DJ 111015 56
Oct, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I am a self-taught photographer living in Johannesburg South Africa and this photo was taken on a family photoshoot at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens in Johannesburg. It is a beautiful venue which showcases a myriad of South Africa's finest indigenous plants, flowers and trees. The natural vegetation of the area is known as the 'Rocky Highveld Grassland' and consists of a mosaic of grassland and savanna. The variety of habitats accommodates over 600 naturally occurring plant species. A breeding pair of majestic Verreaux's Eagles nest on the cliffs alongside the waterfall and the Garden is home to an abundance of wildlife with over 220 birds species recorded on site. This is one of my favourite venues to take photos alongside awe inspiring Mother Nature at her best!Time
Taking photos in sunny South Africa can become quite a challenge as the heat and intensity of the summer sun can get quite tricky to harness correctly during shoots. I tried to time this shot in the later part of the afternoon when the sun emits warmer light, placing the shadows in better positions to capture the right amount of light and dark balance for a black and white shot. Considering the heat of this beautiful Johannesburg summer day in October 2015, my models managed to keep their cool looking gorgeous as ever.Lighting
I am a sucker for natural light as shooting in the outdoors with people in nature inspires ever neutron to fire in my body. I am so proud of my beautiful country as we have some of the most amazing coastlines, bushveld, mountain ranges, fauna and flora. What a better way to showcase South Africa to the world than capturing special moments with people in these amazing places.Equipment
As I am a self-taught photographer and have only been taking photos for just over 2 years now, I barley use anything other than my camera. I can usually be found lying around in some vegetation somewhere trying to get the perfect shot.Inspiration
There is something about the vast array of textures in nature that really inspires me. I was eyeing out this field the minute we arrived at the gardens and knew immediately that I had to get a few shots there. My love of black and white photos also draws me to textures, as nothing showcases textures like black and white. I wanted to capture a natural shot of mother and daughter enveloped in the luscious grassy hues. I think the tickling of the reeds definitely assisted in achieving the end result..Editing
I try and keep my photos as natural as possible. I use a basic editing suite to alter small details if required like lighting, colour and texture. In this instance I changed a colour photo into black and white and altered a bit of lighting, contrast and shadows.The more natural, the better!In my camera bag
A girl always needs her essentials and I never leave home without my foundation (Sony DSLR) and make-up (Portrait lens) with a touch of fragrance (Standard lens) and a back up outfit (extra memory card) cause you never know when you are going to need it.Feedback
I always maintain that too much thought inhibits creativity so instead of a plan, shoot from the hip and make it up as you go along. Play around with different outdoor settings, textures and lighting and most of all have fun. The majority of the most beautiful masterpieces all just happened spontaneously and by having fun and experimenting, your visions are bound to erupt into something astounding when least expected.
