A selection of the best readers’ photographs submitted to the Getaway Gallery photo competition for November 2017.
Getaway Gallery is a prestigious showcase of the best photographs our readers have to offer. We have exciting prizes to be won this year worth over R202100, from equipment through to a photographic safari in Botswana.
Each month, readers can vote online for their favourite image of the month. Voting for this gallery is now closed and votes have been tallied.
The winning Image of the Month goes to Chris Taylor for ‘Flying with Whales’. Congratulations, Chris!
Take a look at the October 2017 gallery for more inspirational images.
Submit your images here
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- Southern Right Whales. Image by Chris Taylor
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- It took some serious exploring and 4×4’ing to find a high enough vantage point to overlook the far-reaching banks of Katse dam in Lesotho. Earlier in the day we’d met a man named David, who had run out of diesel on the side of the road. As we drove David to the nearest fuel station he told us that in the 80’s he used to herd his grandfather’s cattle in these valleys. When the dam was first being built, they thought it would take years to fill. Instead, it filled up in just one rainy season. – Ross Nortier, Cape Town Nikon D800, Nikkor 14-24mm 2.8G, 1600, f/4, 30 sec
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- Winter in the Karoo usually means cold, clear and cloudless nights. The small town of Loxton is one of the prime stargazing destinations with little to no light pollution. During the new moon of June, I went on a little solo camping trip to try and capture some images of the Milky Way. This particular shot was tricky. I set the camera’s timer and had ten seconds to jump on the roof of the Landy. Then I had to stand completely still whilst shining the spotlight towards the stars above. -Bertus Hanekom, Loxton Canon 6D, Canon 17-40mm f/4L ISO 5000, f/4, 20 sec
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- These rocks are found at Jacobs Bay in the Western Cape. The clouds above were moving from left to right, and I noticed that if I was in the right position, I could line up the rocks with the cloud formation. The rocks in the foreground acted as leading lines into the picture, which I found really cool. It almost looks like a little volcano. I bracketed the shots to make sure I get enough detail in the foreground. – Mayvyn Bhana, Vredenburg Canon 1300D,Canon 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6, ISO 100, f/8, 1/20 sec
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- I was watching several beautiful orange-breasted sunbirds flying around the proteas in Kirstenbosch botanical gardens one morning. I waited for one to land, and managed to capture this one with its tiny wings still flapping! I just love the vibrant contrast of colours between the flora and fauna. – Braeme Holland, Cape Town Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 100-400mm LII, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/2000 sec
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- This was taken near Aus, in southern Namibia, using an infrared filter. Foliage reflects brightly in the infrared, while blue skies show up very dark. The stark look was inspired by vintage black and white landscapes from the likes of Ansel Adams (although I can’t possibly compete with Adams, of course!). – Florian Breuer, Stellenbosch Fujifilm x100s at 10 seconds, F/8, ISO 200, Infrared filter, tripod
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- We were sitting in our vehicle at Sunset Dam in Kruger National Park’s lower Sabie, when we spotted these two hippos. They were totally enamored with each other, and I captured the moment. – Gerhard Geldenhuys, Kempton Park Nikon D2x, Nikkor 400mm f/2.8, ISO 200, f/8, 1/180 sec
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- Whether in the Kruger or Kgalagadi, leopards have always seemed to evade. We joined a photographic safari to Elephant Plains Game Lodge in the Sabi Sabi,and on our first night drives one of the resident male leopards entertained us with a fresh kill. He had dragged it up into a large tree hanging over the dry riverbed, while hyenas waited below. After they left he climbed down and groomed between the shrubs. We saw him a few times after that night- but not as up close and personal. – Michelle Potgieter, Pretoria Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 500mm f/4, ISO 1600, f/5, 1/320 sec
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- The 30th of December 2016 was a day of heavy rain in the Kruger National Park. I met up with family in Orpen, and we went on a game drive to Satara. It was still raining heavily when we encountered the group of zebras near the road. I saw the one zebra looking over the back of the zebra in the front, and thought it could make a special image with the added element of the rain. I only later saw the scar on the zebra in focus’ face. It was always my intention to convert the image to monochrome, and I’m more than happy with how it came out. – Thinus Schoeman, Centurion Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 LII, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec
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- Living in the Northern Cape means you get to experience quite a few thunderstorms during the summer months. This one was taken as one such storm passed over a farm in the Loxton area earlier this year. – Bertus Hanekom, Loxton Canon 6D, Canon 17-40mm f/4L, ISO 200, f/4, 30 sec
