Tag Archives: Murchinson Falls NP

Site under construction

Dear all,

First of all, I would like to apologize for missing out on posting last week. Having spent slightly over a week in the deeps of the Red Sea made it impossible for me though to actually post and hey, this has to remain fun, it shouldn’t become yet another thing I have to do 😉

So, here we go. One of the issues that kept me for long from setting up a site has been the actual act of developing one, while having no idea how to go about it. And actually, there’s only good news when it comes to this matter, since it’s made easy and straightforward, no need of getting into fancy/complicated programmes .

Basically there are 3 main steps: 1) look for a host for your site, 2) choose a name that is not yet taken, and 3) install a designing programme after which you are basically ready to go.

Myself, on the advise of a friend, got my site hosted by Antagonist. Easy and straightforward, good value and no hidden costs. So far, so good, it has proven to be a good choice for me, yet again, feel free to ask around or to shop around on the web, there are plenty of options out there.

Once you have decided on a host, you get to what is probably the toughest part, to find a name that isn’t taken yet and which reflects what you want to show and share. On the Antagonist site, you can easily check whether the name you want to use has been taken, and this for the main domains: .com, .org, … Going through different options, you’d be surprised what is already out there. Key for us was to make clear it was about sharing, photography, nature and wildlife, and then the search starts, wildnaturejourney, journeyintothewild, wildpix, nature-untamed, … we eventually ended up with picsfromthewild a name that reflects our intentions well.

Once this is decided upon and your payment for the hosting is done, you can install all you need by following the installation instructions and by installing a design programme directly on your site: WordPress and Joomla are the most commonly used ones. From a quick internet search, I chose WordPress and havn’t looked back since: easy to use, nice themes (the way your blog/site is built up), lots of interesting plugins (visitor counters, contact pages, … they’ve all been developed before, no need for you to re-invent them), …

OK, I’ll leave it at that, in case you have questions or comments, please feel free to point and shoot.

Still having to make up for big cat shots, please find a classic one for the road

Canon 350D, Canon 75-300 @ 300mm, 1/500, f/7.1, ISO 400

All the best,

Guy

 

There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path

Dear all,

In this week’s post, I will reflect a little, starting with a quote from the late Steve Jobs: “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” STEVE JOBS (2005)

For Mr. Jobs, it all started with the laptop in this picture. Far from a desirable item (although I must admit that having one in your possession now would be quite desirable). This all started in his shed, great ideas, bold decisions, endless determination, … and over a period of 20 years it turned him into the visionary that changed the way the world thinks about computers and mobile phones, running a company that produces some of the most desirable items.

Live life people, don’t keep on pondering wheter it is left or right you should go, as the carmine bee-eaters in the next picture.

Canon 350D, Canon 75-300 @ 300 mm, 1/500, f/11, ISO 200

Instead, follow your heart and go with your gut feeling, just like the lions in the following picture (just realized I had no cats up yet, more coming). It will not betray you, and in case it would, remember that 3 times right is also left and that as Morpheus stated in the Matrix trilogy: ‘There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path’!

Canon 7D, Canon 70-200 L IS USM f/2.8 @ 200mm, 1/80, f/5, ISO 1600

This being said, next week I’m off diving the Red Sea with one of my best friends, who by the way just made a courageous decision to move jobs, despite the fancy offers done by his former employer. The righteous kind of person, the type you want at your side when the water column above you becomes non recrational 😉

Go with your gut feeling, enjoy the ride and talk again next week,

Guy