October Masterclass finalists

This picture was taken at the old city of Jerusalem while I was waiting for some friends. I saw a good angle for a nice street picture and got myself into a position only waiting for a great candid moment to happen. After a few minutes of waiting a group of young orthodox Jewish boys came walking towards the gate and I managed to trigger the shot in just the right moment. Photo by Joubert Loots.

Wilderness, taken on Ricoh GR21 Compact Film Camera. Photo by Charlotte von Fritschen.

Taken on a friend’s farm outside Stellenbosch, with an iPhone. Photo by Dirk Du Preez.

Traveling with my girlfriend, we explored a new place, each other, new adventures and created new memories!

For some years now I have been shooting this windmill at different times of the day. Sometimes it stands in a field of wheat, sometimes canola and sometime the ground lies fallow. The contrast between the seasons also provides for interesting contrasts. The windmill has also deteriorated over the years. Perhaps the fascination is that I can identify myself with the constant changes and deterioration as I also age. Taken with a Fuji x100. Photo by John Kenneham.

Capturing the beauty of nature on a chilly winter morning. Taken with a Samsung ES55. Photo by Kristin Sutherland.

Dawn on the West Coast of South Africa provides a simple kind of magic. The ocean dances lightly while holding a delicate balance between sand and sky as colours clash and meld beautifully together. Pure, natural perfection. Taken with a Nexus 5 cellphone camera. Photo by Miles Robinson.

This image was taken from a café in Observatory, Cape Town. I tried to be as discreet as possible while angling my camera to shoot… but I’m sure the subject was aware of the curious eye aimed at capturing his rather absurd accessory: the dummy. Taken with a Canon A1400. Photo by Sarah Chemaly.

Taken at Phinda Game Reserve in KZN early evening after the pride had been feeding on a baby giraffe. Taken with a Canon PowerShot SX 30. Photo by Sonja Fourie.

Gorgeous sunset after a massive storm in Lagoon Beach Cape Town. This beautiful starfish washed up on the beach. We did pit it back in the ocean. Taken with an iPhone 5s. Photo by Tanya Michelle.

Whilst on honeymoon in Spain we attended a fiery gypsy flamenco show at a restaurant built into a cave on the foothills of the medieval city of Granada. I took many photographs of the dancers from the rear of the restaurant, under difficult low light conditions which pushed my little compact camera to its limits. I think this image captures the essential spirit and beauty of both flamenco and Spain in terms of movement, passion and colour. Photo by Adnaan Isaacs.

This image was taken at Kubu Island in Botswana at sunset. I tried to capture the beautiful colors of the sunset and the almost “spooky” feeling of the scarecrow-like baobab tree silhouettes. I chose the “Vivid color” option to capture the amazing sunset and glow. Only framing and cropping was done in Photoshop. Photo by Celia Fouche.