AUSTERE PATTERN # 3

The Drakensburg Mountains of South Africa is one of my much loved photography locations. Depending on the season this vast expanse of rocky terrain, combined with open grass savannahs and thickets of trees has multiple personalities.

In the winter of 2008 we once again paid this region a visit. This time we were based a little further South towards Cathedral Peak . Fortunately the landscape was showing signs of a mild winter with hints of greener still around. Closer to the foothills of the peak I came across a small forest. The trees were beautifully emphasized by the early morning light. Usually I prefer to shoot landscapes with a wider angle, but in this case I decided to rather compress a closer study of the woodland with a telephoto lens. Working on a tripod and concentrating on just pattern and rhythm I was finally able to get the shot I visualized.

Antonio Gaudi, the Spanish architect, once said “straight lines belong to man, curved lines belong to God”. In this photograph I want to show that God can certainly work equally well with both.