South African Sunrises and Sunsets

There is something magical about that special time in the morning when the sun rises bright announcing a new day and again in the evening when it disappears below the horizon. Living in Atlanta, I struggle to find many places I can truly enjoy the beauty of a the sunrise and sunset. In April, I spent two weeks traveling across the country of South Africa. The trip started in Cape Town, then enjoyed a visit to the Winelands, a drive on the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth and ended in Kruger National Park. No matter where we were, the sunrises and sunsets were spectacular!

This blog post is a tribute to the beauty and magic of the many different sunrises and sunsets I experienced over a two week span.

Enjoy!

 
March 30, 2014 Sunrise
Simon’s Town overlooking False Bay

 

March 31, 2014 Sunrise
Simon’s Town overlooking False Bay

 

March 31, 2014 Sunset
Franschhoek, Winelands of South Africa

 

April 1, 2014 Sunset
Franschhoek, Winelands of South Africa

 

April 3, 2014 Sunset
Seaview, South Africa overlooking Indian Ocean

 

April 4, 2014 Sunset
Seaview, South Africa overlooking Indian Ocean

 

April 6, 2014 Sunrise
Seaview, South Africa overlooking Indian Ocean

 

April 9, 2014 Sunset
Kruger National Park

 

April 10, 2014 Sunrise
Kruger National Park

 

April 10, 2014 Sunset
Kruger National Park

 

April 11, 2014 Sunrise
Kruger National Park

 

April 11, 2014 Sunset
Sunset Dam near Lower Sabie, Kruger National Park

These images along with many others from the trip are available for sale on my website. Please feel free to peruse the gallery.

Basic Tips on Photographing Flowers

I visited Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground, GA, which is a little over an hour northeast of Atlanta, during their Daffodil Festival.  They estimate approximately 16-20 million daffodils displayed over 50 acres.  If you enjoy seeing nature come to life and the transition of winter into spring, this is a great place to visit.  I have to imagine if you visited the gardens once a month, each visit would be a completely different experience.  I can’t wait to go back when the rest of the gardens begin to bloom.

Below are a few images and basic tips to help you think a little differently the next time you are taking a photo of a flower.  Enjoy and happy spring!

“Hills in Bloom”  (f/5.6, 1/3200 second, ISO 125)

 

“In all Her Glory”  (f/8, 1/125 second, ISO 100)

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when trying to get the effect as seen above, a single flower in sharp focus and the background blurred.

• First, try to find a subject that has some distance from it’s background.  In nature, your subject may not always cooperate so it is important to also understand the next two points.
• The next step is to choose a larger aperture.  For this photo, I used aperture priority mode on my camera and set it to a larger aperture (smaller f/stop number).
• Another technique you can try is to use a lens with a longer focal length (a 200mm lens versus a 35mm lens).  With this technique, you will need more distance between your camera/lens and the subject to get the same angle or perspective you are hoping for.

 

“White on Blue”  (f/5, 1/2000 second, ISO 125)

Another very important tip to remember is to always think about different camera angles.  Instead of taking pictures always in the same position, standing up with camera at eye level like you see a majority of people doing, change your position.  For the photo above and below, I was laying on my belly, as close to ground as I could to get the proper angle.  I’m sure a few people probably gave me funny looks but I was able to achieve the angle I wanted with the blue sky in the background.

 

“Reaching for the Sun”  (f/8, 1/160 seconds, ISO 100)

 

“Brilliant Yellow”  (f/5.6, 1/800 seconds, ISO 125)

A last quick idea on how to create the image you see above.  ALWAYS pay attention to your lighting.  Lighting in a photography is everything!  The daffodil above is illuminated by the sunlight because I was able to get to an angle in which the sun was behind the flower lighting it up from the backside.

 

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Northern Michigan Snow

Over the holidays I was able to spend a day in one of my most favorite places in the world – our family cabin in the middle of the woods in Grayling, MI.  Grayling is a quiet little town a little over an hour south of the Mackinaw Bridge right off I-75.  Now that I live in Atlanta, it is very seldom that I get to see snow and I do miss it.  My trip up north offered up about 9 inches of beautiful white stuff with gorgeous blue skies.  This provided me the chance to play outside just about all day!

Started off the morning with a snowmobile ride.  Those of you that like to ride would love the miles and miles of groomed trails as well as off the beaten path trails.

In the afternoon, I strapped on my camera bag and went for a hike through the woods with an eventual destination being the Au Sable River.  The Au Sable is a hot spot for trout fisherman and canoe/kayaking.  I would have loved to fit in a winter kayak trip but ran out of time.  Below is the gorgeous forest I hiked through.

As a child I used to wander through these woods all the time.  One of my favorite spots to hike is down to the swampy area where a natural spring feeds into the beginning of a  little creek.  The smell and feel down there is so unique, love the cedars and their smell.  I couldn’t have asked for a more picturesque welcoming when I arrived.  The water was like glass and an amazing reflection showed of the snowy trees and blue sky above.  It is so amazing in the winter with the contrast of pure white snow and bright green moss.

My final destination was to the best swimming hole on the river – the Whirlpool.  There are times when it is so cold that only a very small channel of water is seen, the rest is frozen and snow covered.  I’ll have to post one of those photos some day.  But on this day, it was a very serene, peaceful place.