Sunrise special

Waiting for the sun to rise always holds the promise of a special photo, as of Simon’s Town proves here.

“I took this photo from the famous Boyes Drive, from where you look out over Muizenberg’s beach. That morning, I wasn’t the only photographer with the same idea: by the time I arrived, many people had their cameras ready.”

The angle from which you take your photo can make the difference between an average photo and one that’s special.

Looking at Charl’s photo, it feels almost like he’s sitting in an aircraft, and there’s a sudden awareness of patterns you don’t see every day. The reflection of the sun adds to this by accenting the waves.

The sun, the horizon and the reflection are all around the centre lines. This can easily result in a monotonous photo. But when you add a dynamic element, you get the opposite effect.

In this pic, we have two such elements. Firstly, in your mind’s eye, you can see the waves rolling toward the land – they give the photo energy, and you pay attention for longer to the detail. And secondly, the photo consists mainly of shades of warm colours. The blue sky therefore creates a quiet colour contrast that neatly balances the photo as the waves keep rolling.