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I lived there for 15 years, loved it. Spent most of my hols in game reserves, there and in Namibaia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. I realise this is a little late, but perhaps it'll help others.
Photographic challenges are many... Dust is a huge problem. Keep things as clean as possible and clean your sensor often. For film cameras, take some compressed air/blower brush and clean it out regularly. Except at the beginning and end of the day, light is harsh and contrasty as well as very blue. Polarisers can help, but are generally not needed for skies - they're blue enough already. The contrast is a real problem, so frame tight and watch your exposures. More wide angle shots are, generally, best avoided dring the middle of the day. Bracketing's really worth while and also take a few versions of each shot - it's an expensive trip and a little camera shake can wreck an otherwise outstanding shot. It's not as if you can go back and re-shoot. If you get a cool, cloudy day, there's little contrast and shots are very flat and cold. Warm ups will help. Sunsets/rises are generally stunning and you should make a point of looking for them. Much of the landscape potential (and there's lots) is determined by the positition of the sun. It's usually worth assessing a shot, then working out when the sun will be in the right place and coming back for it. May not be possible on holiday, of course. Lots of lovely opportunities in the cape, make a point of shooting Table Mountain from Blouberg Strand across the bay. The botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch are great for flowers and birds. Wildlife is a must - long lenses (generally) but watch the light. Don't foget the birds, there are hundreds of species, from the little waxbills to the eagles and vultures. Many of them are very colourful (blues, reds, yellows, greens etc.) and when you're sick and tired of looking at yet another lion lying in the grass, waiting for it to move, shoot a few birds instead. Be ready for action - travel with the camera switched on and easy to grab. If you've an older manual camera, wind on after every shot, preset the exposure - it doesn't vary much except in the early hours - and practice grab, frame, focus and shoot - you should be able to get off a couple of good shots faster than the digital guys.... On films, the higher speeds are generally not needed in the day. In fact you may need ND filters to get the exposure correct above 200ISO. I used to shoot Kodachrome 25 most of the time with a 500 lens hand held, but braced against the car. Don't worry about a bean bag. Cradle the camera in your hands and brace against the car door. Breath out gently as you shoot. The pics will be sharp. In the game reserves, assuming that you're not travelling alone, when you see something, stop the car quietly, set the camera up, then get your passenger to turn the engine off. Shoot. Not only does this stop camera shake from engine vibration, but it often makes the animal look up to see why it's suddenly gone quiet.... Too often they're so busy feeding that you miss the face... Stay for a few hours at the waterholes. Animals come and go. Watch the bush to see the animals approach it. A giraffe will often spend over an hour coming down to drink, making sure there are no predatrs around. Buffalo and elephant, just come straight in, sometimes at the run... I could go on, but that's enough. Just don't get so tied up in the pictures that you forget to experience the bush and wild life... Kev
March 29, 2005
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