Want to take photos of the spring flowers this year? Our readers show you how.

ROBYN GWILT

Canon 5D Mark III Canon lens 16 – 35 mm

ROBYN WRITES: We were on a gravel road somewhere on the Knersvlakte outside Vanrhynsdorp and I found a higher vantage point to emphasize the spread of vygies and daises at my feet. I decided to focus on the flowers in the foreground, which means that the Gifberg massif in the background is less sharp. This is intentional: The mountain may be blurry, but it’s still integral to the composition because it gives the viewer an idea of the location and helps to show scale. I love the spring flower season and always make a point of heading up north. The area around Vanrhynsdorp and Nieuwoudtville is stunning. The best advice I can give is to drive as far as time allows towards Namibia, then turn around and drive slowly back to Cape Town. This way the sun will be behind you as you drive and all the flowers will be facing you, instead of constantly having to check your rear-view mirror!

SHELLEY SAYS: I like that Robyn says she took this photo “somewhere on the Knersvlakte”. It’s true: Hunting for flowers can be disorientating. Driving up and down various gravel roads, it’s easy to lose track of where you snapped your pics. And that’s all a part of the adventure. The cloudy sky adds drama – it’s much more common to see flowers under a clear blue sky. Robyn’s decision to use a wideangle lens was also a good one, as was her decision to focus on the flowers in the foreground. By doing both of these things, she has emphasized the scale of the blooms and created depth. Great shot, Robyn! We’re on Instagram! Follow us and our sister mag Weg for travel and wildlife pics from all over: Search for @gomagsa and @menseselense