The children have officially been on holiday for a week now. Joachim has already been on holiday since mid-June … In any case, Gwen and I are also on holiday with the kids for 3 weeks (only two left after this first week). We took the opportunity to spend this first week in the west of the island. A friend was kind enough to rent us his house while he was away. The house has direct access to the beach. You should know that Réunion Island is in the southern hemisphere and that July and August mean winter here. Ok southern winter, but winter all the same…

The water is colder and so is the air. But it’s still over 20°C during the day in the sun and it’s great for sunbathing. It was even warm enough for us to go for a dip and say hello to the fish. I just went out with my mask and was able to see trumpet fish, a lion fish, coris clown fish, triggerfish, trunkfish, etc. not far from the shore. If the water was that cold, I wouldn’t have stayed in it so long! We had planned a little trip on a boat to see the whales. Last year was a year to remember, as these large mammals were seen in great numbers. This year is likely to be even better! It’s simple, they’re everywhere! You sit down on the beach, pay close enough attention and watch the horizon beyond the coral reef: there’s a whale jumping! You go for lunch at a straw hut: there’s another whale doing its thing. You’re strolling along the jetty: whale in the distance! No, I’m not exaggerating. It really happens. Even from where we were staying, you could see them in the distance.

But this time we planned a boat trip to get up close and personal with them. I took along my Fuji XE2 and my 55-200mm to try and get some close-ups. Well, we saw quite a few, but very few were willing to make the super jump so that I could immortalise them. No, in fact, it was a cold shower. It’s really hard to photograph and it’s quite unpredictable. Maybe I don’t have the best camera for this kind of photography. It’s much harder than photographing animals in the Kruger Park! Here are a few photos I took during our stay in South Africa to prove that I’m not a one-armed man.

At sea, it was a big flop! Only one whale deigned to grace us with a leap and by the time I’d moved the camera in the right direction and focused, it was already too late! I just managed to photograph the back of a whale that passed not far from us. I must be the worst wildlife photographer ever.

Nat Geo Wild must be laughing at my whale shots. I can safely say that I’m much better on the streets with just my Ricoh GRD IV. I went to take some photos during my stay in the west on the port. I’d gone to read an article by Jean Perenet, a photographer who, like me, loves the GR and lives by the sea. I raved about his photos of the seaside. I’ve always found ports and quays very photogenic. I find these places very authentic. These places are changing because the fishing trade is disappearing. So I went to hang around the port of Saint Gilles to do a bit of street photography. You’d have to spend a lot more time to capture the soul of this place. Early in the morning when the last fishing boats left. Be there when they return… In short, no time. Still, I’m on holiday and spending time with the kids and family. So I snapped away as I usually do and I’m pretty happy with what I brought back. A bit of street photography and lots of photos of the kids having fun.

All in all, a good first week’s holiday. On Tuesday, we set off again, this time with a rucksack for a hike in the Mafate circus. It’s a different kind of trip, but I love it. We’re going for a walk and the children are looking forward to getting out on the hiking trails. Throughout my youth, I can count on the fingers of a leper’s hand the number of times my parents took my sister and me to the beach? On the other hand, we often went hiking. That’s why I’d much rather spend time in the mountains than sunbathing on a beach. Gwen and the kids like both, but I’m more into the mountains! I hope the weather will be kind so I can document this little trip to the Mafate circus! Oh yes, before I wrap up this week’s Street Shots.

All the photos were made with the Ricoh GRD IV except the animals ones (Fuji XE2 | 55-200 mm)