Astrophotography in the Cederberg
The Maltese Cross under a star-filled night sky. Cederberg, South Africa.
The Cederberg is a perfect location for astrophotography
The Cederberg mountains have been on my bucket list for far too many years. In June 2021, I got the chance to visit, after spending a week working remotely from the Bovlei Guest Farm, with our friends Gerard and Tracy. We planned a two-day hike, with the Maltese Cross on the first day, followed by the Wolfberg Arch on the second. We ended up avoiding the Wolfberg Arch due to massive groups camping there, and instead set up camp near the Wolfberg Cracks.
An introduction to astrophotography
While I’m no stranger to mountain photography, astrophotography is new to me. Full disclosure, it’s never been something that’s particularly interested me, but when you’re hiking with an Astro-master like Gerard, you can’t help but be inspired. And it was just as well because we had clear skies throughout our trip. Great news for stars, less so for sunrises and sunsets. It was a weekend of lavender-hued dusks and dawns; nothing to complain about there.
What camera gear did I use?
Overall, this was an amazing escape into the Cederberg mountains, but not particularly fruitful from a photography point of view. (As is often the case with the first trip to a new area.) All the images below were shot on my Sony A7Riii + Sony 24-105 f4 lens. Ideally, I’d have had a faster lens to bring down my ISO, but despite this, I’m impressed with the camera’s performance. This trip was an amazing recce and now, armed with plenty of compositional ideas and a taste of what the Cederberg has to offer, I can’t wait to plan a follow-up trip…hopefully one with ‘better’ conditions.
This image was Gerard’s vision, and credit goes to him. And to Tracy for holding the torch.
The Sneeuberg in the distance with the iconic Maltese Cross up front.
Exploring the Wolfberg Cracks
A sense of scale
