Cape Town is a city filled to the brim with scenic routes and picturesque landscapes – this, we all know to be true thanks to the plethora of photos, drone shots, reels, TikToks and what have you that flood our social media platforms daily.
But what sometimes gets lost in translation when marvelling at our Mother City’s beauty are the people behind the camera, braving inclement weather, scouring the sea and hiking mountains in an effort to capture the perfect shot.
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Kyle Goetsch is a nature photographer who’s been chasing landscapes for about six years now, garnering him a pretty impressive portfolio of nature scapes and wildlife – just one glimpse at his Instagram page and you’ll see what we mean.
In April 2018, Kyle took this photo of the Milky Way over Lion’s Head that went viral across South Africa, as well as the globe:
Six years later, he faced a one-week window to capture the moment once more. Three very early morning hikes, two failed attempts and some cooperative fog later, this was the result:
In his Instagram caption, Kyle explained that he wanted full fog around the mountain to reduce the severe light pollution from the CBD in order to snap the Milky Way over Lion’s Head. To achieve this, he attempted it three times, waking up at 3:30am and hiking up Table Mountain to the best vantage point.
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As avid admirers of our beloved city’s natural beauty and the talent within those who capture it, we knew we had to get the inside scoop behind this breathtaking shot, as well as landscape photography in general. So, we reached out to to the man behind the camera:
Q: What inspired you to capture the photo in 2018 and again this year?
A: As a landscape photographer, I love to show well-known South African locations in completely new ways. And with my love for astrophotography, it wasn’t long before I tried to combine these passions around Cape Town.
In 2018 when I captured the Milky Way over Lion’s Head, it was a photo that, based on the planning and research, seemed possible under the right conditions and time of year. After several attempts, I was able to pull it off.
My reason for attempting it again now, six years later, was mainly because I wanted to improve on my previous version with better gear and the photographic experience I’d gained in that time.
Q: What was the most challenging part of taking both pictures?
A: The photo is quite challenging as there is a small window in April when the Milky Way is perfectly positioned directly above Lion’s Head. You also have to factor in the moon phases so that you don’t have light pollution from the moon.
In addition to this, fog in the city bowl and Camps Bay area is essential to dampen the illumination from the city lights enough for the Milky Way to be clearly visible in the photo.
Getting the fog just right with no moon in April was the most challenging part due to the rarity of all these elements aligning. This is the main reason it took me six years to attempt this photo again.
Q: On your third attempt, how did you feel the moment everything came together and you managed to capture this incredible shot?
A: I attempted to get the updated 2024 photo three times last week.
The first two hikes up the mountain at 3:30am resulted in no fog or fog just off the city bowl, but on my third attempt on Saturday morning, 20 April, all the conditions aligned with perfect fog, darkening the city lights below and making the Milky Way visible to the naked eye.
It was a very special moment I won’t forget.
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Q: How long have you been a photographer and what inspired you to start?
A: I became a full-time photographer six years ago, and it was my love of the natural landscapes around Southern Africa that made me pursue my passion for capturing the outdoors with my camera.
This has resulted in my personal brand of Adventure Through Photography, as it’s through my pursuit of these images that I get to experience the beauty of this amazing country. I also have a passion for teaching photography. I run workshops across Southern Africa and offer private lessons on capturing and editing photos.
Q: What do you enjoy most about landscape photography?
A: The photography I do involves a lot of planning beforehand. I’m frequently checking weather apps, moon phases, tide times, the Milky Way alignment, and more.
The rarer the event, the more excited I get about the photo. From big waves at Kalk Bay harbour to lightning over Table Mountain, it really is exciting getting out and trying to capture these amazing natural spectacles.
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Q: What’s the craziest thing you’ve had to do in order to capture your perfect shot?
A: I’ve done quite a few crazy things, from hiking up mountains in the darkest hours of the night to standing in the rain waiting for rainbows to appear.
But I think perhaps the craziest thing was hearing that it was going to rain and flood in the Namibian desert and literally booking flights the next day to fly up and shoot the rain storms coming in after years of drought. Watching the landscape change before my eyes was something very special for me.
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Q: Which Cape Town spots are your favourite to capture?
A: I live in Somerset West and love shooting at Kogelbaai, where I’ve managed to capture some rare events, such as the blue bioluminescent algae at night. I also love shooting along Chapman’s Peak Drive, and of course, I can’t leave out Blouberg beach with its view of Table Mountain.
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Q: Do you have an absolute favourite photograph that you’ve taken? If so, which one?
A: Now this I can’t answer as each photo holds a special memory for me, but the original Milky Way over Lion’s Head is probably one of my most famous photos. If you have a look through my Instagram account, you’ll see a lot of my favourites there.
Q: Do you have any other pictures of Cape Town that you’d like to share with our readers?
A: I’d love to share some of my photos from around Cape Town. I have some lightning near Table Mountain, big waves at Kalk Bay and some bioluminescence along Clarens Drive, and maybe an epic sunset or two.
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Picture: @kylegoetschphotography / Instagram
