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Children love the farm life as this photograph entitled ‘Water is life and joy’,
taken by Didi Colin from Oudtshoorn, proves. While visiting their grandpar-
ents on the farm in the North West Province the grandchildren – Charles,
Alexander, Henco, PJ, Annabelle, Ida and Clarice – cooled down in the dam
during the December 2018 heatwave. Coke the dog also joined in.
When the sunlight paints your
#LoveFarming
moment gold
A
lthough a life quote says ‘Keep your face always towards
the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you’, this is
not true when it comes to photography. The professionals
say taking photographs during times when the sun is at its
brightest should be avoided, but what if your #LoveFarming mo-
ment takes place at noon or in the early afternoon?
Here are a few suggestions by photographer Michael Gabriel on
avoiding problems like high contrast, strong shadows and oversa-
turated colours:
Create your own shade by using an umbrella or big cardboard to
block out the intense sunlight on the subject.
Change your position to alter the angle at which the sunlight
hits your subject – crouch, lie down or stand on a rock. This will
also allow you to present your subject in another perspective.
Wait a few minutes for the sun to move or for clouds to cover
the sun to avoid the sunlight coming from directly overhead.
Use a flash or reflector to fill in the darker parts with light.
‘Fill flash’ adds to the direct sunlight in the photograph so that
the darker shadows are lit up. It should also eliminate shadows.
You can use a filter – a neutral density filter or a polarising filter
– to tame the sunlight. A blogger on
https://blog.befunky.com/5-
diy-camera-filters-using-household-items/
gives ideas on us-
ing household items like a sandwich bag, cellophane or lace as
a filter.
If your camera is not equipped with a lens hood you can create
one with a piece of cardboard and some duct tape – or just use
your hand to shield your lens from the intense light.
Avoid close-ups and rather opt for wide angles as shadows
are more obvious on close-ups.
If all else fails, take a silhouette by setting your camera’s exposure
on the brightest part of the scene – this should be the background,
not your subject. Be sure that the silhouette is well-defined or
take pictures of people or animals standing sideways.
Source
https://contrastly.com/11-great-tips-for-taking-photos-in-direct-sun-
light/
63
RELEVANT
Photo competition
SA GRAAN/GRAIN
EDITORIAL STAFF
Gerda de Kock from Bloemhof was the final winner of the 2018
photo competition and she won the prize money of R1 500 with
a photograph of young Mieke and her horse, Vyfster.
WINNING PHOTO
FOR JANUARY
Celesti-Mari Wasserman from Dorandia in Pretoria swopped city life for
the farm to create some wonderful memories. She captured an impor-
tant event during the Christmas preparations – baking ‘koffiekoekies’.
She receives R1 500 for her winning entry.
2
nd
3
rd
To Marelize Wessels from Brackenfell in the Western Cape bales represent
a good harvest. Seeing the patterns on and smelling the freshly made bales
is her #LoveFarming moment. This photo was taken on their farm.