Photography by - Rory Mole

When I first started out in the field of photography, my journey started with landscapes. I decided to photograph as

much of the Cape Peninsula as I could. Because Cape Town has a rich variety of beaches and mountains, most

of my photos are taken of these different areas. The dramatic skies were taken mostly through the winter months, with cloudy skies and lots of contrast. Many of the beach scenes were taken on days were there were dramatic cloudy skies and also skies of clear blue. Most of the contrasting tones and colours I got using a circular polarizer filter.

Portraits, Weddings & Landscapes

Weddings and Portraits are now what I am most passionate about.

These are some of the things I do to achieve a printable, presentable and time treasured image.

• Lighting
• Composition
• Focal length
• Mood

I believe that it is important to use the natural light all around us. The best time to go out and take pictures is during the early mornings and late afternoons. At these times the sun is low in the sky and the light is gentle.

Equipment

I have 2 Canon cameras. The one which I hardly ever use nowadays is a 35mm Canon 300. Since the digital age arrived, I have obviously acquired the Canon DSLR with some really good lenses. Many people think that in order to take good photos, you need to spend many thousands of dollars. What it all boils down to are these few things.

• Image sensor
• Lenses

In order to get top quality images, these 2 parts of your camera equipment need to be really good. The megapixel hype imposed by many camera dealers is really a way in which they push for sales. When buying a good DSLR, it is important to get the best you can afford, but pay particular attention to the lense and ask as many questions about the sensor. Also, it is good to look on the net for sites offering reviews on cameras and lenses.

Software

I believe that you get what you pay for. There are many nice free photo editing applications out there, that can help the novice user edit their pictures in a very basic way. But if one wants to achieve professional results, then it is a must to invest in the very best software. Adobe Photoshop CS3 is the only image editing sofware that I use to edit digital images. It is the most powerful program on the professional market today and is the industry standard.