Neil’s tip of the day

This image was taken for a chapter opener in a Food book called “Be My Guest”. We shot the book in South Africa in 3 different cities, and then out on a private Game Reserve. This was an amazing location. We had the choice of a few thousand acres of wild bush. The only obstacle was how to get all the shots in the bag before the wild animals descended on our party, and to keep the food fresh in the middle of the bush. We aimed to get the main shot during the dusk or after dusk.

All went well and the sunset was good but still did not really give us the shot we wanted. The landrover had a spot light for game viewing which looked to be a great tool for painting some light onto the set, however it was not working. It took the driver over an hour to get it to work by which time it was dark to the naked eye. I shot just 3 frames with the shutter fully open for about 30 seconds while I splashed light in various strategic spots on the set. There was just enough light left in the horizon to pick up the dark blue tint.

Tip of the day:- “Never leave set until you really feel you have got the most out of the evening sky. You never know what you might get by shooting way past what the naked eye can see.”