"The question is not what we look at but what we see.
In the largest sense, we find only the world that we look for."
~ Henry David Thoreau
"Welcome to this fun-filled visual exploration of 'Seeing Beyond The Obvious'. This will be a fascinating journey of connecting with nature by pressing the shutter release button of a camera. Not only will we learn to 'See Beyond The Obvious' but we will acquire the skills to set ourselves and our cameras up for success. We will learn to record way beyond what the human brain and eye combination can see.
We will learn to edit old and new photographs in no time to a professional standard. What is more the learning process will be democratised giving access to all ages and photographic skill levels. Our deeper connection with nature will bring us more than just short, medium and long-term wellness. Nature's 'Neutral Power Base' will become the springboard for us to rethink leadership in life, the corporate environment and what makes us human in the face of AI."~ Lou Coetzer
"The question is not what we look at but what we see. In the largest sense, we find only the world that we look for." ~ Henry David Thoreau
"Looking is not the same as seeing. Can you see the whale (1 and 2) in the Kagga Kamma landscape until it finally emerges in the nightscape (3)—a now clearly defined whale—as we transition into a solitary herd of elephants (4) against the dark Masai Mara sky?
By using the compositional tool of scale the two Oryx’s of Naukluft (5 and 6) and the Zebras of the Serengeti (7) are lost against very different backgrounds and perspectives. Adding depth and speed to a Mushara Etosha waterhole scene (8) and the Birds Eye View to a Masai Mara Triangle Crossing, from both Extreme Wide Angle (9) and Telephoto (10) views allows us to see the 'Obvious' differently." ~ Lou Coetzer
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"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." ~ T.S. Eliot
"I mastered the art of 'Seeing Beyond the Obvious' 25 years ago.
I no longer chase new destinations and new species to photograph. Rather I’ll push the boundaries of myself and my camera’s technology to see familiar species and places with new eyes.
Buying a new camera should bring fireworks instantaneously!
If not the money and the exercise were wasted. What leapfrogged my existing portfolio was my growing into Mirrorless photography with the Olympus/OM Systems brand. The ability to suddenly shoot at 1/32000 Second and 120 X FPS RAW files offered me 'Seeing Beyond The Obvious' on a platter.” ~ Lou Coetzer
"Look at everything as though you are seeing it for the first time, with the eyes of a child, fresh with wonder." ~ Joseph Conrad
"By constantly pushing the boundaries of the obvious nature will reward us with intricate little gems that will fill us with awe and wonder. Be it the fascination of seeing the reflections of an Impala Ram's ear (1) and the tip of its horn just extruding from the water, little fishes on the Chobe River trying to get out of the way of a hunting African Skimmer (2), African Buffalo's (3) uncharacteristically slowly entering the water and silently swimming to an island with the fear of a potential crocodile attack deeply etched in their eyes, or a Southern Carmine Bee-Eater (4) exiting the water with an exuberance for life.” ~ Lou Coetzer
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"If you cannot explain it to a six-year-old child, you do not know it yourself."~ Albert Einstein
"It would be of no interest to me if the photographic skills required to enter this world of wonder, wellness and learning were only accessible to an elite few. A marvellous spinoff of making previous difficult concepts understandable to children is that is their demand from base zero that the journey must be fun or they are not interested. Please join me in marvelling at the photographs of Ethan Blofield (10 years old), Peter Kersey Blofield (13 years old), and finally, John Mostert (86 years old)—respectively, my youngest, second-youngest, and oldest mentees.
Let me make a sweeping statement. The Barn Swallow photograph of Ethan, a millisecond before it scoops up a moth from the water does not have its match as a behavioural action photograph, in 99% plus so-called professional bird portfolio. How is this possible? By using current camera technology effectively the playing fields between young and old, absolute beginners and professionals have been levelled. Photography is democratised!." ~ Lou Coetzer
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Redefining Nature Photography
"Over the 27 years that we have published Travel Africa magazine, we have worked with hundreds of nature photographers and professional libraries. We have not met a photographer who approaches photography in the same way (including the technical ability he developed as a sports photographer). The techniques that he has written about over many years in Travel Africa are still not being implemented by many of the most well-known professional photographers - his technical ability, his rating system, and his eye for documenting nature through storytelling are second to none."
~ Craig Rix - Publisher, Travel Africa Magazine
