Landscape Photography

Cloud build-up over the Highveld

Views, , , , One comment
suikerbosrand17042005 001

I am never entirely sure which of my photographs will stand the test of time: the ones that I am always pleased to see again, no matter how often they have passed in front of my eyes via the screensaver on my laptop. This particular shot was taken 11 years ago at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve in Gauteng, and at the time I thought little of the fact that I experienced it as pleasing.  Now it puzzles me that I have grown to love it. I wonder what it is about this relatively simple composition that I find so enticing. Is it idiosyncratic, or would others find joy in it too? I often have huge skies in my photographs, because of an internal need for expansion, and this shot leaves me with a sense that I can stand next to that dark little bush on the edge and that the world will fall away and I will be able to see forever. 

Worcester, moon rise

Views, , , , , , Leave a comment
This photograph was made from the combination of the setting sun overlaid by a rising full moon. The ISO was set to 800, in spite of limited light available, to try and preserve the colour integrity of the evening. I put the camera down on a railing, overlooking the lake in the foreground, to prevent camera shake. It was taken with a 17-40mm wide angle zoom, set to 36mm, and the camera settings were f5.6, 1/500, -1.3 exposure compensation. The wide open aperture adds to the feeling of overall softness by reducing the overall sharpness of the details. Taken on a very cold night in Worcester, September 2012.

This photograph was made from the combination of the remaining light from the setting sun, overlaid by a rising full moon. The ISO was set to 800, in spite of limited light available, to try and preserve the colour integrity of the evening. I put the camera down on a railing, overlooking the lake in the foreground, to prevent camera shake. It was taken with a 17-40mm wide angle zoom, set to 36mm, and the camera settings were f5.6, 1/500, -1.3 exposure compensation. The wide open aperture adds to the feeling of overall softness by reducing the sharpness of the details in the landscape and sky. Taken on a very cold night in Worcester, September 2012.