Surrounded by rare fynbos, sand dunes, the ocean and a diverse selection of game, the De Hoop Collection is a nature lover’s paradise.
Amateur photographers are invited to enter the lodge’s nature photo competition running until 30 November 2022. There are three rounds, and the winner of Round 1 has been announced.
Entrants can submit a maximum of three images per category. There are three categories: Marine, Wildlife (including birds) and Landscape.
The winner of Round 1, Dionne Miles said her photo was taken during a 5-day stay at De Hoop in October 2017.
Dionne Miles
‘While any stay at De Hoop is magical come rain or shine, in terms of photography I had struggled with the weather conditions for the first couple of days – it was either pouring with rain, blowing a gale or harsh bright sunlight, sometimes all in one day! On this occasion though, I made it to Koppie Alleen beach before dawn and as the sun started to rise, a gorgeous mist created the most magical soft pink light,’ Dionne said.
‘I spent some time with a pair of oystercatchers at the first bay and then walked on to the next bay to see what I could find there – as I rounded the rocks a flock of sanderlings that had been feeding close to the tidal zone took off…and I managed to get just one shot before they disappeared out of view.
‘While all it took was a (freezing!) dawn walk across the beach, the magic for me was three-fold: (1) I was completely alone in this pristine, protected coastal environment; (2) the sanderlings had migrated all the way from the arctic tundra to be here and (3) the ocean has a wild, timeless beauty to it. For how many hundreds of years has this scene played out with no human eyes or lens to witness it?’ she concluded.
William Stephens, owner of De Hoop Collection and Chairman of Cape Country Routes added: ‘Congratulations go to the worthy winner, Dionne Miles. And huge thanks to all who made this possible, the judges Anton Crone and Jade Hastings and the highly regarded Getaway magazine. De Hoop Collection has always supported and celebrated wildlife, while Getaway inspires people to explore and experience the wildlife of Africa – a perfect blend.’
Some other entries also made it to the list of judges’ favourites:
Matt Pretorius
Kim Stevens
Etienne Beneke
The second round is currently open for submissions (1 June – 10 August 2022) and Round 3 is open between 1 September and 10 November 2022.
For more information on how to enter as well as the terms and conditions, read: Win a two-night stay with De Hoop Collection’s nature photo competition.
You can also visit De Hoop‘s website. Good luck!
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