Saturday 24 January 2009

Still Waiting for the Week to End






After such an awful week, I decided to do something fun. This morning I drove over to Prince Andrew's School, the secondary school on the island, to shoot some Saints enjoying one of their favorite past-times…cricket. Right after I arrived, I dropped one of my cameras about 6-inches cracking the lens and breaking the camera. Obviously this was upsetting. Not only are the cameras and lenses expensive, but now I am down to one camera body and without a 50mm lens.

Trying not to let this setback bother me, I continued shooting. I had several other lenses in my small rucksack and my audio equipment for recording sound on site. I grabbed the bag to begin recording and my 70-200mm lens flew out onto the ground. Nearly in tears, I picked up the lens and put it on the good camera body straightaway. I guess it was a lucky bounce, as nothing appears to be wrong. This heavy lens dropped 3-feet and nothing happened.

Being extremely careful, I continued shooting the cricket game, though with a lot less enthusiasm than on the RMS.

Back at the house now and looking at the camera, I discovered it isn’t the camera body that is broken, but the lens. I tried using another lens on the camera body and it appears to be fine. Although the lens is not working properly, the glass is not cracked, only the clear filter. While I cannot use the lens here, it may be repairable.

It is raining now and I can’t seem to find anyone at home. If it were any later then I’d consider calling it a day, but it isn’t even noon yet.

As the week ends, I have a whole new outlook and will not let these setbacks bother me.

Later…
I drove around the island today to see some of the towns I’ve not seen since being back in St Helena. I dropped two ladies off in Longwood and drove over to Sandy Bay. This part of the island is very different from the barren rocky side where Jamestown is located. This drive made me decide to interview a farmer that I met last week.

Longwood, where Napoleon was imprisoned between 1815-1821, is a damp part of the island, as it seems to have a permanent cloud resting in the village. The landscape is quite lush and the green grass contrasts with the dark wet rocks surrounding the area. Despite the perpetual dampness the ladies I dropped off say they love living in Longwood.

Sandy Bay is more rocky than sandy, but quite spectacular regardless of the misnomer. The sand is black like the rocks that tower over the small bay. The bay is exposed to the SE trade winds and has waves constantly coming in to claim what would otherwise be a nice anchorage. A fortified wall and cannon embankment protect the bay from invasion; however, I doubt any cannon balls or gunpowder remain on the island.

This evening I shot some of my story, but tomorrow will be a full day as Saints spend time with their families on Sundays—I’ve been invited to picnics, swimming and a party. Saints with their families are the best times to take pictures—everyone is so happy.

TDx

2 comments:

  1. Really enjoying reading your blog Tiffany - while commiserating over the setbacks of course - and am also looking forward to seeing more photos of your travels around St Helena. Best wishes. Lesley

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  2. Hi Lesley,
    Thanks for tuning in. Do I know you? All this seems familiar.
    TDx

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