South Africa is such a diverse and beautiful country and is steeped in culture and heritage. Located at the Southern tip of Africa with 2798 kilometers of coastline, a photographer could spend his life exploring just the coastline and would not come even close to photographing a tiny percentage of it. Between the coastlines sits a very diverse landscape, mountain ranges, desert, semi-arid, forests and sub-tropical regions to name but a few. There is no end to the landscape photography options available for a photographer and it is one reason that South Africa is such a prized destination for landscape photographers world-wide. Of course let’s not forget that South Africa is the top destination in the world for Wildlife photography too and many top wildlife photographers have all but made Southern Africa their home.

South Africa's Rugged Coastline Offers Un-ending Opportunities for the Landscape Photographer. The Coastline of the Western Cape is among the most popular coastlines for landscape photographers. From Mitchell Krog's South African Landscape and Seascape Portfolios. (Copyright Mitchell Krog - All Rights Reserved)

The Western Cape coastline is undoubtedly one of the most popular stretches of coastline for both South African and International landscape photographers and this region of South Africa has bred some really talented photographers who truly appreciate and understand the gift that they have on their doorstep.

Panorama of the Kogel Bay, Western Cape Coastline at Sunset. From Mitchell Krog's South African Landscape and Seascape Photography Collections. (Copyright Mitchell Krog - All Rights Reserved)

The Eastern Cape stretch of coastline becomes even more rugged and is a place full of adventure and there is a reason why it got named “The Wild Coast”. For photographers this stretch of coastline involves much walking and climbing over dunes and dangerous rocks but only those willing to go the effort of getting to the best locations are the one’s to return with beautiful images of this coastline. There are many parts of this coastline, also known as the “Sunshine Coast” that have hardly been explored, least of all photographed.

Approximately halfway between industrial centres Port Elizabeth and East London sits a quaint little seaside coastal town called Kenton On Sea. Nestled between the Bushman’s and Kariega Rivers it’s an ideal holiday destination and full of opportunities for the landscape photographer. The area has many pristine beaches and a declared nature reserve along the shoreline ensures that no housing developments can spoil the coastline.

Carriage Rock is a recognisable landmark on the Kenton-On-Sea, Eastern Cape coastline. Captured here at sunrise by South African Landscape Photographer Mitchell Krog. (Copyright Mitchell Krog - All Rights Reserved)

Carriage Rock, a recognisable landmark at Kenton-On-Sea captured at first light with movement in the water by South African fine-art landscape photographer Mitchell Krog. (Copyright Mitchell Krog - All Rights Reserved)

Moving further North along the coastline we get to Kwazulu Natal with Durban as the metropolis. Durban and the surrounding coastal towns has for many years been the top location for holidays. It’s a half day drive from Johannesburg and even in winter the weather is warm and mild, making it the ideal all year round destination. This stretch of coastline offers some wonderful opportunities for the landscape photographer but much of this coastline has had poorly planned developments encroach right onto the beach fronts. There are still many areas where development has been kept more inland allowing the photographer to capture images with hardly any human element in them. South African fine-art landscape photographer Mitchell Krog however believes that photographers try too hard to capture pristine images without any human element visible and including such elements in a landscape image can add a great sense of scale, impact and drama to an image.

A Lonesome Fisherman at Sunrise on the Kwazulu Natal Coastline. Including Human Elements in a Landscape can add great impact to a photograph. From Mitchell Krog's South African Landscape and Seascape Portfolios. (Copyright Mitchell Krog - All Rights Reserved)

Landscape photographer’s generally seek the best weather for a photograph and will often pack up and go home if conditions are not optimal. Come rain or shine a landscape or seascape photographer should be prepared for any weather that nature cares to throw his or her way. Instead of packing up, a photographer should learn to use the conditions available to their best advantage. Cold stormy days can produce images otherwise unobtainable when the light is too bright. Where human elements are unavoidable a photographer needs to get creative and seek out intimate parts of the landscape.

Where it is difficult to keep human elements out of a photograph, a photographer must get creative and isolate intimate parts of the landscape. From Mitchell Krog's Landscape and Seascape Photography Collections. (Copyright Mitchell Krog - All Rights Reserved)

SA born landscape and seascape photographer Mitchell Krog regularly travels to coastal destinations around South Africa and has produced numerous masterpieces. Mitchell believes that for photographers the South African coastal landscape offers endless opportunities.