"I couldn't use a drone, so I had to find another way of getting above them with my DSLR," says portrait photographer seeking new perspectives

A new perspective is a difficult thing to achieve in the modern age of photography. Drone photography, action cameras, and the new breed of lightweight pro lenses made it possible to capture unique compositions with ease – making it more challenging to produce original images.

For photographer Coenraad Torlage, that challenge became the driving force behind one of his most compelling images. His idea was clear: shooting from above – but having no drone made it difficult to achieve an aerial perspective.

Armed with a DSLR – one of the first true professional hybrid cameras – and a standard zoom lens, he captured two men resting on horseback in South Africa, from a striking overhead viewpoint...

The story behind the still

Shot details
Gear: Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Exposure: 1/125sec, f/8, ISO 100

Torlage shot this image as part of his winning Young Farmers series, made for the final round of the Sony World Photography Awards Student Competition 2021.

He explains, "The photograph was taken on a farm in Elandslaagte in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It shows HW and Olwethu after a long day herding cattle on horseback. The idea came from observing how these young men interact as friends.

"The idea for this photograph emerged from reminiscing about my childhood on the farm and praying for a way to visually represent that.

"It is a documentation of the life that these boys live, but it's also part of my own visual representation of what it is like to grow up as a young farmer in South Africa. This is how I remember my childhood."

The challenges

"The main challenge was to achieve a high-quality aerial shot. I couldn't use a drone, so I had to find another way of getting above them with my DSLR. Luckily, they had a large excavator on the farm, so we used that to lift me over HW and Olwethu.

"I generally keep post-production to a minimum. For this photograph, a few basic adjustments such as colour correction, sharpening, curve adjustments and some digital dodging and burning were all that was necessary.

"By using a mix of natural and artificial light, Coenraad has been able to capture a timeless portrait of the two boys, with a strong narrative theme."

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