Tag Archives: dedication

Dedication 2

January 19, 2014 Andrew Harvard Leave a comment

If you are taking the time to read this post then please refresh yourself with Dedication 1 before continuing.

So as you would have now seen and read, HDR photography is not that easy and I have come a long way since attempt 1 in November 2012.

My post on 26 November 2012 stated: “One day I will look at my first two “HDR” photos and have a good chuckle!”. I am chuckling now (one year and two months later) and have done so in the past few months.

I believe that I am at least halfway to nearly three-quarters of the way there; there being when I surpass some of the HDR hotshots in the world.

Robin Sharma is partly to “blame”. He came to Durban on 27 July 2013. I attended his seminar and on the following Monday started waking up at 5 AM. Nothing really happened to start with. After a few weeks I started concentrating even more on my photography.

To continue with this story I have inserted an excerpt of an email I sent Robin Sharma: “The benefits of waking at 5 aren’t known until you actually wake at 5. Even then it still doesn’t click into place until you have a 5 o’ clock mission (something worthwhile to do).

I tried the reading thing and exercise. The latter worked well for me but not the former. Instead, I tried photography.

In summer in South Africa you have to get up at 3 AM if you want to travel and be setup for photos at 1st light.

My 5 o’clocks have now become 3 o’clocks on weekends if the weather plays game. Alternatively I turn on the computer and process photos. Both stimulate my creative juices and there’s a big bonus at the end if what I produce looks really cool.”

I went on to tell Robin that my photography has now met some measure of success, although I didn’t know at the time that three of my photos would soon place well in the VSS CREATIVE virtual camera club competition (more info here).

It’s been revealed that the TOP 10 of every month in every section will soon be published in the biggest “SA Creative Photography Book”.

I was taken aback when the photo below took 2nd place in November 2013.

Truthfully, I was gobsmacked when the photos below ripped 1st and 2nd place in the same category and month.

Hein Waschefort of VSS, and director of the Photographic Society of South Africa, commented that he believed that it was the first time that someone had taken the top two spots in the same category and month.

The gobsmacked was 99.9% from being judged “ahead” of what I saw to be some super-hot works of art published by other photographers.

The “hilarious” side:

Two of the photos were taken with my “old” Canon 550D camera that is now worth about ZAR 6,000.00 new. Only one photo was taken with my new Canon 6D which recently set me back ZAR 28,000.00.

As I said in Dedication 1: Have a lovely week at work and if the going gets a little tough remember: “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow” ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Bits & Pieces

It was really great to meet you Robin Sharma

July 27, 2013 Andrew Harvard Leave a comment

I identified this as a must-attend Durban event beforehand: “The Leader Who Had No Title” if one wanted to get overloaded with passion.

I was right, it was totally awesome!

Being seated inside the Olive Convention Centre, North Beach, Durban South Africa, shortly before the event started, I was smiling like a Cheshire Cat.

It was a certainty that that Robin Sharma would soon appear live on stage to share some of his magic.

The vibe was electrifying. It was wonderful to be amongst so many like-minded people in one big room.

The event was worth every single cent. A very valuable investment in #1, which would later benefit #2, #3…

We laughed our heads off, learnt a helluva lot, met each other, said “silly” things (not actually) to attendees alongside us and even gave one another short shoulder massages! Only at Robin’s event I suppose.

The 3 hours of Robin Sharma energy ended with him and I shaking hands, my shaky voice saying “Hi Robin, my name is Andrew. Thank you for coming to Durban” and getting his autograph on my notebook.

After that I treated myself to lunch on the beach overlooking a calm and beautiful Indian ocean. What an amazing day!

Take my advice and connect with Robin on his website or Facebook for some great motivation and ideas.

Listen to him right now (Complete audio-book of Robin’s #1 bestseller The Greatness Guide) right here if you want to give your life a golden edge.

As Robin said, if you want to achieve what only 5% of the people in the world have, then you need to do what only 5% of the people in the world do!

Bits & Pieces

Inspired by Facebook

July 19, 2013 Andrew Harvard Leave a comment

I watched a movie last night (The Social Network) and was hugely inspired.

