From South Africa to Bali – travel photographer shares tips on how to capture your favourite moments

Thabang Radebe between boarders

Travel is known to inspire many things – romance, compassion, understanding, and even creativity. Thabang Radebe invites us to share her love of globe-trotting through her camera.

Thabang is a photographer, and an enviable perk of her job is being invited to beautiful destinations and events. She captures her experiences and travels in eye-catching detail.

Thabang’s professional skill is often reflected on her social media accounts. Her Instagram tells beautiful stories of newlyweds, expectant mothers, engaged couples, corporate professionals, and individuals looking to have unique images in their smartphone albums.

Thabang also applies her photographic skills to one of her great loves: travel. Few of her clients know this side to her as she rarely poses in front of the camera.

She says her love of travel has also influenced her creativity as an artist and a photographer:

“The world is such a beautiful place. Seeing different faces, experiencing different cultures and tasting different types of food opens up your mind in so many ways. As a creative, you can draw inspiration from anything, and travel is a big part of that.”

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Thabang has favourite international and local destinations for a number of reasons, ranging from finding peace in the bush to enjoying a party on an island.

She says, “Internationally, it’s the Maldives for me. Kanifinolhu is stunning. The waters are nice and clear. Nothing beats being able to unwind at the sea while sipping on cocktails and watching the sunset. Club Med Kani is a party island, so every night, there are all sorts of parties and performances for us to enjoy.”

Locally, Thabang recommends the Tala Collection Game Reserve in Pietermaritzburg.

“It’s very peaceful and it’s located in a private setting in the bush. If you want to go there, book at the Leadwood Lodge. The rooms are amazing. The lodge has its own private restaurant, lounge area, and wonderful views for sundowners,” she explains.

Thabang shares her photography hacks and favourite travel moments:

Please share your top tips on how to get that Instagrammable, timeless vacation picture on your phone if you don’t have a camera?

If the place is cloudy, then you can take photos at any time, but on a sunny day, I’d advise you to take pictures during the golden hour (sunrise or sunset). Take a tripod with you. Instead of asking people to take images of you, you can just set a timer and then rush back into your position. Take wide-angle shots so that we can see what environment you are enjoying.

Sunset or sunrise – what’s your favourite time of day to take the perfect picture?

Both. There’s something so refreshing about the sunrise. It’s a brand new day. On a technical note, the light is soft – it just creates a refreshing atmosphere in your pictures. Sunset gives you soft light, beautiful skies, ambience … it’s romantic.

What’s your favourite travel photograph?

I’ll go with an image I shot of my friend while we were walking through Grand Souq in Dubai: the guys at the market were fascinated by her. I used light as a guide. The light in the image symbolises how she was in the spotlight. She stood out, not to me, but to the locals. They stood outside their stands watching her walk.

Some even shouted: “Nicki, come see my shop.” To them, they saw Nicki Minaj. I think it’s because she wore a leopard-print outfit. Sometimes, what hooks people is seeing how you can be yourself, naturally and beautifully, in a foreign country.

Where can we reach you?

Website: www.thabangrphotography. com/travel; Instagram: @thabangr_ photography; Facebook: Thabang R Photography; and YouTube: Thabang R Photography.

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