EXTREME photography from 3000m cliffs! - Part 2 - Landscape Photography in the Drakensberg

This video is the second part of an epic landscape photography trip backpacking up and along the spectacular Drakensberg Escarpment in South Africa. In this video we will be hiking to South Africa's highest point, Mafadi, and continuing on to camp near a cliff edge with towering views over the valleys of Injisuthi. As usual I will spend some time explaining my approach to landscape photography.
If you'd like to come on an adventure like this yourself then I run photography workshops in the Drakensberg every year. They last around a week and everything is included once you get to Johannesburg. Just sign up to the mailing list below.
Website: www.alexnail.com/​
Workshops: www.alexnail.com/workshops/
Workshop Mailing List: tinyurl.com/4m3y3syk​

[@QuietLightPhoto]

Number 2 for me, Alex! another stellar video

[@alexnail]

Thanks Adam! So now it seems we have a vote for all of the first 3!

[@QuietLightPhoto]

@@alexnail Haha, you'll never get a full-on vote for just one of them. All great images, by the way

[@iqueque]

First image (top left) is my favourite

[@andersselland9396]

what a lovely place ,with soft light,clouds and mist you will get something crazy one day ☺ thanks for the lovely video ☺

[@alexnail]

Thanks Anders

[@sbutler66]

I really enjoy how you voice over your thoughts for the composition whilst letting us look at the scene, rather than speaking to camera as most other channels do. Stunning scenery and images!

[@marge57]

Number 1 is my favourite.

[@paulhaines4450]

Bottom left, closely followed by bottom right, but they're all pretty epic... Thanks for sharing this adventure 🙏

[@alexnail]

Thanks Paul, my pleasure

[@nldazuu]

top left…but the longer you start looking you start doubting…nice vlog again🎉❤

[@alexnail]

Thanks, yes it’s a tricky choice to be honest!

[@TAdams-hx9lk]

Found you through Adam Gibbs. Thanks both!

[@barbarachamberlain6918]

The top left image was my favorite.

[@avredeveld4330]

My favourite is nr 1. I love your Drakensberg videos! As a born and bred South African now living in the Netherlands, and having hiked there years ago, I get quite "homesick", in a nice way.

[@claudehamel9228]

The green one for me. Appreciate your showing your composition thinking process!

[@brianbeattyphotography]

man what an awesome spot and day out shooting!

[@alexnail]

Yeah it’s an amazing place. This was a trip that kept giving though, every day there was something fantastic to photograph!

[@nelsonm.5044]

My favorite photo of the 4 is the bottom right one

[@pawelkuzma2804]

Top left is my favourite 🙂

[@paulwarrilow1019]

Stunning work Alex! Such a beautiful landscape. All four images are superb, but I think I prefer numbers one and four. Good luck choosing!!!!👏👏

[@JohnDoe-uq2gi]

I like 1 and 3. Thank you for explaining your thought process when taking an image.

[@alexnail]

Thanks John, my pleasure :)

[@duane.hewitt]

Really love the last 2 images in the sequence. Particularly the last one . Not least because it hammers home to myself that there are greater images sometimes to be had just before or after golden hour if you just stick around longer.

[@alexnail]

Yeah I think that’s very true, and it’s certainly a good reason to choose that 4th image. I have no shortage of sunrise and sunset photos!

[@MrTwogiantscoops]

Absolutely amazing footage Alex. I was very interested in your thought process on composing images in all conditions. The four you showed together all were spectacular from the first one with the more colours but the bottom left is my favourite with the more obvious rays.

[@alexnail]

Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it!

[@MegaDwilkinson]

Fantastic, as always Alex - lovely images, great videography........favourite is the fist of the four; because of the full colour palette

[@alexnail]

Thanks David, yes I’m leaning that way although it’s tricky deciding!

[@HoriaBogdan3]

#2 for me i think...but they are all lovely

[@alexnail]

Thanks Horia :)

[@pascalvangerven5769]

Number 3.

[@suzannemathia142]

Another great wander with you. My pick is top left but seeing the change in the color of the light in all 4 was gorgeous

[@alexnail]

Thanks Suzanne! Yeah it actually surprised me how perfectly the light and colors shifted

[@johnchambers6272]

I am going to buck the trend here and go for number 4 (bottom right) . I love the rich green and the lighting in this particular image. It would look great blown up large. Glad you concentrated on the valley and not the ridge as clearly on this particular morning that was where the composition was to be had. Another excellent video, it should really be 111K subscribers at least.

[@alexnail]

Thanks John - I also like 2 for those rich greens and particularly because green is a difficult colour so scenes that actually work are a bit tricky to come across!

