Why I Fell in Love with Seascape Photography in Durban

If you asked me a year ago if I would be doing what I am busy doing today, I would have laughed at you.

Photography. Never did I think I would ever get this serious about photography.

Yet, here I am, taking it to the next level. Am I making money from it already? Well, maybe a couple of pennies here and there, but nothing I can make a living on. But I did take the first step to start creating a business that can create an income for me. I created an online store and am I learning like crazy about social media and marketing.

But where did it all start and why?

The Seed was Planted, But the Penny didn't Drop Yet.

Thinking back today, I can say it started in my childhood already.

Since I can remember, I absolutely loved traveling. When the wheels turned, I was on board...lol!

At the same time, I loved taking photos wherever we went. As a child I grew up on the East Rand, Johannesburg, South Africa. During my childhood we would go on holiday at least once per year. We frequently visited Durban on the East Coast of South Africa.

When we didn't travel to Durban, we would visit my grandparents from my father's side in Southwest Africa (known as Namibia today), where they were farming on a huge farm in the Gobabis district.

Another area we loved to visit, was the Eastern Transvaal, (known as Mpumalanga today). We loved the waterfalls, forests and mountains in the area.

As a youngster of about 10 years old, I received my first camera that I could call my own. I guess my parents saw my eagerness for taking photos😅.

It was fun. It was exciting. But that's all it was though. I mean...that's what everybody does when you go on holiday, isn't it?

Love for the Ocean

I loved the wide open spaces and utter silence on my grandparent's farm. I loved the wild life in the Etosha Game Reserve (Namibia) when we went there. The forests, waterfalls and mountains of Eastern Transvaal (Mpumalanga) were breath-taking.

But the ocean...

Every minute I could spend at the ocean...! It was just different. The sound of the waves crushing into the beach, the smell of the sea, and the atmosphere by the ocean... Wow! It's just...different!!

Even as a young boy, I could picture myself living at the ocean as an adult. Going for long walks on the beaches. Taking photos of the ocean, especially at sunrise. Waves crashing over the rocks... Man, I can't describe the feeling. And the thought of capturing every possible moment with a camera, as no two days are same at the ocean, just got me excited every time I thought about it.

Then, as a young man of 25 years old, I got married. And guess what my wife's dream was...?

Yes, living by the ocean!

A Dream Come True, But Still no Penny Dropping Yet.

We still lived in Johannesburg for the first 18 years of our married life. Yet, even when we weren't going to Durban for holiday, every time when we passed the turn-off (actually the on-ramp to the highway) saying "Durban", we would say; "here is the road to go home. Shall we go home?"

Eventually, after 18 years of dreaming about it, I got the opportunity to get a transfer to Durban with the company I was working for. The decision was a no-brainer.

Did I start taking photos as we moved down here to the East Coast? You bet I was!

But by now, cameras were not the only way to take photos anymore. We started taking photos with our mobile phones and it became an expensive hobby to have your photos developed every time. Not to mention the disappointment when your film was full and you couldn't take those last couple of photos you so eagerly wanted to get.

So, I started saving photos on my mobile phone until it became full. Then it would go onto a computer...until it became full...until you eventually start losing photos.

A Step in the Right Direction (Unknowingly)

Back in 2022, I was interest in the topic of crypto (still am) and I stumbled upon a link where I could learn more about crypto.

I was keen on learning more about crypto and that is when I ended up on Hive!

I enjoy writing, so I started writing and publishing posts on Hive and earn a few pennies in crypto in the process. But besides the crypto, there was no specific direction as such. I enjoyed writing about topics such as goal setting and how our thinking can influence our action, behaviour, and lives in general.

But then I discovered something. It was the Wednesday Walk Community, started by @tattoodjay.

I loved it as I could share my walks and also my photos I took during these outings.

Then I discovered another community, the Photography Lovers Community.

Now I was able to not only go on walks, hikes and all kinds of adventures, but I could share my photos with likeminded people.

I shared my discovery with my family. Our youngest daughter is running a photography business on the side-line. But seeing her doing this, the penny still didn't drop for me. She did photo shoots with people...like at weddings, for schools, etc.. Not something I can see myself doing...

Yet, when my daughter saw the photos I was sharing on Hive, she provided me with a proper camera and gave me a crash course in settings, angles, etc., and told me to do it properly.

So, like the "obedient father" I am, I took up the challenge😅.

At Last... The Penny Dropped.

From the word "Go", I had a ball of a time!

For more than a year now, I've been sharing my walks and outings to the ocean and in nature here in Hive.

But the penny dropped, and toward the end of last year, with the encouragement of my wife and kids, I started thinking about marketing my photos and maybe turn it into a business.

So many Opportunities for Seeing So Many of the Most Beautiful Places.

I'll just scan over some of the places I've been sharing here in the last year. This "journey" of mine to write this post, also made me see the progress I have made over this time.

So, this means I am going to revisit many of these places over the next few months to apply what I have learned in this time.

For today, I'll only share some beaches we visited within a relatively close range from where we stay.

Let's start with Rocky Bay.

This is a beach on the South Coast (of the East Coast), and about 80km away from us.

Next, let's go to Amanzimtoti, about 30 minutes north of Rocky Bay.

Here we will go to Winkle Spruit first in the Amanzimtoti area.

Let's move up to Doonside Beach, still in the Amanzimtoti area.

Then we go the Amanzimtoti Beach.

Now let's go to Durban.

Let's stop over at Ansteys Beach in the Bluff first.

And a nice view over the ocean from the Bluff.

The Tidal Pool at Ansteys Beach in the Bluff.

Let's make a pit-stop in Durban and watch a passenger ship entering the harbour.

Let's move around the harbour and see what is to be seen in Wilson's Wharf.

Now we start moving up the North Coast, Umhlanga, just north of Durban.
A familiar site to many of you, as I love taking shots of this pier, the Whalebone Pier.