Photographing the Spectacular Beauty of the Drakensberg: You Won't Believe Your Eyes!

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  • Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
  • In this video, we'll climb the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. This 1500m elevation gain backpack trip will be one of your most epic landscape photography experiences. If you're looking for some amazing landscape photography, you must visit the Drakensberg region in South Africa! This incredible landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is full of amazing vistas that will leave you breathless.
    patreon.com/QuietLight
    Website - adamgibbs.com/
    Instagram - @adamgibbsphoto
    Alex's Website - alexnail.com/

КОМЕНТАРІ • 108

  • @weetbix2083
    @weetbix2083 10 місяців тому

    The Drakensberg is THE most beautiful place in the world. Intimate, vast and rich in diverse flora and fauna. The caves, pools and waterfalls are epic too. Love to go back.

  • @thomastessier4529
    @thomastessier4529 Рік тому +1

    Some of those photos, most actually, are fantastic.

  • @CheerfulDragon703
    @CheerfulDragon703 Рік тому +2

    Thanks to Susan Bridenstine for telling me about you. This is my home turf. I am sitting here, an expat living in Ecuador, with tears running down my face ….. so incredibly homesick! Thank you! ❤❤❤❤

  • @hamsterneckliving
    @hamsterneckliving Рік тому

    14:56 oh wow. The last shot and then the video of that bird flying on the mountain were sublime.

  • @stubones
    @stubones Рік тому

    I grew up close to the Drakensberg. A trip to the mountains was always an exciting treat.

  • @brendonmuller
    @brendonmuller Рік тому

    Great to see the Landscape photographers visiting South Africa, Tugela Falls one of our faves, hope you had chance to get there while in the Berg.

  • @henningdebeer9945
    @henningdebeer9945 Рік тому +4

    Wellcome in South Africa. My place.

  • @daviddavies4739
    @daviddavies4739 Рік тому +2

    We had our honeymoon at Cathedral Peak. Spectacular!

  • @RudixSA
    @RudixSA Рік тому

    Great images as always! Love the Drakensberg, time to go visit again, thanks for sharing Adam!

  • @josephcampisi8762
    @josephcampisi8762 Рік тому

    Talk abut epic scenery! Great stuff Adam!

  • @ponderingnugget
    @ponderingnugget Рік тому

    Curses, another location has now been added to my ever growing bucket-list of must photograph locations! LOL, thanks for sharing your trip Adam. You came away with amazing work as usual. Cheers!

  • @aureliomarsili3902
    @aureliomarsili3902 Рік тому

    SPECTACULAR ... Thanks !!!

  • @cara1067
    @cara1067 Рік тому

    Stunning work. Very very nice.

  • @Leffe49
    @Leffe49 Рік тому +1

    Wow!😮 What a stunning scenery ...and weather! Gorgeous incredible Photos Adam! ❤

  • @zadokwest
    @zadokwest Рік тому

    Awesome place really love the shots..

  • @TheBonsaiZone
    @TheBonsaiZone Рік тому +3

    From Blade Runner....“I've seen things you people wouldn't believe." Thanks for taking us along on this trip Adam, It's amazing!!

  • @tonymurphy9112
    @tonymurphy9112 Рік тому +2

    Made me homesick, great video

  • @nldazuu
    @nldazuu Рік тому

    amazing scenes…

  • @Macman608
    @Macman608 Рік тому +1

    Fantastic work. Loved this video.

  • @DarrinHowells
    @DarrinHowells Рік тому +1

    5 minutes in and I'm impressed with who is filming you. They are doing a FANTASTIC job. The camera movements make them look like a pro! (Edit: you mentioned that it is Alex's footage. Nicely done Alex.)

  • @martinnightingale6033
    @martinnightingale6033 Рік тому

    Stunning Photos Adam .
    Would I go there yes please .
    Alas no way could I make the trek up there .
    Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with us less able .
    Kind regards Martin UK .

  • @DavesEpicPhoneShots
    @DavesEpicPhoneShots Рік тому +1

    Those were some next level images you got there Adam, I'm looking forward to seeing more.

  • @michaelj.1121
    @michaelj.1121 Рік тому

    One with „Whow factor“ - it’s always great watching your videos

  • @billwinward9324
    @billwinward9324 Рік тому +1

    Wow!

  • @bolleolympus
    @bolleolympus Рік тому

    This is a fantastic video!

  • @carlosm9323
    @carlosm9323 Рік тому +2

    Beautiful Scenery, tough hike though, but I bet it was worth it

  • @brianmckeever5280
    @brianmckeever5280 Рік тому +1

    Beautiful! I just started Alex's 5-part series. Outstanding scenery. Loved the story about the morning the constitutional, Gavin would be proud. Safe travels!

