Page 39 - Cape-Camera-May-June-2025

Cape Camera May-June 2025

Winner Print - Open (Master) Ascension by Kim
Stevens (27)
Kyle Goetsch commented: A perfectly balanced and well
exposed image that again looks so much better in print.
Highlights and shadows are well handled with pleasing
soft colours throughout.
Kim Stevens said: This image was taken inside an aban-
doned Soviet spa hotel on a photographic tour to Georgia
in 2024. I felt drawn to this dark and cool enigmatic struc-
ture steeped in a relatively unknown recent history, lead-
ing upwards to a small patch of redeeming light.
I could imagine the inhabitants ascending these stairs…
first the Russians, happy and gay, enjoying the healing
waters of the area and partaking in concerts and recitals
and other enjoyable holiday activities. Later, the misery of
the Abkhazian refugees eking out an existence making
this place their communal home for 20 years and system-
atically denuding this structure of anything sellable.
I used a tripod and a 24mm tilt/shift lens to not distort
with a wide angle, three shots for each shift on the lens as
the dynamic range was really large! This is a blend of 9 im-
ages stitched in Lightroom and processed in Photoshop.
ISO 100. F11 shutter speed was needed to maintain the
other two parameters

Winner Print - Open (Advanced) Bridge 1 by Johan Van Wyk (24).
Kyle Goetsch commented: Good use of colour and texture in this image, when again the printed version is so much
more attractive. Suggest toning down the light at the top of the arch and adjusting the shadows near the water's edge.
Johan van Wyk commented: The image is one of the bridges connecting the islands of this most photogenic of
cities — Venice. During this trip I made it a small project to photograph the bridges (of which there are more than
400) from somewhat less than usual perspectives and angles. Anyone who had been to Venice will confirm that it
could take years to exhaust the possibilities!
In this photo I presented the pleasing colours and reflections of the walls and doors framed by a prominent arch.
A major challenge when photographing Venice is the incessant flow of visitors that stream across any composi-
tion you may have in mind — especially if tripod stability is needed. Being a medieval city, the lighting conditions
among the buildings often require slow shutter speeds, which makes camera stabilization a requisite.
Nikon Z8; Nikkor Z24-120 f4 @35mm, F8; 1/160sec, ISO 180, handheld.

Cape Town Photographic Society 39