Take Your Pic

JOIN OUR PHOTOGRAPHY COMMUNITY

THE TEAM

IN THE MAGAZINE

Send your best travel and nature photos to takeyourpic@gomag.co.za – we might publish your shot in the Take Your Pic section and you could win the monthly prize.

ON INSTAGRAM

When you upload a photo, use the hashtag #menseselense – check the spelling, many people incorrectly tag “menselense”. Also tag @gomagsa and @menseselense. This way we’ll see your photo and might share it on our pages.

ONLINE COURSE

Improve your photography skills at home – visit takebetterphotos.gomag.co.za and do our online course! It costs R950 once-off and you can do the modules in your own time.

PHOTO WORKSHOPS AND TOURS

We host full-day or weekend photography workshops, and photography tours. Keep an eye on the magazine and Facebook for dates.

SHOOT WITH THE SUN. Position yourself so that the sun shines from behind you onto the subject you are photographing.

USE BACKLIGHTING TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. Photography is full of exceptions to the rule. We’ve just told you to shoot with the sun, but in Willie’s photo the light is actually shining from behind the buffalo. This is called backlighting and it’s what makes the photo so striking. Backlighting often goes hand in hand with rim lighting, which is when the outline of your subject glows brightly (like the mane of a lion) when lit from behind.

Here’s another cool thing that happens when the sun is low in the sky: It picks up particles in the air like dust and moisture, which can add a sense of drama to your scene.

CLOUDY WEATHER. On a bright day, the contrast between the skin of a dark animal like a buffalo and the sunlit parts of a scene can become too great, making the exposure difficult to juggle. This also applies when you’re shooting an area in shadow, like under a tree. Some parts of the photo might appear too bright or too dark, and in both cases you sacrifice detail.

On a cloudy day, the light is more even and you’ll see better detail on the skins of animals like buffalo, elephant and hippo. Try it out!

WHAT IS “GOLDEN LIGHT”? At the Olympic Games, the medal you want to win is the gold medal, and in photography the best kind of light is golden light. Photographers talk about terms like “the golden hour” in hushed tones because it’s so valuable. The first hour after sunrise and the hour or so before sunset usually gives you golden light. Take most of your photos during this time and you’ll see immediate results – it’s like a magic potion!

WHAT IS “HARD LIGHT”? The sun can be harsh in the middle of the day, which can lead to strong contrast between the dark and light parts of your scene, making good photographs harder to take. Rather have a nap in your camp chair during the heat of the day until the softer, golden light returns.

SILHOUETTE. You don’t need much light for a silhouette photo – at least not light falling onto your subject. Take your exposure reading according to the sky behind your subject. An orange sky, just as the sun is setting, is ideal silhouette territory.