  • @MarkHoudePhotography
    @MarkHoudePhotography Рік тому

    What an incredible landscape!!! Loved the pace, monologue, and of course, the imagery of this magnificent place. Thanks for sharing Adam.

  • @viviennenoble4035
    @viviennenoble4035 Рік тому

    Wow, what amazing landscapes.

  • @thomasphillips5850
    @thomasphillips5850 Рік тому +2

    As always good work, thanks for taking us along with you. These are areas most of us will never see ,that's why we follow you so closely. Thanks Adam for the opportunity to see so much of Africa, it is stunning. As always your photography does an outstanding job of showing us what we truly are missing. Great shots Adam, that last one going into the ravine was fantastic. I really can't overstate the thanks for taking us along!

  • @marge57
    @marge57 Рік тому

    Wow! Great introduction: at the back of the truck and then the first day in the foothills. Second day steep up. The Drakensberg is majestic and you managed to portray the trekking experience in the video. You cannot just drive to any of those locations. Brought back memories... Thank you so much!

  • @donniebel
    @donniebel Рік тому +3

    Having been there a couple of times with Alex, I’ve been anxiously awaiting your take. You are right about the scale- tremendously vast. Splendid images!

  • @zaf9834
    @zaf9834 Рік тому

    Truly amazing place and superb sunset shots. Good of you to spend time making epic video’s.

  • @christophertaylor7021
    @christophertaylor7021 Рік тому +1

    Wonderful scenery Adam. I think you managed to express the scale of the Drakensberg in spite of yourself, although I'm sure it was even more magnificent in person. Well done!

  • @GodIsReal
    @GodIsReal Рік тому

    Wonderful video and indeed that dark image turned out absolutely fantastic!

  • @lauramartin4899
    @lauramartin4899 Рік тому

    Absolutely marvelous!!

  • @selzzaW
    @selzzaW Рік тому

    What an incredible location, and excellent images.

  • @martinoberstein8431
    @martinoberstein8431 Рік тому

    Very very beautifully shots, Adam! Beautiful landscape, the greens and the shapes of the stacks reminded me of Skye very much, but the dimensions are even more impressive. Thank you ever so much for sharing!

  • @rhodesia1578
    @rhodesia1578 Рік тому +1

    Absolutely epic views Adam . What an incredible experience and a privilege to explore such places on this wonderful planet we all share ! Thank you so much for sharing your adventures ! Your captures are excellent ! Love your work ! Stay well !

  • @CharlesMercer
    @CharlesMercer Рік тому +1

    Wow, such magnificence, and also the images you took.

  • @tompetersphotography
    @tompetersphotography Рік тому

    Some great images buddy, totally agree that last shot was a cracking comp

  • @LuigiNespeca
    @LuigiNespeca Рік тому

    Those are beautiful Mountains as I see! great images Adam, thanks for sharing! ciao!

  • @composedlight6850
    @composedlight6850 Рік тому +1

    looks like a very good location - a real aventure :) Those cliffs 300m high -- my advice for what its worth, put your shutter on time lapse, and run around and stand on the top of one the points --- obviously wearing a Red Coat ;) You can have that advice for free.

  • @greatday2224
    @greatday2224 Рік тому

    Welcome to stunning South Africa. Greetings from Cape Town.

  • @zwsplac
    @zwsplac Рік тому

    Some pretty amazing shots from a place I've never even heard of!

  • @StephenBridgett
    @StephenBridgett Рік тому

    Absolutely stunning images, thanks Adam

  • @altrujillo3566
    @altrujillo3566 Рік тому

    Thanks for bringing us along Adam. The image at 12:13 made me think of what the dawning of the first day on earth might have looked like.

  • @Xo1ot1
    @Xo1ot1 Рік тому +1

    Very good video. Your editing lets the footage speak for itself. I think showing the journey towards the place you are photographing adds a lot of value and perspective, and the photos were epic indeed :)

  • @RobJorg
    @RobJorg Рік тому +2

    Drakensberg means Dragonsmountain in Dutch. not sure if you mentioned that. nice video Adam.

  • @warrenswales5693
    @warrenswales5693 Рік тому

    Top tip, portray the scale of mountains from sea level. Bonus of easier walking and you can stay in a hotel each night too. No digging your loo either! 😊
    Lovely vlog as usual Adam, and thank you for taking me to those locations I would not otherwise visit. 👍

  • @stevesomers7366
    @stevesomers7366 Рік тому

    Adam, you captured some awesome compositions!

  • @SteveKleinheider
    @SteveKleinheider Рік тому

    Wonderful photos!

  • @erkko69
    @erkko69 Рік тому

    Great video again!!!👍😀🌏🌷🌟🌴!!!!

