Cape Town Daily Photo

Cape Town could help you take better photos

2012-02-02T19:17:30Z

Guitar on a wall

Cape Town has plenty of great places to take photos, but that’s not what I mean by the title of this post. This is rather a shameless plug for a Cape Town-based company who have (in association with the University of Cape Town) managed to establish themselves as a leader in online education.

I visited GetSmarter’s lovely offices in Observatory recently. Click on the last of the four photos below. Notice the polished concrete floors? Notice the scooter? Isn’t that awesome?

So, Cape Town could help you take better photos because GetSmarter have offered our readers R500 off the cost of their part-time short courses in digital photography and Photoshop! The courses each include about 70 hours of learning (in the comfort of your own home) over a period of 10 weeks, and result in a certificate endorsed by the University of Cape Town. To take up their offer, click here and use “Cape Town Daily Photo” as the promo code when signing up.

P.S. If you’re wondering, yes, I was tempted to take down the guitar and give it a whirl.

A kid, a sprinkler, and a really wet sibling

2012-02-01T21:04:01Z

A kid, a sprinkler, and a really wet sibling

I watched for a few minutes as the little boy used the sprinkler to chase his brother around the lawn at the Company’s Gardens while their mother stood watching a little way away with a big grin on her grill. Aren’t they cute?

Broken glass

2012-01-31T19:49:00Z

Broken glass

Either someone locked their keys in their car and was forced to break a window to get inside, or the glass on this curbstone is the result of a break-in.

Some people in South Africa have opted to have a special plastic film, that prevents entire windows being easily smashed, fitted to their car’s windows. Although this is mostly used as a deterrent for smash-n-grab type theft it may also make it more difficult for the smash-while-you’re-away type of criminal.

I can’t say that I’ve ever had my car broken in to in Cape Town. Have you?

A yellow African Marigold

2012-01-30T19:22:18Z

Yellow Marigold

I’m not a botanist by any stretch of the imagination, but some searching on the Web has led me to believe that this is an African Marigold, a member of the Tagetes genus.

Isn’t she pretty?

DJs aren’t DJs

2012-01-29T20:38:09Z

DJs aren't DJs

Should we still call guys like this DJs? I can’t imagine that they, for the most part, carry a stack of vinyl or plastic CDs around. I’m tempted to call them rhythm engineers, or perhaps composers; but then I’d probably get slapped and told that I’m being silly.

I took this photo at Vaudeville, a popular dinner/entertainment club in Cape Town.

South African National Art Gallery

2012-01-29T20:16:52Z

South African National Art Gallery

You’ll find this building, the South African National Art Gallery, towards the top end of the Company’s Gardens in Cape Town (map). The gallery doesn’t only have paintings on display, but from time to time hosts photographic collections, sculptures, and even beaded work.

If you’re keen to visit, the gallery’s open each day from 10h00 and closes at 17h00.

Not a tree to tangle with

2012-01-27T20:40:51Z

Not a tree to tangle with

Click on some of the thumbnails below and decide for yourself if you’d risk climbing this tree. My guess is that the leaves of this tree are particularly desirable to some or other creature and that these super-pointy thorns server as deterrents.

Speaking of deterrents… while in the Kruger National Park our guide pointed out a bush that defends itself from buck by releasing a bad-tasting chemical into its leaves if senses that too many have been eaten. The chemical is also released into the air (which in turn starts a chain reaction in neighbouring bushes, which in turn release the chemical into their leaves. Sneaky isn’t it?