Page 35 - Cape-Camera-January-February-2021

Cape Camera January/February 2021

consciously disregards the rest. Move closer or use a lens to in- It’s essential to think outside of the box when it comes to crea-
crease the subject’s size and let it fill the frame. Telephoto lenses tivity. The composition is one area where it’s necessary to fol-
are an excellent tool for isolating patterns in distant dunes. Se- low the rules and know when to push the boundaries to cre-
lect a camera positioned to isolate the subject from the messy ate something different. Think in terms of creating different
or merging background. Try photographing an object from perspectives that evoke a mood. It is easy to get tunnel vision
overhead or from below to isolate the subject. With dunes, get and become pre-occupied with one style and idea. Try things
to the highest point above the dunes to give you a dominant that bring you out of your comfort zone. Do not forget to frame
perspective. A more elevated view for photographing dunes both vertically and horizontally and think as well in terms of a
compresses the scene and includes only what is essential to the panorama approach. The opposite holds as well, to think small
image. A low angle of the dunes will enable you to photograph and look for the finer details. There are no rules for photograph-
the dunes looking straight up at the sky. ing dunes, being creative, and remembering to tell a story that
The sand ripples provide a strong leading line that guides the resonates with the viewer.
viewer to the top of the dunes and into the sky. Every object or
element in a photograph has a particular visual weight, decided
by shape, size, location and frame, colour, and other properties.
All of these come together to create balance. Be mindful of what
to include and not include in the image. It is how you decide
what you want to express by proportionally creating a relation-
ship of elements in your scene. For example, you might want to
make the feeling of a wide-open space by using a wide-angle
lens.

* Kevin McNeal is a landscape photographer who resides in
the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. He focuses on grand colour-
ful landscapes that reflect the most unique places on earth. For
more information about his work visit his website: www.kevin-
mcnealphotography.com.
** To give the above article a South African feel, the images of the
author were replaced with those of our very own ‘dune expert’ –
Jeanette du Toit. They were taken at de Hoop and at Sosousvlei in
Namibia
Wide-angle lenses can exaggerate objects close to the lens to
make them larger than they appear. A dynamic foreground sets
the tone for the rest of the image. The next step is to think of
depth and dimensionality to create layers within the image.
With wide-angle photos, connect the elements in the picture.
Frame the scene to include multiple layers and repeating pat-
terns that recede into the background. An example of this could
be similarly shaped dunes or sand ripples that converge in the
distance. Repeating patterns leads to the topic of design tem-
plates.
Design template is the theory that pictures project an idea, rela-
tionship, or concept by gathering different picture elements—a
combination of visual themes and an optical centre of interest.
Visually arranging the composition in terms of patterns allows
the image to tell a story in an organized manner that makes
sense. Although visual templates could be an article in their
own right, there are a few that work well with dunes.
The S-Curve pattern is one of the most common design pat-
terns found in dunes. Using the contrast of light and shadow, S-
curve can effectively connect all the elements in the image. The
natural ebb and flow of dunes is the perfect design. The next
design pattern that stands out in terms of composition is the
juxtaposition of near/far elements. Intentional framing of a fore-
ground subject that is in contrast to something similar in the
background creates tension. It also creates depth in the image.
Receding elements is also another example of visual design
for depth. Framing similar elements in the image that become
increasingly smaller in the distance gives the viewer a sense of
depth.

Cape Town Photographic Society 34