Rise and shine
The early bird catches the worm... And a beautiful sunrise (or sunset) with a camera.
Morning glory
When she visits the Kgalagai Transfrontier Park she’s up at the crack of dawn, says Elsie van der Walt from Witbank.
“We recently visited the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and camped in the Botswana side. One morning we were up early again and drove past a dead tree next to the road. Perched on the tree was a group of vultures. The sun was just rising as we pulled over, and I was ready with my camera. As the sun was edging out further, the vultures were preening quietly on the branches. While they were busy with their feathers, you couldn’t clearly distinguish the birds’ outlines against the sunrise. I waited for them to lift their heads and took a few photos to make sure I got one where you could see them clearly.”
go! Drive & Camp says Sunrise and sunset photos are almost like sweets: There are no bad ones, but just like not everyone likes sour worms, people’s taste also differ in terms of these types of landscape photos. The interpretation of photos like this are quite subjective, but there are a few important factors that will mean the difference between good and great: from the composition right through to the exposure. With photos like these the sun (if it’s not behind the horizon) is the focal point, but only having a bright dot on the photo isn’t enough. Interesting detail – like the outlines of the birds and the dead tree on Elsie’s photo – causes your eye to move from one detail to the next to take in all the information. Elsie’s composition is also clever: The tree and sun – which take up about only a quarter of the photo – balances out all the negative space (the empty parts on the left).
Calm after the storm
You go camping with your family, friends, fishing rods and camera, says André Smith from Krugersdorp. “My family and I went camping and fishing with a group of friends at the Roodekoppies Dam outside of Brits. That night a hectic storm hit, but the next morning we were greeted by calmness and silence – and one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen.”
go! Drive & Camp says
Whose family album doesn’t have at least one sunrise or sunset photo in it? A beautiful sunrise or sunset is like a rainbow: a headturner. Many people’s natural reaction is to take a photo of it. It’s no masterpiece but it’s special to you because it brings back happy memories. If you look at André’s photo, you’ll see the serenity, especially after his story of the storm the night before. André could have given the photo a bit more kick, though, and have used his zoom to crop the frame closer around the trees (left) and the sun (with its reflection).