VIVID MOTIF # 3

Bright midday sun was baking down on the Kalahari sand when I spotted these two tuffs of grass dancing on an orange sand dune. Normally I would not take photographs in the middle of the day but in this case things were different as all I wanted to capture was the striking color of the grass to help portray a simple design.

Doing photography on loose surfaces like sand is always tricky as one can easily walk into the shot, spoiling the composition with your own footprints. For this reason I had to approach the scene very careful, first trying out the shot with a longer lens and then slowly working in closer and closer until happy with the composition. In this picture I wanted the grass to stand out and become dominant, so I used a 24mm lens with a polarizing filter to darken the blue sky for a dramatic effect. I knew I had to work fast because as the sun lowers towards the horizon the shadows become longer and the texture in the sand more prominent. This would certainly take away emphasis from the colour of the grass.

Fortunately nature never dates and over the years this image has proved to be very popular. After a couple of months in the African bush there are always one or two images that really stand out from the rest. To build up a portfolio of excellence is a matter of time, dedication, perseverance and patience. With landscape photography being my passion the Lord supplies all the above by His grace! All honor and glory to Him.