A Banger Rally - To Banjul

Ok, so we actually planned to go to Mali, but you know things happen.

Anyway, here is my little hexus story, there are about some 112 photos here, so I'll start telling the story as I get a round to it. You can cheat by looking ahead in the folder, but I'll still be sad that you did.

also you can donate here http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund...l=BangerTheory if you have even just £1 to spare, it helps. So far for all charities we're close to raising £2,500 so please help us hit 3!.

Our Car, a MK2, damn I hated it.

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We set off at Plymouth
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France and Spain were kinda boring, here's the ferry from Talifra to Tangir at Dawn
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(play some Toto)

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Tea at customs, 50cents extortionately priced, but somewhat civilised, in the background that funny looking box is my patent pending (when I get round to filing it) dixie horn control system. Mounted on Velcro so you can hand the box out the window to some kids.

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Nick ticks off the completed countries.

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Thats why our handbreak wasn't very good.....

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We set off for a drive to Fez via the northern mountains, its hot and people are drinking plenty of water, when our 4 car convey makes a stop, the lads need to relieve themselves, how many can you see pissing in this picture?

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Womans Work!

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Chefchaouen, a lovely place in the hills.

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They spoke no french or english only arabic. Somehow we managed to order food.

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The new town in Fez meets the Old town.

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INTERNETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111!

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Not quite a widows walk (well they wouldn't allow that anyway, woman in fez didn't have a good time unless your Jewish)

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Scaffolding!

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Tannary, where the name walker comes from apparently!

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All the smell of the rotting animal made us hungry for lunch.

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Play that cricket bat! (Shot at f2.8 with little light whilst been hassled!)

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Religious school courtyard.

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I thought it suited him.

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The shiney shop!

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A place for sparrows and such.

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Some plaster art on the roof.

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New years dinner... Yummie! (the local wine grew on me after a few glasses!)

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HAPPY NEW YEAR.

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View from the roof.

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The fire dancer, the flash gun did not flatter her. (she actually had quite a few burn scars....)

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The Bumblebee Tuna team head out on the toll road to Rabbat to get our Mauritanian visas.

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We're completely lost, but I completely don't care.

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If anyone wants a ready made location for a zombie flick, pm me, we found it for you.

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The suizie breaks down.

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Hole in the exhaust you say?

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Fast forward a few days, we're now on the road from Marrakesh heading to Agadir via the infamous Tiz-n-Test mountain pass. This one taken whilst the road service was still good.

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A little mountain town. Sadly as the map I was using was some hand drawn thing from a Gaundame (we were on a diversion) which I'd photographed quickly with my 16mm, I've no idea its name. Should look it up from the geo trace actually....

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The bumble bee boys with their awesome looking car (leather seats too, lucky SOBs) next to our golf, with our increasingly dodgy looking rear shocks.

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And we've broken down. Turns out we were only 15km away from someone with a spare fuel pump. Have to give it to Moroccan friendlyness and the nice mechanic in Asni, who only massively overcharged us :S (£100!)

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The sun starts to set on the pass.

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I'm in love with this road, but alas I'm also driving, with my co-driver getting anctious about nightfall, we can't stop for photos.

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What lies ahead!

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With our new fuel pump and freshly sucked clean carb, we able to run ahead of the group and do drive bys!

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"Because the dessert had turned to sea, There were plants and birds, and rocks....."

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Sun rises on a cold Saraharn night, part of my 'shot at 1/800 because we daren't here, its just not safe' collection.

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DONKEY! Our C64 fan appears scared.

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Singalong folks!

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A nice stretch of completely deserted (BOOM BOOM!) road, might as well make a formation.

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I'm DRIVING! And stupid enough to hand a DSLR of the window between two cars moving at 80kph..... Oh and hand it back too.

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When going to piss in an active minefield go up to the shell of a burnt out car, thats sensible isn't it?!
Jeff I hope your mother never sees this one.

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Inside Mauritania now, all I can hear is John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra.

