Page 33 - Cape-Camera-January-February-2021

Cape Camera January/February 2021

All photographs provided by Jeanette du Toit **

How to photograph sand dunes

by Kevin McNeal*

One of my favourite subjects when it comes to landscape photography is photo-
graphing sand dunes. The variety and the uniqueness of dunes make it a great
subject to photograph. When it comes to images of dunes that resonate with
viewers, the following vital elements are critical to consider: light, colour harmony,
and composition. Each of these concepts individually increases the chances of a
successful photograph. But combining all three elements is the best way to create
impactful dune images.

In this article, I will discuss essential notions to improve your
techniques when photographing dunes. It is easy to photo-
graph the dunes, but it’s necessary to do more than photograph
a dune in a standard manner. Try to capture what makes a dune
unique and convey that in your image. Demonstrate to your
viewer why a particular location is so unique. Pre-visualization
is a fundamental step that I consistently practice whenever I am
preparing to photograph.
I research the Internet to find images that capture a certain
mood. I figure out why that image is memorable to me. The
characteristics of light, colour harmony, and composition are
the three concepts that stand out consistently. My objective
was not to copy the photos but to capture the same striking
mood and colour that made those images memorable. For each
photographer, those concepts will be different. It’s essential for
each photographer to pre-visualize. Identify the ideas that are phy, we refer to this concept as the ‘magic hour.’ When the sun
important to you. For me, part of the pre-visualization when is close to the horizon and the light highlights the landscape.
photographing sand dunes was incorporating these conceptu- Thus, the ‘magic hour’ is the period shortly before and after sun-
alizations. rise and sunset.
Light The colours are accentuated based on the sun’s position and
light. As the sun descends and gets closer to the horizon, the
One of the essential factors to capturing great photos is to know light becomes warmer, and the shadows become longer. The
when to photograph. Light is necessary for transforming an or- dunes reflect in warm tones, and the textures of the sand come
dinary photo into an incredible picture. Light makes or breaks alive. The ‘magic hour’ occurs all within a short period. Moments
an image. The best time to capture dune photos is early in the later, as the sun dips behind the mountain range and horizon,
morning at sunrise or late in the evening at sunset. In photogra- the dunes turn from a warm colour palette to an almost imme-

Cape Town Photographic Society 32