2022
16-19 June 2022, HPS Pop-up Gallery, Hermanus Station Mall
The Hermanus Photographic Society celebrated its 25th anniversary in style with an exhibition showcasing 46 professionally curated images from 17 club photographers. The well-attended opening evening paved the way for a successful event as part of the annual Hermanus FynArts festival. More than 450 visitors graced the pop-up gallery over a period of four days. Many voted for their favourite three images while others left highly supportive comments in the guest book.
Overall, scenic and contemporary images attracted the most attention while viewers generally found colour images more appealing than monochrome. The most popular image was ‘Colourful curves’, a contemporary portrayal of Walker Bay waves, by Phil Sturgess. ‘Revealing the rich tones of winter’ by Carina de Klerk and ‘Daily catch’ by Hestie das Neves were neck to neck in the vote for most popular images.
View all the images by photographer
David Wilson, LRPS
HPS President
David Wilson was born in London but as Chartered Surveyor specialising in international property valuation, has lived and worked most of his life away from the UK, including Canada, the USA, China, and Spain. Now “retired” he lives in Hermanus with his partner Margot and their two dogs and a cat.
As member of the Royal Photographic Society, David obtained his Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society (LRPS) in June 2021. His early photographic work specialised in the travel genre. Now, however, with the nature attractions of southern Africa, he has gained international photographic awards for his nature photography.
This is a snapshot taken on my mobile phone at a bookshop at the Peregrine Farm Stall in Grabouw. The image captures the meeting of old and new as well as shapes from rectangular books accentuated by the round bookshelf creating a frame within a frame. Colours are a major part of this image. The red mask makes the image pop. The tranquillity that the cat brings to the image adds to the story.
Taken just after dawn at the Zimanga Game Reserve north of Durban when the lion commenced his early morning walk to rejoin the pride. Difficult lighting to capture ideally but it shows the majesty of this individual.
Taken just after midnight from an overnight hide at Zimanga Private Game Reserve, the setup required a high ISO setting to allow a higher shutter speed. This was a lone buffalo bull but later that night a couple came down to drink and later still another sole individual.
This photo was taken on a late evening in the desert oasis of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. This religious complex comprises the Kalan Mosque (right), the Kalan Minaret to which the name refers to (centre), and the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah (left).
Phil Sturgess FPSSA
HPS Treasurer
My photographic journey started more than 40 years ago in an analogue world using manual cameras and slide film. I found the transition to digital challenging but ultimately liberating. I have been able to capitalise on the early lessons learned while adopting a more experimental and iterative approach.
Nature photography is still the corner stone of my work, a natural extension of my love for the great outdoors.Creating a space in a world awash with digital imagery is a serious challenge. In my case this is still work-in-progress and a key part of my photographic journey. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
We are blessed to live next to Walker Bay and witness the ocean’s ever changing moods. Whether dark and foreboding or colourful and calm, it offers endless photographic opportunities so close to home. Capturing a single moment in time reveals the sea’s true beauty, reflecting the many hues and tones of a winter sunrise.
There is no better place to be than the NamibRand in Namibia at sunrise. The sense of freedom, tranquillity and space is pervasive. The interplay of light and shadow is enchanting. Just a landscape photographer’s dream.
By chance we decided to take the cameras on a routine trip from Hermanus to Cape Town, ever hopeful of capturing an image or two. On the return leg, we briefly stopped at one of our favourite locations. As the day slowly ebbed away, last light bathed the rolling Overberg fields, accentuating their curves and textures. The snow-capped peaks provided the icing on the cake!
Located in the Namib-Naukluft Park (Namibia), Dead Vlei Pan is an iconic photographic location. Centuries after their demise the camel thorns stand proud, like tombstones in a graveyard, testament to better days past. I value every moment we spend there, often alone, quiet, eerie and magical. I think monochrome representation better captures the essence and drama of this very special place.
Carina de Klerk, APSSA
HPS Club secretary and social media
Carina hails from Johannesburg and with her husband Phil Sturgess retired from the corporate world to Hermanus in 2019. With more time available to pursue her passion for photography Carina joined the Hermanus Photographic Society. Carina is well versed in nature and landscape photography and was the club’s top photographer in 2020.
“I am honing my skills by participating in club activities, entering PSSA salons and attending workshops whenever possible,” says Carina. “Most of my best memories live through pictures. Whether it was capturing the moment or rediscovering an old picture taken years ago. To me, images are an expression of my being.”
This image has done well in salons and features in my APSSA panel. I tweaked the image after feedback at a club advancement session, by taking out some ducks. The image was taken at the famous dam just outside Fouriesburg in the Free State on a cold misty winter’s morning in 2014.
This says much of the Africa I love. It was sunset on a boat on the Chobe River, Botswana. It looks tranquil, but we were moving constantly to try and align the grazing elephants, ensuring separation between them and the setting sun. The clouds provide an extra element to make the image. I was using borrowed equipment, which was my first experience with the advantages of mirrorless technology.