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YEY we weren't the first to get stuck in the sand :D

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They can smell sweeties I hear!

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Getting some practice on the beach.

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She looks kinda majestic there.

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Thats the whole gang, 8 cars, 18 people, and our guide.

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Some people needed more sand driving practice than others.

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Sun sets on our camp site, we've hired some tents.
My tripod head has gone missing at this point, so say hello to 128,000 ISO on the k-5.

The next day we break down, burst a radiator hose, it breaks the charging system for the gopro.
I've no pictures of this as I had to actually do some work rather than prance about with the camera.

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A few of us gather for a morning beer in the watch tower at Zebra Bar in Senegal.

We decide to take a boat up the rivier. I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one.

I'd never taken many pictures of birds before, I had only my Tamron 18-250mm to use, I think I've developed a taste for bird photography.

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See yourself in Jeffs Eyes.

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They are big birds actually.

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MINE.

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Schools out!

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Somebody can't hold it in any longer, and refuses to piss over the side (no idea why his highness didn't).

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We're been watched.

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We arrive in St. Louis, they send out the welcome party.

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Art gets the goat.

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Didn't find out what all the hubbub was about.

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I've watched an episode of top gear!

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I wanted a wallpaper picture :D

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I'll be honest, I was hoping for a gust of wind. I have evil thoughts.

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Kids going fishing.

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Goat and the setting sun.

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Ah a bird I recognise, an African Kingfisher!
(yes I know nothing about wildlife)

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A bit of co-operation needed!

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Done for the day I think.

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Pulling in the nets.

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I loved these diving birds, I've about 50 pictures of them like this before they hit the water, and 50 of a little splash with no bird visible.
They move damned fast!

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Stealth Bird, flys low in ground effect to keep under your radar.

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Fast Mover Inbound.

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The boating gang.

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Ah good old Cokin graduated ND and a B+W CPL!

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A careful disembarking.

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The sun there sets so fast, when you try to set up a shot, its gone.

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3,200 ISO, love the k-5.

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Can't decide which aspect I like more.

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Dawn from the Zebra Bar watch tower. Worth getting up for, plus my roommate was snoring.

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Shanty huts, from my 80kph collection.

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They always put good asphalt for the villages then 5km later it vanished.
My theory was to stop the donkey from leaving.
This theory was widely condemned by my peers.

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I think someone was going faster than 90kph.

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Oh yeah we lost a head lamp, kinda my bad, put the car in a spin on a sand dune,
lost 25l from the roof and I now know what Nick sounds like when he thinks he's going to die.

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I prefered this track, no nasty pot holes, but with our rear shocks now completely gone it was a bugger to keep on top of the rear trying to come out.

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The suzie breaks down again, Nick tries to entertain the locals (one of whom is chilling like a boss!)
They become quite disappointed he has no bonbons left!

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Lennie, not a bright spark from the plugs.

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The more mechanics, the better.

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I was amazed by how some of the kids liked to pose!

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The girl with the golden hair thing dominated my eye when framing these photographs,
but she didn't want to pose for me, must learn better french.

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She agrees to let me take one, then turns away, but she seemed to like it anyway.
Who are we to say photographs should have your face in.

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With the whole village helping they get going again.

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In to the dust we head.

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A troup of monkies! Sadly I gave the wrong lens to Nick for this shot, lost all detail.

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Ah a dinner in our honer, well its about damned time!
They where very kind hosts, we donated the cars to the plymouth banjul foundation.
(They actually did charge us for dinner, but the chef did stay up till 2am waiting for us then when I thanked him he simply thanked us for leaving the cars for the charity of his town).

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Yes this is the best picture :(

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Part of the gang.

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I loved their stickers. (On the car before any were needed!)

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Ah goats need some fuel!

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Who wants one?

And that's it for now.

Travel Photography I really enjoy, thou this trip was very different from the landscape I normally practice. Any tips, suggestions, critiques, questions welcome.

