A couple of weeks ago I was in Pretoria at the Union Buildings – South Africa’s equivalent of the American White House – and saw the new Nelson Mandela statue for the first time. The statue was unveiled last December just after Mandela’s death.
I shot some photos of the statue using my Holga film camera from Zavi Traders, and also with a disposable panoramic camera that I got from Zavi. Similar to the last time I shot with film, I have mixed feelings about the results I got from these two new rolls. But I’m really happy with the Mandela shots.
Mandela’s outstretched arms, shot on a Rollei panoramic disposable camera.
I had no idea that disposable film cameras still exist, let alone panoramic disposable film cameras. But I really loved shooting with this one and I’m hoping to do more disposable camera photography in the future. Apparently this particular model has been discontinued, which is a bummer.
Once again, I accidentally double-exposed this shot and achieved an interesting result: Mandela superimposed over some Joburg aloe trees. I shot this on the Holga using Rollei Redbird film.
On a totally separate and un-Mandela-like note: I recently attended a fascinating dinner theatre performance called Madame Zingara and took some photos with the Holga before the show. Unfortunately none of the shots came out and I can’t bring myself to blog about something when I don’t have photos of my own to include in the post. (Note to self: Stop trying to use the Holga in the dark.) But the show was fantastic and I want to do a quick plug for it. Madame Zingara is playing at Montecasino in Fourways through the end of December. You should go.
I’ll share more shots from my second round of analog photography in a future post.
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.