 | Name: | Loot Eksteen [Only registered TrekNature members may contact loot.] |
| Country: | South Africa | |
| Intro: | Hello to everyone and welcome to my intro page. I live in Empangeni, situated on the east coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa. It is ±16km from Richards Bay, which is one of the main export harbours in South Africa. I have been a regular visitor to TrekNature since early 2005 and have learned lots from you lovely people. As an 'outsider' I admired the photos, notes, and critiques, but since I only had a film type camera I was not prepared to join in as a full member and then having to scan whatever material I wanted to post. Eventually, 21 December 2005, I received my digital camera and so a completely new world opened up to me. The next episode had finally begun. During my "film" days I used to cover a lot of weddings, but my favourite remained wildlife photography. Nowadays with digital I purely concentrate on nature photography and I will shoot anything worthwhile that comes my way. Since I'm only a stone throw away from the well-known Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, I obviously spend a lot of my spare time there. I am very fortunate to be an honorary officer with the Ezemvelo Kwa-Zulu Natal Wildlife. My beautiful wife and I share our love for nature and photography. She is my prime supporter, critic and advisor. Recently she has discovered the "Shutter release button" on my Sony DSC-H9 and I can hardly stay ahead with downloading all the photos she captures. So, now you have another husband and wife team on the site. I would like to extend a BIG thank you to Robert Brown (inspirator) and Adam Silverman (creator) for this fantastic site. Welcome to my Personal Galleries: A study in Botany (Plants) A study in Entomology (Insects) A study in Geography (Landscapes) A study in Herpetology (Reptiles) A study in Ichthyology (Fish) A study in Mammalogy (Mammals) A study in Ornithology (Birds) My personal favourites (From my own portfolio) My Dedications ;o) (Dedications made to my fellow members and friends on TrekNature) Another personal gallery which for obvious reasons are very dear to me is my Touched by Nature series. I really hope you will enjoy it as much as I did when I took those photos and when I wrote the notes. The notes are probably the more important aspect here and you have to read it in order to explore and to appreciate the "Touched by Nature" topic. In conclusion, some final thoughts (updated 15/03/2007): - I enjoy honest, useful, and positive critiques and will not get mad, because I learn from them. Even if you are still a newcomer to photography or the site and still unfamiliar with critiquing it is always possible to be sincere and constructive. - Speculative, destructive, or derogatory critiques I frown upon, because it is negative and usually do not convey any learning at all. - If you're not sure about a certain aspect within my photos you are most welcome to ask the question and I will respond with an open and transparent answer or explanation. - I will endeavour to critique other members in the same manner (you know, the old "Do unto others..." story). - I will not critique any members who do not contribute towards the critiquing system and simply use TrekNature as a photo dumping or image sharing bank. Critiquing is an essential element of this site. This has nothing to do with points harvesting so I'm not concerned whether such member critiqued me or not. It entails the bigger picture to inculcate cohesion within the spirit of the site. - I normally do not critique any photos without notes unless it is a newish member, and then I will only do it to call upon or motivate such a member to a full participation of the site. - The TrekNature mission or purpose is quite clear: To learn about nature and photography through the interrelationship between the two. If there are no notes or no critiques it is impossible to achieve this mission or purpose. - Please feel free to critique me in whatever language you prefer. This is an international site and it's not limited to the exclusive use of the English language. - Lastly, a tad of humour has never hurt anyone. I can take it, but I can also dish it out. So, lay it on me, but do expect to receive it in kind. Equipment List Cameras: Canon EOS 350D Rebel XT + E3 Battery Grip Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 Lenses: Canon 18-55mm EF-S f/3.5-5.6 II USM Zoom Canon 55-200mm EF f/4.5-5.6 II USM Zoom Canon 60mm EF-S f/2.8 Macro USM Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Macro ASP DG Wide Angle & Telephoto Zoom Sigma 170-500mm f/5-6.3 AF APO Ultra DG Aspherical Telephoto Zoom Marumi 58mm Close-up lens set Marumi 62mm Close-up lens set Teleconverter: Sigma 1.4x APO Tele Converter EX DG Flash Systems: Canon Speedlite 430EX Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX Data Storage: Flashtrax 80Gig Portable Hard Drive - SmartDisk FTX-XT80 Thunderbolt CameraMate CF Card Reader Puremedia 2Gig High Speed CompactFlash I-Pro 1Gig Professional Ultra High Speed CompactFlash Sandisk 1Gig Ultra I High Speed CompactFlash Sandisk 1Gig Ultra II High Speed CompactFlash Sandisk 2Gig PRO Duo Memory Stick Accessories: Canon Remote Switch RS-60E3 cable release Canon Remote Control RC-5 Infra red release Sony Remote Control RMT-DSC1 Infra red release Lenzz Rezzt bean bag Tripod Systems: Manfrotto Tripod 190D Manfrotto Monopod 679 Manfrotto RC141 head | |
| Member Since: | 2006-01-23 | |
| Camera: | Canon 350D, Sony Cybershot DSC H9 | |
| Note: | Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5484 W: 486 N: 3025]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif){kind=small} (8033)loot is a favorite of 110 members. | |
| Viewed: | 14573 | |
| Favorites: | 40 members [view photos] [read critiques] · 103 photos |
| Latest photos | ||
South Africa You do Mine & I'll do Yours (58) * loot (8033) | South Africa The Hedge of Protection (74) * loot (8033) | South Africa Unhappy Chappy (90) * loot (8033) |
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