If anyone wants one of the wallpaper images, feel free to PM me, I will of course look over the donations list before replying ;)

I honestly can never be arsed with holiday pics, I wasn't there so they mean little to me, but this I found fascinating I found myself getting a bit lost in a fair few scenes up there.

Was it all shot with the 18-250 then? Mighty impressed, I'm heading out to New York for a week in May then a week in the Bahamas from there and I've been having an ongoing debate about whether I can honestly be arsed to take my 70-200 and the 17-55. I'm not one for faffing about changing lenses on holiday, it detracts from what I'm actually there for, to enjoy where I am. Hence my thoughts on a 'travel superzoom'. Still, quite a costly option for something I'd only use on our jollies once a year or so. Hmmmmm. The debate rages on.

The night shot over the rooftops is the one for me.... stunning, actually any chance i can have a decent res one to turn into a wall paper?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rox0r

I honestly can never be arsed with holiday pics, I wasn't there so they mean little to me, but this I found fascinating I found myself getting a bit lost in a fair few scenes up there.

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Thanks, I think I still have quite a few which are 'telling the story' rather than beautiful, so to speak.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rox0r

Was it all shot with the 18-250 then? Mighty impressed, I'm heading out to New York for a week in May then a week in the Bahamas from there and I've been having an ongoing debate about whether I can honestly be arsed to take my 70-200 and the 17-55. I'm not one for faffing about changing lenses on holiday, it detracts from what I'm actually there for, to enjoy where I am. Hence my thoughts on a 'travel superzoom'. Still, quite a costly option for something I'd only use on our jollies once a year or so. Hmmmmm. The debate rages on.

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All the birdies were! Which considering its a fairly old no IS/OS Tamron 18-250, thats really not bad going. But that k-5 was helping with its in body shake reduction, and very nice ISO. I have however bought a 150-500mm because you know what, turns out I'm in to birds, and want to do some proper stuff.

For the trip I had my Sigma 4.5mm fish eye, 16-50mm f2.8 DA* lens, with B+W CPL which people seem to either love or hate, and the Tamron. I stripped everything by mistake in Lightroom, sometime next weekend I'll reupload with exif so you can see which is which.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MaddAussie

The night shot over the rooftops is the one for me.... stunning, actually any chance i can have a decent res one to turn into a wall paper?

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The one from fez?

What colour space does sir run? (aRGB sRGB?)

Looked an exciting trip! When did it happen and how long was it for??

Regarding the pictures were they processed from RAW(I assume they are since you used Lightroom)??

How did the K5 and 16-50MM hold up to the dusty conditions?? It looks a nice travel combo.

We set off on the 26th of December from Plymouth, took us until the 12th to reach Gambia.

the k5 and the DA* lenses are just made for this stuff, the fine Sarahan sand, no worry at all, I thought beforehand I'd be needing a proper service, but nope, perfect.

The sigma 4.5mm I was scared, and only changed in the car, with the windows up, the fans off and even then a little bit paranoid about using it. The Tamron I just decided "Nuts to it, its too beautiful to miss out on" so used it on the boat :D.

Only the 16-50mm is weather sealed. I have actually taken it under the spray of a waterfall whilst drunk. Nothing wrong with it at all. Thou the loverly CPL needs a good going at with the shammy.

Oh and ninja edit, yes all shot in RAW.

The K5 is a lovely piece of kit - just checked even the cheapo 18-55mm kit lens is weather proof too. All that for under £750. I need to get saving! :D

I've got a k20d with the new 18-55mm for sale if your interested, and live near London!

I need to fund my 150-500mm lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheAnimus

I've got a k20d with the new 18-55mm for sale if your interested, and live near London!

I need to fund my 150-500mm lol.

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It seems the Bigma has skyrocketed in price!! I have the older 135-400MM APO which is fun to use, but has the focusing speed of an asthmatic badger.

BTW,SRS Microsystems has the 150-500MM on offer for £599:

http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/492...er=Froogle.csv

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/20070...Types&var=sbar