With a love of the natural world, photographer Kate Del Fante Scott spends a great deal of time quenching her thirst for seeking adventure and feeding her addiction to travel. As a resident of Cape Town, Kate finds she is at her happiest when she is one with nature in the wild and untamed bushveld of South Africa. Kate is an Architect by profession with a keen eye, who captures and delivers fine art photographic images of wildlife, landscapes, and architecture. These images convey her love of her surroundings, while also sharing unique and unexpected moments in nature with her viewers. My personal favorites of Kate’s photographs are her remarkable wildlife photographs.
It’s my pleasure to share Kate’s thoughts and ideas about her work with my readers. Kate, thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and view of nature through your words and photography and for allowing us to get to know a bit about you.
If you’d like to learn more about Kate, please visit her website. You can also visit her on Instagram.
Can you please tell the readers a bit about yourself?
I am an architect from South Africa, I’m 37 years old, I have 2 little girls with my husband who is also an Architect. Besides design and photography, I am addicted to travel, I love discovering new places, and seeing the world. I love being outdoors and mountain bike, surf, ride, and trail run.
Where do you call home?
I live in Cape Town, South Africa.
After browsing through your website, I see that you’re truly immersed in the field of photography. What is it that led you towards photography and how long have you been working in it?
As I mentioned. I’m actually an Architect by profession. Architectural photography is a natural extension of my trade and an important part of exercising my design eye in a different way. Nature, wildlife, and travel photography are my passion and escape and again a natural extension of how I live and my passions – travel and nature.
Architecture is an intense and stressful career. I needed a creative outlet that lets me express myself away from the constraints of clients, budgets, and structures. As a designer, I am obviously very drawn to creative visual arts, so photography was a perfect choice. I have been working professionally as an architectural photographer for about 5 years. I have been photographing wildlife seriously for about 7 years.
What is your favorite part of being a photographer?
I love being outdoors, especially in the bushveld of Africa. I am a very analytical person, and enjoy the technical aspect, and love the creative freedom.
What is the most challenging part of being a photographer?
Time – editing, deadlines and most importantly chasing the sun!
Being that my main focus is wildlife lighting conditions are often not ideal even at the best sightings. That can be very frustrating! But equally challenging to push yourself to look for a different type of shot.
What type of photography shoots do you look forward to?
Game lodges and content production for their websites. It involves all the things I love, travel, the great outdoors,
and wildlife.
What is your favorite part of heading out to a new location?
Discovering new opportunities and a fresh perspective.
How do you keep your photography fresh and how do you stay motivated to keep on learning?
As equipment evolves you naturally get pushed to try new techniques think. I love scrolling through Instagram and analyzing others work to figure out how they got their shot. I read a lot of photography magazines, and just experiment a lot at home when I can. With those great wildlife shots, there’s no ‘luck’ – it’s when opportunity meets preparation!
Share with us your favorite image and why.
The rhino in the midden is my favorite, I loved the way he turned to face me dead straight on just as he kicked up the dust beside him. It gives the rhino such symmetry against the dusty rose foliage. My most popular image is the men on the dhow in Zanzibar.
What do you hope viewers take away from your images?
The Serenity and beauty of nature.
What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer just starting out?
Never stop pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Master a technique, learn a new one. It doesn’t matter what is in your camera bag, all a great photographer needs a brain full of tools to take amazing images even with a phone!
What type of camera(s) do you shoot with? What is your favorite lens?
My main camera body I own is a Canon 7D mkii. I love its burst rate for wildlife. My favorite lens is my Canon EF 100-400mm L ISii for wildlife and a 16-35mm f2.8 L for Architecture. Love my 50mm f1.4 prime lens for portraits.
I do rent equipment when I need to, so I love to shoot on Canon 5Dmkiv, and the 70-200 f2.8 Lii, and any super telephoto is a privilege to shoot with.
I once shot on a Canon 1dx but it was very heavy and bulky for me.
What is in your camera bag?
Canon 7D mkii, 10 – 22mm, 50mm, 17 – 55mm, 100 – 400mm, Canon 600exii Speedlight, Canon remote trigger, SLIK tripod, UV filters, polarizing filter, ND8 grad filter, 5 in 1 collapsible reflector kit, gorilla pod, Canon M5 mirrorless compact, EF-M 18 – 150mm and a Red filter game viewing torch.
What is your favorite photography accessory?
Probably grad filters.
What piece of equipment would you most like to get but don’t have yet?
I really need a telephoto extender. Not actually sure why I don’t have one yet! The lens I’m listing after is the Canon 11 – 24mm L series lens, I definitely will upgrade to the 7D mkiii when it is released and maybe in my dreams one day an EF 500mm L ISii.
How important is Photoshop or other image editing software in your final images?
Essential! Sharpening, a bit of pushing of the curve, pulling details back from the highlights. I think images come to life and get that pro polish with these tweaks. I don’t believe in too much manipulation, the truth must still prevail, but image enhancement is today’s photographers’ digital darkroom.
Do you have any projects that make you look back and shake your head? What made the experience so unpleasant?
I cannot stand event photography. Wedding photographers, I have so much respect for you. It’s just too unpredictable and rushed for me. I like to take my time with a shot.
Can you tell me about one of your favorite or most memorable photo shoots? What made it so great and why did you like it so much?
Shooting in Botswana is and always will be a highlight. The Okavango Delta and Chobe are just the most breathtakingly beautiful places, teeming with wildlife in it’s most untouched way.
Are there any areas of photography that you have yet to pick up on that you’d like to learn?
I’d love to learn more about food photography.
Do you see yourself as a photographer many years down the road?
Definitely. This is my retirement game!!
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