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RENIER LE ROUX

Nikon D750 Nikon 16 – 35 mm lens

RENIER WRITES: I took this photo in June, in Strand where I live. I used a shutter speed of 1/80 second, aperture f5.6 and ISO 100. I didn’t use a tripod, but I did use the lens’s VR (Vibration Reduction) setting to cut down on camera shake.

I’m retired, and my regular walks on the beach reignited my interest in photography. We see so many beautiful sunsets here! When you’re on Strand Beach and you look west, you can see Table Mountain and the peninsula, where clouds often gather in the late afternoon. I think clouds play a big role in a good sunset photo.

I’ve learnt that I have a better chance of a scenic sunset when there’s a strip of clear sky between the mountains and the clouds. Windless days are also better. There are sometimes layers of smoke and smog in winter, which I try to avoid. You can still capture intense colours in the sky for about 20 minutes after the sun has gone down.

I often include fishermen in my photos. A human figure is something for the eye to focus on. I start with a narrow aperture of around f11,