Cascades
This waterfall was part of a weir next to a watermill in Vermont, USA. It was taken in 2009 when we visited an old school friend and used the opportunity to photograph the autumn colours. I only recently started producing monochrome images and like the streaky silkiness that the flowing water creates.
Kobus Botes
HPS Photovault administrator and equipment
As children we dabbled in photography, after one of my younger brothers received an old box camera as a present. My first camera (which I still have) was a Kodak 110 that I bought in matric. Its limitations soon started to frustrate me, and after seeing that an SLR camera could be used by normal people, I bought my first proper camera in 1983 (semi-automatic, but no manual capability, as I thought it would be too difficult to master). A year later I traded it in on a Canon A1, which I used until 2005, when I bought my first digital camera.
I love nature, architectural and landscape photography in particular. We plan our holidays around photography and prefer game reserves like the Kgalagadi and Etosha, as well as travelling through South Africa and Namibia.
Bo-Kaap blue and white steps
Geometric shapes have fascinated me from young and I find the use of colour in buildings appealing. Here the unexpected use of olive green, faded purple and dark blue, contrasted with the pure white on the rough-plastered walls, made for an attractive picture. I also love the compression effect caused by the long lens, causing the steps and stoep to disappear and making it look like the shapes were painted on a flat wall.
Daniel Reddie
HPS Audio-visual, equipment, technology
My love of photography begins in the late 1960s at school and later while working, assisting an Edinburgh geology academic with micro-photography of inclusions in diamonds.
For over the following forty years I have belonged to numeral clubs and galleries. I have been involved in a number of exhibitions at galleries, here and overseas and privately exhibited with a number of artists. Fast forward to today having moved from more than thirty years in analogue photography, to now where I work almost exclusively in the digital format.
After being a professional sport photographer, I now do what I feel is the kind of photography that pleases me and hopefully the viewer, being Abstract, Architectural, Art, Street, Photojournalism and Conceptual, to name a few. I do like to try photographing the ordinary, the extraordinary, the unseen, and that what is odd and different around us. I am always striving to see the world from a different perspective and include that in my photography. I work in monochrome and colour, preferring to see my work in print form.
This image was taken 2021 at a local storage facility here in Hermanus. I converted it to sepia with the original sky in the window left untouched in colour. Just a different view when walking up the stairs.
It was a near perfect, windless sunset over the Salt Pan in Vermont here in Hermanus. Two ducks landed on the water (out of view) causing these fine ripples. As I tripped the shutter two more ducks (also out of photograph) left their reflections among the ripples. Too me this had the feeling of radio waves.
Take me to your leader
This image was taken on a random walk one afternoon through Hermanus. I spotted this quirky electrical installation which appealed to me as it looked like some lonely alien. That’s why I called it “Take me to your leader.”
This image was taken in the early evening at the Salt Pan. The light was soft and the undulating small waves mesmerised me into taking this unusual minimalistic photograph. The two small sprigs sticking out of the water, gives scale and a centre point to focus on in the image.
Charles Naudé
HPS newsletter editor and past club chairman
As a journalist in Cape Town and Johannesburg, Charles always intended to spend more time on his hobby of photography one day.
It came about soon after his leaving the corporate world, when he was invited to join a friend on a bird photography drive, and later to Marievale, where dedicated photographers with long lenses would spend hours in the bird hides.
When Charles and his wife, Colleen, moved to Hermanus in 2013, he joined the local photographic society. “I benefited hugely from club activities such as courses, outings and entering images for evaluation,” he says.
His initial bird photography evolved into more general wildlife photography, and these activities stimulated a keen interest in nature and its conservation.
The photographers entering the bird hide just after a thunderstorm were as wet as the birds outside. But the show had to go on. We waited patiently for the Striated Heron to play its role.
The Serval came for a drink on its own between seven and eight one evening at the overnight hide. The animal was skittish, allowing just a short period for a photograph capturing both the tongue and a good reflection.
The bucket-list bird I was actually waiting for was the Pink-throated Twinspot. It did fly in, but left before I could focus on it. However, the Red-billed Firefinch was an acceptable substitute model for the day.
The White-backed Vulture played along nicely, coming in for a landing at a good angle to both the sun and the photographer, and kicking up some dust. All that remained was to press the shutter button.
Facing a Tough Life
One of four Cheetah cubs taken for an early morning walk by their mother. It stayed behind in an open space for a while, looking vulnerable. It reminded me of another Cheetah mother in the area who had lost all but one of her cubs, killed by a lion.
Elizma Fourie, LPSSA, DPSSA
Past club president
Photography started as a hobby for Elizma in 2012. Two years later, in 2014, she joined HPS after relocating from Upington to Hermanus. She served on the committee for four years and was the club president from March 2018 to March 2021.
