One of the most colorful photos I have, taken at the Joburg Pride parade last year.
I don’t often write “blog award” posts. The bloggers among you know what I’m talking about; the rest of you can read here to find out what a blog award post is.
But every now and then, I get nominated for a blog award/contest that is worth participating in. This week, Mark from Migrationology.com invited me to participate in “Capture the Colour”, a blogging contest sponsored by TravelSupermarket. Not only is this contest more interesting than the normal ones, but I also have the opportunity to win a prize. So, I’m in.
The concept is simple: I write a post featuring photos that capture the following five colors: blue, green, yellow, white, and red. Then I nominate five more bloggers to do the same. There will be a winner in each color category and also an overall winner. What a brilliant idea! TravelSupermarket earns itself a lot of online publicity, and hundreds (maybe thousands) of bloggers get to  have fun pouring through their photo archives. Everyone wins.
I’ll get right to it.
Blue
This is my boxer friend Sandile, before an amateur boxing tournament at the Hillbrow Boxing Club in Johannesburg. It’s not the most amazing photo I’ve ever taken but I love the story it tells and all the blue accents: Sandile’s hat, the boxing equipment, the ring itself, and the blue sign in the background.  You can’t read the sign but it says, “Under New Management”. The Hillbrow Boxing Club was built on the site of an abandoned petrol station, and the new management sign was never taken down. Read more about Sandile here.
Green
One of my favorite places to shoot pictures is, literally, in my own backyard. There are so many interesting plants, birds, and insects in Joburg and I don’t have to go far to find them. This interesting beetle, which I nicknamed a beetherfly but is actually called lycus Trabeatus, perched on my green plastic deck chair last summer and allowed me to have a nice long photo session. I love how the orange color of the beetle, and of the wall of my house, contrast with the green chair.
Yellow
I took this photo in South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal province, in a region called the South Coast. The moon was full that night, and when my boyfriend and I saw how beautiful it was we rushed straight to the beach. The street light behind us gave the sand an almost neon yellow color. If you read my blog regularly, you’ll understand why this photo is so special to me. If not, read here.
White
Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap neighborhood is one of the most colorful places in South Africa, with its signature pastel-painted houses. I think this mosque is one of the only white buildings in the neighborhood, which is why I like the photo. I love the contrast between the white building and the girls’ black abayas, the white of the boys’ outfits, and the white street sign. (Ironically, the mosque is on Church St.)
Red
Taken from the top of Johannesburg’s Carlton Centre, the tallest building in Africa. There are many hints of red here, but I think the City Press sign makes the photo.
Thanks to Mark for nominating me, and thanks to TravelSupermarket for the cool contest idea. Here are my five nominees:
1) Fidel at Scene With a Hart
2) Nicole at ThirdEyeMom/ThirdEyeWorld
3) Tony at Travelling Tonito
4) Lu at The Unwitting Traveller
5) Debra at Bagna di Lucca and Beyond
Wishing you all a colorful weekend.
What a fun post. I especially love the long shadows in “Yellow.” I don;t do the blog award thing much either either. Don’t think I have since last summer when I did the 7 links post–an idea I got from you. Hope you’re enjoying your weekend.
Hugs,
Kathy
Thanks Kathy, you too.
Your “yellow” photo is astounding Heather – just love it!
Thanks Jackie. I had a lot of help from Jon on that shot.
Wow Heather! These photos are unbelievable, especially the yellow entry which is breathtaking. You are such a gifted photographer and I feel so honored that you even thought of me as a nominee! Your post here must surely be in the top runners for an award and I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it justice….but will try! Again, you’ve captured the colors magnificently. Congratulations! 🙂 Nicole
Thanks Nicole. Don’t see yourself short though — you’ve been taking some great pics lately! Looking forward to your entry.
Great photos Heather – I especially love the blue and yellow shots!
Thanks Mark. I appreciate you giving me the excuse to dig back through all these pics!
Awww!! Thanks Heather! Is there a timelimit to this? I’m holiday at the moment, so will do this when I get back! But definitely appreciate the nomination! Awesome! Thanks!
Hey Tony, I think it goes until late August so no rush!
By the way, loved your entries!! The red and blue ones are my favourite!
Real nice stuff; but I agree with the other comments that the yellow photo is in a league by itself. Beautiful image.
Thanks Dad.
Thanks for the nomination. I love your yellow choice.
Thanks Debra!
Good luck in the competition… I love your “Yellow”. I was born in South Africa so it will be interesting to follow your blog 🙂
Thanks, glad you like the photo. And thanks for reading and commenting!
Love the yellow photo, gorgeous!
Thanks, Rebecca.
Beautiful, stunning photos. The yellow one is breathtakingly exquisite. Love it. Love it.