  • @nickbristol3457
    @nickbristol3457 Рік тому

    What an amazing place! Beautiful photographs Adam! Thanks.

  • @Eugene-Braack
    @Eugene-Braack Рік тому +2

    Hey Adam... if you ever come back to South Africa, check out some of the other almost-impossible-to-photograph mountain ranges we have.... Cederberg... Swartberge... this country has so many spectacular places to photograph. Truly wild places where possibly no man has ever set foot. Love this video.

  • @duncanwallace7760
    @duncanwallace7760 Рік тому

    Those Drakensburg thunderstorms are terrifying! In summer you often get them in the afternoons.

  • @NoDoSwLa
    @NoDoSwLa Рік тому

    What an adventure. Great video Adam

  • @davidligon6088
    @davidligon6088 Рік тому

    Amazing! I want to see more from this place.

  • @Professor_Internet_PhD
    @Professor_Internet_PhD Рік тому

    Sensational location, I'd be taking images left and right there...

  • @J5388T
    @J5388T Рік тому

    Some stunning sunrise shots Adam and I agree with you re the new Adobe noise reduction software!

  • @robertwhitemoto
    @robertwhitemoto Рік тому +1

    Wow Adam, Amazing location and photos !! I have played a bit with the LR denoise ... seem very good. That shot @12:30 holy cow!! Gavin would have a field day with that opening :)

  • @CrispyFloorCeiling
    @CrispyFloorCeiling Рік тому

    awesome shots!!!

  • @redauwg911
    @redauwg911 Рік тому +1

    thank you for the video

  • @alexnail
    @alexnail Рік тому +3

    Emily's reaction "Well you don't talk as much about poo in your vlogs" :P
    Great stuff Adam and thanks for the promotion!

  • @ZagZagSama
    @ZagZagSama Рік тому

    What a remarkable place to visit. I bet the hike was real fun even with the torrential rains. I have checked the LCR new AI denoise comparisons on YT and it realy improved a lot. However I still see DXO Pure raw a better option for microcontrast retention(even with a slight darkening it causes it is easyily correctible). The best option in my observation is using Lightroom first as it looks to me it creates a raw looking image with a generic pixel noise, then use DXO to remove that generic noise and even bring out more detail! Best of both worlds.

  • @gregscott2330
    @gregscott2330 Рік тому +1

    Always love a good poo story!

  • @capturelightmedia
    @capturelightmedia Рік тому +2

    I think a great idea for a video would be you going over a checklist of the items/gear that you bring on an adventure like this. I'd be curious to know.

    • @capturelightmedia
      @capturelightmedia Рік тому

      Edit; Not so much the camera gear...that's fun stuff, too. But I know that bag is full of all kinds of interesting things.

  • @andyblessett1282
    @andyblessett1282 Рік тому

    Wow, what an expedition! Certainly not one for the 'hobbyist' me thinks. I imagine it was very difficult to portray the scale of the place but you are the man! Your skills come through again, thank you Adam.

    • @dvdowns
      @dvdowns Рік тому

      Many of us went in school groups to the top of the Drakensberg - way back when I was young :)

  • @PhenoV
    @PhenoV Рік тому

    Awesome video Adam, this is propably just me but I don't think showing scale is all that important as long as you have light and a good composition. True scale only shows if you're there in person. Can't wait for the next videos!

  • @dvdowns
    @dvdowns Рік тому

    Makes me miss the Drakensberg. Just thought I'd mention, you weren't showing us RAW files because you can't see a RAW file - those were jpeg renderings of the camera's settings at the time.

  • @miriammorales1742
    @miriammorales1742 5 місяців тому

    Lo amo

  • @fototripper
    @fototripper Рік тому

    Stunning. It's like The Quiraing on steroids!

  • @phbphotography
    @phbphotography Рік тому

    Amazing video 🙏🙏

  • @leonardbertaux6897
    @leonardbertaux6897 Рік тому

    We were there last fall and the smoke in the air was chokingly thick. We were told incessantly the farmers burning their fields, truly horrible.

  • @WhitefirePL
    @WhitefirePL Рік тому

    Amazing... 13:16 that should have been a photo as well, right?

  • @glensumner3425
    @glensumner3425 Рік тому +1

    Wanderful images Adam I really understand what you mean about the size difference between pictures and the mountains but would respectfully say resist the need for putting people in “for scale “ mountains are big pictures are small it is what it is if you put a person in it changes the dynamic of the image. Some of these images are my favourite of your recent work!

  • @neilcole3406
    @neilcole3406 Рік тому

    Wow some of those shots could have been taken on planet Jupiter for all we know, stunning indeed!

