Septembers meeting saw Adderbury connect via the wonders of technology (albeit intermittent!) with South Africa, so we could chat with past member and keen wildlife photographer, Scott Hurd.
Scotts talk, entitled ‘My Namibia’ took us on a journey from the beginnings of his hobby with his Aunty Vera through to his photographic around the country. Scott explores the country in his Bakkie (4×4 off road vehicle) and began by showing us his recent visit to the Vasbyt 4×4 races (meaning ‘art of being stoical’) where competitors driving adapted 4×4’s, must keep between the white taped off area and complete the course as quickly as possible but to remain in one piece! What started out as a predominantly white spectator & participant sport, thanks to historical apartheid, is now enjoying more spectators from coloured communities.
Scott also showed us how his country can go from rain and rainbows, to ‘dust devils’ which is a loose term for upside down plug holes which are similar to hurricanes and tornadoes but on a smaller scale. He mentioned if you were caught in a dust devil, you will spend the next few hours cleaning your lenses of dust & debris!
Scott enjoys his work as a hotel photographer and has travelled the length and breadth of the country photographing all manner of hotels & camping sites and explained how he enjoys getting to know hotel & kitchen staff as they are the beating heart of the business and will always keep you fed & watered!
As Namibia enjoys more sun hours then Great Britian, it’s not surprising that they are now embracing Solar panels in some of the hotels and lodges and that this is an ever growing number.
Scott’s local area is surrounded by a variety of animals including Flamingos, Onyx, Cattle and if he travels further inland he can see Elephants, Succulents, Geckos, Yellow Hornbills, Baboons, and explained that the local Herrero people rehabilitated the Vulture population.
Scott’s travels have taken him further north to photograph Hyenas, Zebras, Antelope and on his travels into Botswana, he has photographed Elephants, Hippos, Cape Buffalo, Bee Eaters, Spoonbills.
This month sees our Annual Exhibition on Saturday 30th September & Sunday 1st October, where our members will exhibit a variety of high-quality images taken in the past 12 months. All welcome.