spiffy] that more and more club members are going digital, and not giving up on photography because of the unfortunate demise of film. I say unfortunate because, in a way, it is sad, as future generations will never know the feeling of excitement of going to pick up your shots from the local lab. There is also something very satisfying about the smell of photographic chemicals, although I'm not sure that everyone will agree with me on that. I used to love the smell of the darkroom, and also the smell of a newely opened film cannister. Yep, those were the days...

Before I get too carried away, let me wish everyone a merry, merry Christmas and prosperous new year. My wish is that you get all the shots you hope for in the new year, and that you find an abundance of inspiration around every corner.

I will be paying the club a visit during January, so hope to see you all there!

Best regards and wishes
Donovan

PS: I've sent my "presentation" to Johann. Please bear in mind that I work off an uncalibrated laptop monitor here in Aus. I apologise if the shots appear under- or over exposed.