A Vincent Mounier Photography Blog
Echo Beach
September 13, 2025
On Echo Beach, waves make the only sound
On Echo Beach, there's not a soul around
From nine to five, I have to spend my time at work
My job is very boring, I'm an office clerk
The only thing that helps me pass the time away
Is knowing I'll be back at Echo Beach someday
Martha and the Muffins - Echo Beach
The Good, the Bad and Ugly
Having posted multiple times about hummingbirds, I will not repeat myself other than to say they are tiny, pretty, fragile, incredibly resilient and very beneficial to their ecosystem.
Our mantids, on the other hand, are mostly invasive and appear to bear a mixed reputation. Sure, they pray on pest insects, but they also eat others that we are desperately trying to protect, such as bees and pollinators, or even flower flies, themselves supposed to control aphids. ...
Skimmers
September 7, 2025
What an extraordinarily precarious existence—spending one's life skimming the surface of not-always-so-calm bodies of water in hopes of catching a small fish, insect or crustacean, by touch!
Notice the razor-thin bill, designed to offer minimal resistance to the water while providing adequate chances of success, or at least that's what the instruction manual said. I bet some of those birds would like a refund. But mother nature is a tough business partner.
Black Skim...
Southern Hemisphere Feathers
September 1, 2025
On a recent trip, from Kirstenbosch to Nieuwoudtville, my long lens was kept busy.
Orange-breasted Sunbird
The Dancers
August 11, 2025
Coincidently hopping on a ferry to and from Governors Island last night with Marie as the Jazz Age Lawn Party was wrapping up, I was reminded of this shot I took there back in 2023 and which I'm quite fond of.
Them socks!
Kindness
July 9, 2025
There is kindness left in humankind, its occurrence inversely proportional to the proximity of power and wealth.
The carer
The poor malformed or injured bird tucked closer to the man was receiving particular attention.
"You ok, there?"
Seascapes
June 28, 2025
For this second X-Pan format series, we retain the aquatic element but take a step back and switch from a long telephoto lens to a wide angle, and a more contemplative approach.
One struggles to find a vertical dimension in these images, because rarely is there one at sea. They are an ode to the immensity of our world—although we only occupy a waffle-thin layer on its surface.
Jetties of the Kalk Bay harbour
"Now bring me that horizon"
Capt. Jack Sparrow
South African Tones and Textures
June 14, 2025
Friendly local ambassador on the very western edge of the Karoo, a land of red and ochre.
Southern Rock Agama, or at least I think it is...
Mighty Waves
May 17, 2025
First in a series of panoramic images, here are the waves of Cape Point. Most are in the XPan format, a digital spin on the old Hasselblad film format, extremely well suited for landscape and panoramic photography.
They were taken at or near the Cape of Good Hope, Africa's symbolic—if not geographic*—southernmost tip. A lonely but magical place of dreams and history, if we omit its recent touristic penchant. To the south, nothing but ocean until one reaches Antartica, s...
Breathless
March 11, 2025
A year ago exactly, Marie and I were wrapping up the South of France tour, perched in our Vence pied-à-terre as I melancholically embraced my tristesse of leaving the Mediterranean shimmer behind.
So much has happened since, yet so little. As someone very smart was just commenting, it just seems like each new year weighs a little heavier. I still look up to the year-long hike with great delight, but I swear that the backpack of life is harder to lift off the ground and ...
Having Some Fun
February 25, 2025
Near Montauk last weekend, I watched the playful seaside banter of a family of deer tremendously enjoying their beach time and the waves. This was through a long telephoto lens and once they had come closer, they kept a respectful distance but it was charming to see the animals having such a blast on an early morning...
The playful bunch