  • @iqueque
    @iqueque Рік тому +1

    I have had several trips in the Drakensberg, focusing on the hiking and climbing, but agree with your assessment: without a person in the scene, the scale is not remotely dramatic. The effort required to get a person into the right position in a composition is unrealistic in most cases sadly. So the Berg (colloquial South Africanism) is reserved for experiencing not capturing. Even Alex’s more frequent trips haven’t really achieved a master shot.

  • @Prashant.Khapane
    @Prashant.Khapane Рік тому +1

    quickest poo :D Good one, Adam. You and Alex seem to have had great fun. Looking forward to more from this trip. One thing I was keen on was to see if you carried GFX. I've been also leaning to 35-70 and like old days of medium format limiting myself to wide-normal-tele prime kind of combination. Although zooms are no terribly heavy they are very bulky. How did you vlog this? Last two images are fantastic.

    • @QuietLightPhoto
      @QuietLightPhoto  Рік тому +2

      Vlogging cameras included a DJI Osmo, Sony RX100, cell phone and a lot of footage from Alex, Canon R5 I believe. The 35-70 is a really compact lightweight lens, glad I took it.

  • @elusivelens1744
    @elusivelens1744 Рік тому

    Adam! 12:40 is an absolutely stunning photo! Very envious of your trip. It must have cost a pretty penny.

    • @QuietLightPhoto
      @QuietLightPhoto  Рік тому +1

      Not too much. Alex's trips are reasonably priced

  • @brianlemke6017
    @brianlemke6017 Рік тому +1

    Those vultures circling during the climb looked very hopeful.

  • @swissheartydogs
    @swissheartydogs Рік тому

    Dear Adam, many thanks for sharing your amazing compositions with your deep knowledge of Light 🙏🏼
    I like the key question (photographic & philosophic) between lack of Human perspective in the cliffs’ photo & maybe too much AI in the last ones…

  • @tTLM823
    @tTLM823 Рік тому

    Love the images, Adam. Prefer the dark shadows to the lightened shadows using Lightroom’s Ai. Thanks for all!

  • @seabreezeof
    @seabreezeof Рік тому

    I dont understand why folks dont carry Poncho's in there bag for torrential down pours, far better than any backpack covers. @13.16 Wonderful capture Adam, you being in frame reflects massive scale of Mtns.

  • @ronboe6325
    @ronboe6325 Рік тому

    No, thank you! Drakensberg was totally new to me (how in the heck did that happen?!). We have some "similar" country near Phoenix, but on a micro scale, not nearly as epic as those cliffs. The Napali Coast comes closest (of the geography I'm aware of). I can see why you had sensory over load.

  • @nsbhagwat
    @nsbhagwat Рік тому

    Fantastic video.
    The large bird flying in the end frame - is it a vulture? Have you snapped a picture of the bird with the magnificent background?

    • @marge57
      @marge57 Рік тому +1

      I think that they are bearded vultures, or lammergeier.

  • @kenharnish5778
    @kenharnish5778 Рік тому

    Adam, love your videos and pictures. I’m not certain about your ideas on scale. Usually the objects in the foreground set the scale. I guess in some instances you have to include a person for scale. I just hate putting people in landscape pictures. I don’t like people even though I am one.

  • @schranzi79
    @schranzi79 Рік тому

    So nice😍😍 Can you recommend a tour operator??

    • @QuietLightPhoto
      @QuietLightPhoto  Рік тому +2

      For this trip Alex Nail. Link in the description

    • @schranzi79
      @schranzi79 Рік тому

      @@QuietLightPhoto thank you👍👍

  • @davebenson1504
    @davebenson1504 Рік тому

    The price you pay (I do mean the foul weather)for an incredible adventure..... I can feel the fatigue in my legs and the searching for oxygen in my lungs as you hike up..... was this a photo tour, or simply a mountaineering expedition with a camera???? 🙂

  • @dirtywater5336
    @dirtywater5336 Рік тому

    What a difference from Heaton's channel. That dude travels to the most uninspiring places and wonders why his photography is lacking lately. He needs to watch more of your channel and get inspired again

    • @QuietLightPhoto
      @QuietLightPhoto  Рік тому

      😂

    • @chriskendallphotography
      @chriskendallphotography Рік тому

      I’d rather watch Thomas Heaton eat and even see Gavin Hardcastles feet in appropriate footwear rather than hearing about Adams pop 😂

    • @dirtywater5336
      @dirtywater5336 Рік тому +1

      @@chriskendallphotography I like Heaton, don't get me wrong. He was the first photographer I followed on UA-cam. But his channel is lackluster at best now. It has turned largely into more of a van life channel. 20 minute videos with one mediocre photo to show for it. Gavin is great for theatrics and comic relief and Uncle Grumpy gives us a slew of photos from interesting places in each video. Heaton just seems to be struggling the last year or so. He needs to get out of the UK and go someplace epic