KwaZulu-Natal offers the naturalist photographer an excellent variety of landscape and animal opportunities. The province’s beaches are spectacular, especially on the lower south coast, with rocky coves and sweeping sand. Rock pools, palm trees, and driftwood offer an exciting portfolio subject. Inland are the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains, which offer great wide-angle photo opportunities.
The rugged but scenic road up to Sani Pass is great for spectacular long shots. Furthermore, you have the natural environments of St. Lucia and the Wetlands and also the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Park for natural wildlife. Zulu tribe villages and cultural tours will also offer the portfolio photographer an incredibly interesting range of picture opportunities.
Dreamscapes
The Garden Route across the Western Cape Province has fabulous scenery, and towns like Knysna and the Wilderness are quite breathtaking. Cape Town can occupy the keen-eyed photographer for weeks on end, with its spectacular mountain passes, great beaches, Table Mountain, and the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve being of valuable interest. Fishing towns along the southern peninsula, including Fishhoek and Kalk Bay, are colourful and pretty, as are the towns of Sea Point and Camps Bay. Inland you will find the brilliant natural landscapes of the wine regions with their old Cape Dutch architecture and warm and the vineyards’ vibrant atmosphere.
Lush Vegetation
While in Cape Town, South Africa venture north through the small towns of Clanwilliam and into the Namaqualand in spring for the fabulously flowing semi-arid plants, a brilliant colour carpet of mauves and blues, lilacs and greens. Many of the older towns, like Springbok, have quirky attractions that make for interesting and catchy photographs. Augrabies Falls and the great desert lands of the Kalahari are especially interesting to capture in the warm afternoon light.
A Sense of History
Swing across to the Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces for excellent photographic material, from the quirky old mining town of Pilgrim’s Rest to the fabulous waterfalls of the area. The Blyde River Canyon displays spectacular rondawel rock formations, and Bourke’s Luck Potholes can keep the composition-oriented photographer entertained for hours. You are also in Kruger National Park country, which offers an incredible amount of picture material from the spectacular animals to the incredible variety of colourful birds and the brilliant trees and flowers.
The Urban Landscape
In the City of Johannesburg, your images will dance with the vibrant street life and compelling architecture. Inner city decay is also great material for the creative photographer, while the more polished northern suburbs offer may be preferential to a modern architectural photographer. The colourful people of the city will provide an interesting challenge if you are interested in informal, spontaneous portrait photography.
Finally, no matter where you might find yourself in South Africa, the country’s wide freeways give you a great vantage point for all types of photography, whether you are a specific theme photographer interested in historical bridges or powerline pylon structures, to more general sweeping landscapes and colourful roadside scenes, including traders, travellers, stores and more. All of South Africa is one great photo opportunity.
Find yourself a SLR camera today to start your South African adventure!