Elizma enjoys all aspects of photography and sees herself as a creative photographer. Macro is one of her favourite genres. She regularly enters salons and is currently in the top 100 in South Africa in the PSSA Impala Trophy competition. “I like to improve my skills and try new creative techniques. Photography as an art form arose from advancements in technology which allows me as a photographer to manipulate my images to fit my artistic expression. Therefore I can drastically change the outcome of an image through choosing various cameras, lenses, framing and timing of a shot. Photography is included in the broader definition of visual arts. I find this more challenging than traditional photography and this makes me excited and keeps me interested in photography” says Elizma.
This was taken at Zimanga early morning June 2021. I was taking photos of small birds at the watering hole and had my 400mm prime lens on the camera. This buffalo came to drink from this small waterhole. Due to the long lens he filled the frame. I enhanced the textures.
This was taken at Zimanga in March 2021 on our evening drive. It was the first photo after our morning drive and I forgot to check and reset my settings. The camera was still set for low light photography and at 14:51 the light was much brighter and the photo was totally overexposed. In this case my fault worked perfectly. This is a straight out-of-camera photo and digitally I only desaturated it a tiny little bit.
Taken at Zimanga in March 2021 at 06:31 the pride of lions was sleepy, and true to the nature of cats started to yawn these big yawns. I made the background black by digitally underexposing it, leaving only the light on the lion’s face and that contagious yawn.
It was a hot January day in the Kgalagadi. A pride of lions was resting under a tree. The younger ones were active climbing, seeking the attention of their mother. I converted this to black and white so the cub is more prominent against the tree. In colour the tree, background and cub are all in the same tonal range.
Hestie das Neves, APSSA
Says Hestie, “I believe life begins at the end of your comfort zone. I like to challenge myself, experience new adventures, meet interesting people and see places I have only read about.”
We stayed at Gannabos Guest Farm, perched between Nieuwoudtville and Loeriesfontein, on our flower road trip last August. The biggest Quiver tree forest in the Southern hemisphere is found here. The weather played along with moody clouds, only letting through rays of light, giving me the opportunity to portray these magnificent trees at their best.
As part of our China tour during 2015, my husband and I explored the ancient town of Xingping. A highlight was taking pictures of the Cormorant Fishermen at sunset on the Li River. We were truly fortunate to have an amazing sunset that evening. This photo has done well in salons and features in my LPSSA panel.
This photo was taken on a recent visit to Zimanga Private Game Reserve with a fellow photographer and friend. We followed this Cheetah mom and her cubs on foot, which in itself was an exhilarating experience. Photographing the interaction between the mom and her adorable cub has been one of the highlights of my photographic journey.
Marié Botes
Marié Botes is an avid hobby photographer. After moving to Hermanus from Durbanville in 2017, she joined the Hermanus Photographic Society. The Club environment and monthly meetings helped her to grow as a photographer. Together with her husband, Kobus, they try to get out as often as possible, even if it is just for a drive through the Overberg region. They love to camp and this enables them to travel the country extensively.
“Photography is where I can let the creative part of me take charge. I enjoy the solitude while waiting for the next moment to capture.” Marié’s main photographic interests are wildlife, landscape and cityscapes. Her favourite places to visit are the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Etosha National Park and the Southern parts of Namibia.
Dusty Kgalagadi Sunrise
Whenever we camp in a National Park we are out on the road as soon as the gates open in the morning. This helps to make the best of the morning light. What makes this photo special for me is the one springbok looking directly at me, while the others are all grazing. Taken on a cold misty winter’s morning in 2014.
Bo-Kaap Lines
When we lived in Durbanville, one of our favourite outings would be to the Bo-Kaap early on a Sunday morning. By being there at sunrise, one can capture the contrasting colours at their best. To me this photo shows the beauty in simplicity.
René Pretorius
René and his wife Sheron moved to their holiday home in Franskraal on a permanent basis in 2017. René works on a full time basis from home for an international corporate.
René started in photography using 35mm film while still at school – shooting and developing his own work. He was often tasked with taking all of the end of year school photographs. As is often the case, life got in the way and photography was not a high priority. He started dabbling in photography again in 2018 during a trip to Botswana and joined the Hermanus Photographic Society in 2020.
While I was sitting at the Hapoor watering hole in the Addo Elephant Park in 2021, these four elephants strolled up to drink. I was able to capture the moment when three of them drank at the same time. The youngest appears sad to be left out.
Franskraal has some wonderful sunsets and playing with a new landscape lens I was fortunate to capture the last rays of the day.
Crighton Klassen
Photography has always been part of my life growing up, however I started taking it seriously around 2008 when I realized that I would like to have something to keep active with during my golden years.
