Today, we’re featuring a wonderful South Africa travel essay from film photographer Anna Roesch. Scroll below to view the images and read more from Anna about photographing the Cederberg mountains and South African beaches…
Analog cameras and films used: Nikon F100 (Find at KEH Camera or on eBay) | Kodak Gold 200 (Find on Amazon), Fujicolor 100 (Find on eBay), Ilford HP5 (Find on Amazon)
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Chasing Light in South Africa
By Anna Roesch
I’m a film photographer based in Potsdam, Germany, specializing in family photography, but travel stories will always have a special place in my heart—it’s where my journey into film photography began. During a recent family trip to South Africa, light was what guided me as I captured the different places we visited. From the soft morning light to the harsh midday sun, dappled light filtering through trees, and the almost complete absence of light on foggy days, each shift in light revealed a different side to the country’s incredibly diverse landscape.
One of the most memorable moments was in the Cederberg mountains. It was so hot that being outside was only bearable in the early mornings or late afternoons. I’m not usually an early riser, but I found myself waking up just before sunrise. Sitting quietly with my husband, while the kids were still asleep, we watched the light shift over the mountains, bringing to life the contrast between the colors of the sky and the peaks. It was a peaceful moment that stayed with me.
This trip also made me see the beach in an entirely new way. We had a couple of foggy days, and the whole scene felt muted and still. It wasn’t the typical postcard-perfect beach day, but the fog created a dreamlike atmosphere I couldn’t resist photographing.
Shooting in different lighting conditions is always both challenging and exciting. It makes you think about how you want to expose each shot to capture the mood of the moment. I love how film’s exposure latitude lets me capture both the details in the shadows and the bright highlights, adding layers to the story I want to tell.
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