Sondela_nz's photostream  

Sondela_nz's favorite photos from other Flickr members (2,410)

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Testimonials (3)

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  conwest_john says:

  "Sondela_nz describes herself as 'not a morning person.' Which thank god for us means she's there to capture the sunsets on Waikuku Beach. And that's not a spelling error. Waikiki Beach is the one with all the people. Waikuku is almost virgin territory - though New Zealanders wouldn't appreciate that word, since they think of themselves as an independent country - and nobody's virgin.
  
  'gulls at sunset' is easily the most subtle sunset photograph I've seen. 'seafog sunset', 'seafog sunset 2', and 'sunsetmoon rising Okains Bay' are examples of not only how to fill vertical landscapes, but to brilliantly include sunsets as well - something I've rarely seen and never done as well. 'Okains Bay seafog sunrise' (!?!) offers us a dawn breaking above the fog and beneath even more layers of clouds, a sunrise that can stand with anybody's best sunset.
  
  And these sunsets arrive for us complete and unfettered by postprocessing and as the most spectacular sunsets I've seen, tied as they are to striking landscapes and weather which receive their share of Sondela_nz's appreciation (and talent) too. In fact the New Zealand countryside she offers us is as varied and stunning as that of some of the world's largest countries - but this is thanks also to Sondela_nz's singular eye.
  
  'seen in a mirror' is spectacular for many reasons, but has anybody seen ocean waters yield reflections like this? 'wavewalkers' gives us a lesson in composition - horses, riders, low tide and sidelighting. 'storm at sea Okains Bay, New Zealand' is a photograph stripped to its simplest elements of sea, land and weather. These photographs I've singled out are just a few among many others equally brilliant.
  
  Sondela_nz's first love is the African bush and the wildlife she grew up alongside of. And her wildlife paintings reflect her knowledge of these animals - their nature, their beauty, and the unyielding if bewildered spirit with which they face the loss of their habitat. Her paintings are as direct and unsentimental as her photographs.
  
  New Zealand lacks African wildlife, but they still have Sondela_nz, her wonderful gifts and these unique views she offers up. Her work shares the indomitable longings and spirit of her African wildlife - along with an impassioned though somehow tempered hope.
  
  Who wants to get up early anyhow? New Zealand's weather might not wait, but under Sondela_nz's lens her next view will be there for all of us. And it will prove timeless."

  7th February, 2008

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  retrorocketrick says:

  "I first met Michelle through our shared love of Photos. My wife and I had been to New Zealand the year before, and in fact had been in the Christ Church area where she lives. Unfortunately we did not know of her then. In addition to her great photographs Michelle is a very talented and accomplished Wildlife Artist. Her work is spread over many Continents. She works in a number of different mediums. She is originally from Zimbabwe, Africa and her beautiful wildlifes reflect her background growing up in the bush, among the wildlife she paints. If you have not visited her Web Site I encourage you to do so. It is www.sondelart.com/ She also does commission work. If you love African Art, hers is not to be missed!!"

  19th January, 2008

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  Hellsgeriatric  says:

  "I've only just discovered Michelle's work and it follows that I've never met her, but I've looked at the images on her Flickr pages and they are exquisite! In fact, I decided to stop awarding “Favs“ or giving out invitations because I felt that to do so would somehow diminish other equally beautiful images unless I commented on them too (if you see what I mean)."

  2nd January, 2008

Joined:

August 2007

Hometown:

Bulawayo Zimbabwe

I am:

Female

Occupation:

Artist and photographer

Website:

My website is :Michelle Clair, SondelArt - Freelance Design and Art