Landscape photographers will often disregard the Urban Landscape, missing many photography opportunities right on their doorsteps. While lengthy drives several hundreds of kilometres away may reveal pristine landscapes, it is not always possible for many photographers to travel such distances. As a landscape photographer based in or near a city you can still easily keep your landscape photography in tune and up to scratch by using opportunities closer to home.It is also no secret that some of the best images you may ever produce will come from locations close to home, locations that you have become familiar with.
The Voortrekker Monument with the Magaliesburg Mountains in the Distance Photographed from Fort Schanskop in Pretoria. From Mitchell Krog's Urban Landscape Photography Portfolio. (Copyright Mitchell Krog - All Rights Reserved)
South African landscape photographer Mitchell Krog often travels to various locations around South Africa, no matter where he ends up he always seems to find a landscape photography opportunity, be it pristine landscapes or cities full of human elements. It’s all about conditioning, says Mitchell, too many photographers have conditioned their minds to thinking a landscape photograph must be “pure” and “pristine” when quite simply life and our planet is just not that way. We are after all humans and as photographers we should not only seek out untouched landscapes but also from time to time include evidence of our impact on the planet in photographs, including human elements can often add great impact to images.
The Iconic Telkom Tower and The University of South Africa UNISA Buildings at Night Photographed from Fort Schanskop Near the Voortrekker Monument Just Outside Pretoria. From Mitchell Krog's Urban Night Photography Portfolio. (Copyright Mitchell Krog - All Rights Reserved)
Cities are full of exciting things to photograph. Virtually every city in South Africa has a history going back 100 years or more, there are monuments, museums and lots of modern architecture just begging to be photographed. Of course crime in South Africa is always of concern to a photographer but there is a multitude of safe locations around city centre’s and for those safety conscious individuals, shooting in groups is often advisable. Botanical gardens offer a safe haven for photographers and most major cities in South Africa have one with very reasonable access fees, some even free.