Wikipedia reports: “The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich’s 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits.”

Before the movie ended, I was already on the internet checking for more information. It got my mind working overtime. I was in awe.

It was amazing for me to witness a young college student, with or without help, with foul play or not, take the world by storm (PS – I am not sanctioning foul play, if any).

This movie will surely suit those of you who already own a business or others who are thinking of starting one. Even employees will benefit.

It will hopefully show you that you can also think BIG and do GREAT THINGS!

Business Insider gives some information here and the movie review is here.

But forget all of that, trust me – just hire and watch the movie.

For a bit of humour, view The Social Network Poster Parody Parade.

Still on motivation, but closer to home. Here is another reminder for those in South Africa.

There is still time to be at this must-attend Durban event “The Leader Who Had No Title” if you want to get overloaded with passion. One week to go!

Book on Computicket or look here for a possibly better deal (but be quick).

If you can’t make it to the event, then connect with Robin Sharma on his website or via Facebook for some great motivation and ideas.

No time to read his top-class books then listen to some good advice, the Complete audio-book of Robin’s #1 bestseller The Greatness Guide, right here if you want to give yourself a winning edge!

Bits & Pieces

I’m going to have coffee with Robin Sharma

July 9, 2013 Andrew Harvard 2 Comments

This is a must-attend Durban event “The Leader Who Had No Title” if you want to get overloaded with passion.

If you can’t make it for coffee or don’t get an invite, then connect with Robin on his website or Facebook for some great motivation and ideas.

No time to read?

Listen to some good advice (Complete audio-book of Robin’s #1 bestseller The Greatness Guide) right here if you want to give your life a golden edge!

Bits & Pieces, Travel

The ultimate personal growth guide

September 2, 2012 Andrew Harvard 2 Comments

For a change, this post is not about food photography or travel.

However, the topic is a tool or medicine definitely needed by all three for there to be any measure of success.

Rewind: Timol, Roscoe and I are just back home from a weekend away. It was planned the day before we left.

The destination was an hour away on the Natal North Coast; a little cottage about 50 metres from the sea.

All cellular telephones, radios and televisions were turned off.

It was a weekend of beach walks, seashell collecting, fishing, reading, talking, sleeping and exploring the Old North Coast Road on the way home (with a stop-off at La Lucia to do some more fishing).

It was a good time to finish Who Will Cry When You Die? (Robin Sharma) and think about making one’s life far more meaningful.

I love a good old dose of motivation, a huge big dose on a regular basis to be more precise.

My favourite quote, or at least one of them I should say, is by Mary Anne Radmacher:

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”

Those words are so powerful and encouraging.

And when your little voice has spoken; and you are prepared to try again tomorrow, then grow your confidence with this from source unknown:

“Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle… when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”

Before I move out the spotlight, let me also share my top-two power tunes.

Some of the lyrics just get me buzzing with juiced-up powerful motivation.

I won’t reveal their identities in the hope that you will click, listen and also feel the positive energy:

Well now that I have hopefully set the mood, please take a good look at something I can only describe as a treasure chest of personal growth ammunition.

The ultimate personal growth guide by Goodlife Zen offers, among others, the following titles:

10 Answers You Should Know Before Your Job Interview
20 Tips that Got Me an IT Promotion
How to Start Freelancing Without Quitting Your Job
How to Lose Your Fear of Being Fired
How to Motivate Others
How to Make Lots of Money During a Recession
Man’s (Career) Search for Meaning
3 Areas You Must Invest in During a Recession
Fear of Flying: Facing the Fear of Success
10 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Job
Dead Man Working
Scaling Simplicity-Driven Entrepreneurship
Why I hope the Free Brigade is Wrong
The Business of Forgiveness
The Best Decline Letter of All-Time: Edmund Wilson
A 12 Step Strategy to Refit Your Blog to the Social Web in 2010

Click right here to see and read all 100 best posts!

I have saved the link for future use; for one day when I need that one article / idea that’s going to make all the difference.