[@jeremycastruccio9200]

It is always a pleasure to watch your interesting and inspiring videos. I have learnt a lot following your aventures ! Thank you. If there can be only one, i'll go for the number 4 (bottom right). These greens are incredibles and the mist gives a sort of mystic atmosphere the the scene.

[@chrisnowellphotography]

Great work

[@alexnail]

Thank you Chris!

[@ceipuiwong]

1 - Top left; 2 - Top right

[@jbairdexp]

Fascinating to see the scene transform as time went on. Not sure which one I'd pick though....normally when I can't decided I'll print them all off. However, there is something appealing about the 4th image. Normally I'd go for the more colourful image with the warm light, but greens of that 4th image really appeal to me. That aside, I'd ben happy with any of those!

[@donniebel]

Tough choice. While I always enjoy seeing the velvet greens when there, I think the lower left choice stands out. I might settle on a different one tomorrow….

[@alexnail]

Thanks Donnie!

[@brendanlynch7296]

Impossible choice 😄 Push come to shove I'd go with no. 2 (top right) but I think I'd need to see the original images on my monitor to really choose 🙂 By the way, it's so helpful you include the shots that don't work and explain your thoughts on those, thanks!

[@alexnail]

My pleasure Brendan, thanks for the comment!

[@piero_75]

Stunning set of final images. For my taste it would be bottom right in first place, but they are all winners really (as we used to be told at school :) )

[@stigfloberghagenphotography]

Really appreciate this kind of video and fantastic photos 👌👍🙂

[@keithtimmis]

I can't choose between the four, they're all great! I love the way you describe your thoughts as you shoot a scene and demonstrate different angles and crops. I learn a lot.

[@alexnail]

Thanks so much Keith :)

[@RussWeymouthPhotography]

Amazing location, love the photos from 15:37 onwards, especially the colour range in the first one of the set. As you were talking through the compositions each time, I was thinking the image may be better balanced by cropping in a little from the side, then you cropped in exactly how I would have done 🙂

[@alexnail]

Thanks Russ. Yes some pretty clear crops there!

[@ianlewisphotography]

Number 2

[@brianmckeever5280]

I think I prefer #1. All are spectacular though.

[@AndrewMacdonaldPhotography]

Nice work Alex. New to the channel but enjoying the content so far!

[@81clive]

Epic photography 😎 The drankensburg is something special. Did some great hikes when I lived in SA. Wales and The lake District is really cool to drive the mountain passes and the winding roads through the UK scenery is brilliant 😎. But the Drankensburg will always be filled with epic adventures and memories. Can't wait for a holiday back home, to do some Drankensburg hikes!👌👍⛺

[@alexnail]

Thanks Clive, it’s an amazing place to call home!

[@AnomandarisPurake]

Another really great video. It's such a beautiful area, must be amazing to pitch a tent there. Any night photography coming, or are you all too tired from the days hiking? Photo number 1 or 2, hard to decide.

[@alexnail]

Thank you! Yes it is a wonderful place to camp, not least because the weather is far more stable than anywhere else I camp. Perhaps one drawback is the altitude though, unfortunately at 3000m you don't tend to sleep as well until you have acclimatised. There's actually a fair amount of settlements beneath the Drakensberg and the lights can spoil night images if you don't have a cloud inversion. And then there is the fact that I don't LOVE night photos and generally find it a bit much on a week long trip to disturb my already disturbed sleep even further!

[@ThyWorshipMetal]

Congratulations on 11k subscribers, good to see steady growth!

[@alexnail]

Cheers Justin 🍻

[@NicolasAlexanderOtto]

Great Video as per usual!

[@alexnail]

thanks Alex

[@thevalleywalker]

Top left for me but I also like the vivid green image. As ever a great watch. Nice to see your subs now starting to move in the right direction, well deserved. atb Al

[@alexnail]

Oooof late night Vlog watching Alan? Thanks very much :)

[@thevalleywalker]

@@alexnail I was up late aye.

[@dimitristsagdis7340]

Top left

[@NicolasAlexanderOtto]

Number 2 would be my choice btw.

[@lijo6696]

No 2

[@Azim0000]

Colour of #1 and composition/aspect ratio of #3. So if you could go back and take them again, also make another video...and take me with you, that would be great. Please and thanks. >.< Loving these videos.

[@alexnail]

There’s plenty of resolution to crop! But to be honest I think the composition of 1 is better than 3 if you don’t have those rays to work with! Thanks for the comment!

[@colinwilkinson8383]

Bottom left

[@terricarpenter1798]

Bottom left.