Page 4 - Cape-Camera-June-2023

June 2023 Cape Camera

In the News

The SANParks Honorary Rangers salon is a predominantly na-
ture salon and the proceeds go towards support of the vol
untary work done by the Honorary Rangers. Therefore, please
make sure you carefully read the category definitions and what
is allowed in a nature image.
The Witzenberg Salon will have a print category, which should
be attractive for all CTPS’ print workers.

‘Mist over Simonsberg’ by Neels Beyers got an acceptance in the
Alberton salon.
Test your skills in salons

Entering salons is an excellent way of testing the impact of your
images and getting a second, third or even fourth opinion – or
more – after you entered it in a club competition! If you get an
acceptance, it means that your image is amongst the 22-25%
best images entered in that salon category, which can often be
as many as 1 000 entries. A Certificate of Merit (COM) is awarded
to the top 10% of entries. Forest treefrog by Hendrik Louw
As all regular salon entrants know, salon judges are not infal- Africa Geographic Award
lible, because an image may win an award in one salon, and not
even get an acceptance in the next. But, you get the message if CTPS member Hendrik Louw proved his mettle as a superb
your image consistently scores far below the acceptance point macro photographer by receiving a Highly Commended award
… or gets acceptances and COMs every time you enter. Just as finalist in the prestigious 2023 Africa Geographic Photogra-
remember, you may not enter an image that already has three pher of the Year Competition. This was for an image of a Natal
acceptances (or awards) in any medium (open, nature, mono, forest tree frog peeking out from behind a leaf, captured in Hen-
print, etc.). drik’s trademark style that makes frogs appear glamorous.
The judges said: “we receive many fantastic entries displaying
By entering salons, you test yourself against the broader South
African photographic community. The Impala Log is a record them in various poses and locations. This entry stood out for us
of the number of acceptances awarded to all salon entrants because the peering frog creates the impression of a show about
in a year. The higher your position on the log, the better you to start - of actors gathered nervously behind the curtains, peering
performed compared to the rest of the photographers in the out at the hushed, expectant audience.”
country. Hendrik says the image was captured during a visit to Durban in
December last year, when he braved rainy conditions and sev-
You can also apply for a Diamond Rating, namely a badge
awarded for a specified number of salon entries. You do not eral night-time outings to search for the elusive frogs he could
need to be a PSSA member to apply for 1,2, or 3 Diamond Rat- hear. “The frog was quite shy, as it was still early evening, creat-
ings, but for any higher ratings you have to be a member as they ing the perfect conditions for this shot. While they blend seam-
are considered to be Honours that you may write behind your lessly into their daytime surroundings, these frogs come alive at
name (e.g. DPSSA, EPSSA etc.). (Read more https://pssa.co.za/ night, vocally announcing their presence and showing no fear
diamond-ratings-dpssa-epssa/). of human scrutiny.”
The salon calendar for the new Impala Year that starts in About Hendrik Louw FPSSA:
July 2023 and ends in June 2024 can be found here: https:// Hendrik has been an amateur photographer for the last 24 years
pssa.co.za/category/salons/calendar-results-for-year-ending- and still enjoys it to its fullest extent. His love for photography
june-2024/. started with a second-hand camera in 1999 when he joined a
The closing date of the first few salons for the new calendar year photographic club. He enjoys all genres of photography, but
are: his real passion is macro photography. Frogs, mantises, and
spiders tend to visit his camera fairly often when in the right
• 2023-07-15 - 2nd SANParks Honorary Rangers Free State Re- environment since he is madly in love with these colourful little
gion, PDI Salon 2023 (Brochure available) creatures. He is also one of the few macro photographers play-
• 2023-07-29 - 3rd Witzenberg PS PDI & Print Salon (Brochure ing with alternative techniques such as wide-angle macro. His
available) macro photography has earned many achievements, including
• 2023-08-12 - Sandton 9th National Digital Salon (Brochure several awards in multiple international photographic competi-
available) tions. Despite being an amateur, he enthusiastically shares his
• 2023-08-26 - Midlens 2nd Digital Salon (Brochure not ready) passion through workshops and participation in photographic
• 2023-09-09 - 1st Maritzburg Camera Club Salon (Brochure congresses. Outside of photography, Hendrik is an environmen-
available) tal manager and climate change specialist.

4 Cape Town Photographic Society