In addition to this I find that photography is very therapeutic. It forced me out of my shell as I needed to perform tasks such as street photography and judging in front of groups of likeminded individuals.
I started taking my photography seriously in 2015 when I joined my first camera club in Wynberg before moving to Cape Town Photographic Society and now Hermanus Photographic Society. I am a nomad which can be seen in my love for landscape photography.
This is arguably my best work to date, my favourite image, and has done well in competitions.Like most good things, they come to those who wait and I had to return a number of times until all of the elements came together. Persistence gives you vital experience.
Each photographer is always juggling a few projects in the back of his mind. I have this thing with lighthouses and while searching for a lighthouse I came across this jetty in the Strand Pavilion. It was love at first sight.
Linda Kotzenberg
We were four pals on a trip to Barrydale and stumbled upon a succulent garden. I took the image from the top but have no clue what this plant’s name is. I just liked the form and named it ‘Some or other Cactus’.
I took this image on a trip to Chile visiting the coastal town Valpairiso. The town is famous for its graffiti and we joined a guide on a walking tour to see how it’s done. The artists have dedicated areas and they are not allowed in one another’s territory.
Robyn Simmons
Zebra are normally skittish. This group owned the road, walking slowly towards the male and made us humans really enjoy the moment.
As I was wandering around my garden, something white caught my eye. As I looked closer, I found this tiny little frog sleeping in the fold of a leaf.
Sheron Pretorius
Sheron is a keen photographer, with a love for monochrome and macro photography. Sheron and her husband René finally settled in Franskraal on a permanent basis in 2017 having previously lived in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Sheron is retired and René works from home for an international corporate.
The gift of camera in 2016 (her very first) awakened an interest in photography and on moving to Franskraal she participated in a 52 week challenge run by the Photowalkers of Hermanus. Sheron belonged to the Gansbaai Photography Club from 2018 to 2020 and joined the Hermanus Photographic Society in late 2020.
Is this the hanging tree?
This photograph was taken in 2019 during a visit to the Kruger National Park. The stark lines of the tree against the sky appealed to me and I knew that this image was best suited to a monochrome conversion.
René Dewar
I attended a photography course a few years ago with a very simple camera. In fact, it was the worst in the class. I am more creative than technically minded and our teacher at the time would ask me “How did you get that photo?” I dreaded that question, but he and my entry level camera certainly challenged me. Shortly afterwards on a trip to Dubai, I upgraded to a Canon 40D and the rest is history.
In photography, there is always something new to learn and constant challenges. Whether it is the right moment, the right light or the right angle, there is always something to consider.What I enjoy most about photography, is once you pick up that camera, it evokes feelings of excitement, passion and awe as one is absorbed into a creative and personal journey to achieve that one special shot.
During Lockdown, I decided to take my camera and go for a walk. This single Strelitzia caught my eye, as the light lit the flower perfectly, making it stand out proudly amongst all the other plants. I chose an angle so as to use the orange of the flower, against the green foliage for contrast.
As I was wandering around my garden, something white caught my eye.
As I looked closer, I found this tiny little frog sleeping in the fold of a leaf.
This image was taken when the Johannesburg Ballet Company came to perform in Hermanus. I was excited because the low light created great mood for this shot. There were lots of distractions in the background which were difficult to avoid most of the time, but luck was on my side as the dancer was in a good pose at the right spot.
Peter Jaquire
Peter joined Hermanus Photographic Society in 2021 as a 1-star photographer. His passion is bird and specifically waterfowl photography as well as land-, sea- and waterscapes.
The image was taken in March 2016 at Bokkom Avenue, Velddrif while I was on a trip to visit family in the Sandveld. There were two pelicans that seemed quite familiar with visitors. It was around mid-day and they were quite interested in my movements, I had the opportunity to get some good pictures of them posing.
Ingrid Grundlingh
Ingrid has always been interested in taking photos. She started by taking happy snaps with her first camera, a Minolta XG-1 film camera in AUTO mode, to record memories. With the onset of digital camera age she “got with the program” and in 2012 upgraded to her first DSLR, the Canon 60D, after doing extensive brand and technical research. Her research included reading many photography magazines and attending workshops.
In 2015 she upgraded to a Canon 7D MKII with a 100-400mm MKII lens. This is her favourite combination as they get her the best technical results when she pursues her passion for photographing birds and wild animals. Ingrid enjoys macro photography, and for that she uses her 100mm f/2.8 lens for best results. Ingrid joined the Hermanus Photographic Society in 2013 and is a 3-star photographer.
This Hoopoe “called” me and I spent two hours on my stomach, using my elbows as a tripod. I took many burst shots of the bird. This is my favourite photograph of him because of his unusual pose and the extraordinary and personal ground level angle.
This photograph was taken while on a macro photography workshop. I used a metal whisk and colourful silky scarves. I particularly like the abstract quality of the photograph.