Tourism Guide Africa Travel Guide Oct - Dec 2018 Edition

BEGINNERS GUIDE TO TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
WORDS AND PICTURES BY CINDY BESTER
T
ravel Photography to
me is one of the most
rewarding categories of
photography. Traveling
is exciting as you get to see and
experience all the beautiful places
in the country and the world, and
what is more exciting is capturing
all those beautiful scenes with your
camera. I never leave home without
my camera.
Traveling around your country or going
overseas is always an awesome
experience, discovering new places
and towns you have never been to.
When I travel I don’t always just take
photographs, I also enjoy visiting
places of interest and museums. It’s
always good to learn about a town
or country you have visited.
You don’t need top of the range
equipment when taking travel
photos, most cameras take good
images, even mobile phones are
used today. It’s more about how
you take the photo, where you stand,
and your location to finding the best
view point, your lighting also plays
a very important roll. I’ve been taking
landscape photos for the past
6 years and I have discovered that
your best time to take a landscape
or travel photograph is early morning
or late afternoon when the light
is at its best. Midday photos are
normally slightly bland. The best
time to capture a sunrise is about
30 minutes before the sun rises and
for sunset it’s normally about 15
minutes after the sun has set, that’s
when you get the best light.
I specialise in Landscape Photography
so finding beautiful scenes
in and around a town or city is my
main aim. I always have someone
with me to do the driving so that
I can concentrate on the scenery
around me. You have to find the
best view point and sometimes it’s
difficult to reach because the terrain
can be quite rugged. I’ve had to do
a lot of climbing to get to a suitable
spot to capture an image, it’s really
not easy but always rewarding, once
you’ve captured the image.
If you want the best photos, you
have to be dedicated and willing, for
example if you want to capture a
sunrise photograph over the ocean,
you will have to set your alarm for
3am, pack your gear and head down
to the beach. I have done this many
times and it’s not so easy to get up
in the morning at that hour, especially
in the winter. But once you
there and admire the vibrant colours
of sunrise and the beauty there of,
it’s absolutely amazing. After I’ve
captured a few shots and downloaded
them onto my computer and
scanned my photos, I normally feel
quite satisfied and feel it was worth
the effort.
Everyone has their own style when
taking photos and that’s perfectly
fine, but there are a few pointers
to keep in mind when taking
landscape images. Always have a
tripod handy, it keeps your camera
stable when you are capturing at a
slower shutter speed. I always use
my tripod when capturing sunrise
as it’s still quite dark before sunrise.
It allows enough light in and makes
your image more vibrant. Always
keep your “rule of thirds” in mind as
it is rather important when capturing
landscapes, either more sky when
the sky is more vibrant than the
foreground and vice versa.
Happy snapping...
TOURISM GUIDE AFRICA TRAVEL GUIDE
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TOURISM GUIDE AFRICA TRAVEL GUIDE
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