Back to Namibia years later. Not much new ... just beauty !

[Big_Dog]

Wonderful photography. Love all the herbivores, especially those take from hills.
The aardwolf is definitley a keeper. It may be from a distance, but in a way that achieves a beauty of it's own and keeps in so much on the surrounding enviroment.

[Bush dog]

Excellent photography and for a non expert in night photography, a very good first play.

[africawild]

Thank you for your comments !

 

On to the Sossosvlei area .My initial plan to stay in the area was Hoodia Lodge ( after reading the amazing Jochen report ) but sadly it was full , and the same with most lodges in the area .We ended up staying 2 nights in Little Sossus, modest accommodation but very friendly people , specially Pierre , the younger owner´s son that took us on the Sossusvle Drive and Sunset drive.

 

The first day we had decided to take a view of the desert from a different perspective so we went to Sesriem and took a small cesna for a 1 hour fly over the dunes , an experience not to be missed !!!

If you ever take this trip you should book the 4 pm flight because of the lights and shadows produce a much more dramatic look of the desert , sadly we had to take the 2 pm flight because the 4 pm was fully booked , so the light was a bit harsh for photography.

 

 

Right after take off we had a nice view of Sesriem Canyon

 

 

 

 

Some beautiful mountains before arriving to the sand sea

 

 

 

 

But then the first sand dunes

 

 

 

 

We could recognize Dune 45 from above

 

 

 

 

And also Dead Vlei

 

 

 

 

 

And Sossusvlei

 

 

 

 

From Sossusvlei to the cost we flew a sea of dunes , around 60 km of sand dunes !

 

 

 

 

 

And suddenly we arrived where the sand meets the sea

 

 

 

 

It was an incredible view , the sea was touching big tall sand dunes

 

 

 

 

We flew north along the coast for several km ¡I'm sorry but I have no image to convey how amazing the moment was !

 

 

 

 

And then inland again and sand dunes again

 

 

 

 

 

The last part of the fly was over vegetated dunes and fairy circles

 

 

 

 

 

Before i took this flight i was not sure if it was going to be worth the time and money but it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip

 

 

On the drive back to the lodge we were lucky to find a small oryx herd just when the sun was about to vanish!

 

 

 

 

Next i will cover our Sossusvlei trip by vehicle !

 

Paco

Edited September 21, 2014 by africawild

[Bush dog]

I entirely agree with you, the Namib desert, seen from above is not to be missed.

I did it 3 years ago. It happened to be also one of the highlights of my trip. I still have to post a TR for this trip.

 

But I made it with the helicopter, that gives more possibilities than the plane and I did it in the morning.

 

Anyway, beautiful pictures taken in second-rate light conditions.

[Atravelynn]

Your aerial photos are just S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G. I keep using that phrase. The light looked pretty good to me. What dates did you go? If near the shortest days of the year, 4 pm might be getting dark. Understandably a highlight! Tell us about the flight--I assume everyone gets a window and the plane allows both sides to view well. Your shots do not appear to have suffered from vibrations in the plane.

[twaffle]

I love, love the aerials … so incredibly beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with us, you've given my morning a special start.

[pault]

"I have no image to convey how amazing the moment was."

 

Then you posted one. I think that conveys it pretty well if we have any imagination. What a wonderful thing to do.

[Atravelynn]

Between your shots of the night SKY and your shots from the SKY, your photography has been elevated to new heights. Ha ha, but I am also serious. Such gorgeous perspectives.

[africawild]

Your aerial photos are just S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G. I keep using that phrase. The light looked pretty good to me. What dates did you go? If near the shortest days of the year, 4 pm might be getting dark. Understandably a highlight! Tell us about the flight--I assume everyone gets a window and the plane allows both sides to view well. Your shots do not appear to have suffered from vibrations in the plane.

 

Thank you Lynn .

 

We went last week of July , sunset was around 5:45 so the one hour flight at 4 p.m. should be perfect.

 

The plane was a six sitter Cesna so everyone gets a window sit. To get away with the vibrations of the plane a bump the ISO a bit in order to get speeds from 1/1000 to 1/4000 at f/8 . I was shooting with my D300 and the 70-200 2,8 and a D610 with a 24-120 f/4 , both of course are VR lens so that also helps.

 

This is a shot of a plane same as the one we had . You also can see the name of the company .

 

 

 

Paco

[MR1980]

Wow @@africawild,

 

Stunning trip report so far!! You can handle a camera very well to say the least...

 

I've visited Namibia for the first time this year and had an incredible time, such unbelievable landscapes. I managed to stay 2 nights at Hoodia Desert Lodge and it was amazing but Little Sossus must have been great either?!

 

I'm looking forward to the rest of your trip.

 

Cheers,

 

Michel

Edited September 23, 2014 by MR1980

[michael-ibk]

What everybody else said - unbelievably beautiful photos, just spectacular! Thank you for this, really a joy reading your report.

[Treepol]

Fabulous photos that bring a whole new dimension to the desert and the night skies, thanks for sharing.

[Atravelynn]

Thanks for the info on the plane. You had a magnificent day and flight.

[Africalover]

Absolutely fantastic photos, I try to get better on every Safari. Yours make me try harder. Do you take photos in raw and inhance them on the computer. It seems like cheetah country, are they around ?

 

Thank you.

[africawild]

Absolutely fantastic photos, I try to get better on every Safari. Yours make me try harder. Do you take photos in raw and inhance them on the computer. It seems like cheetah country, are they around ?

 

Thank you.

 

Yes , i take all photos in RAW and later edit them with Ligthroom .

 

No luck with cheetah in the south , we had to try our luck later in Etosha but that will be another chapter .

 

Paco

[africawild]

After our aerial incursion of the previous day , next was a regular visit to Sossusvlei area and the plan was to be early at the gate , that way we would be able to reach the dunes with the good morning light.

 

Little Sossus is not close to the gate but they take the activity seriously so 4:45 was time for leaving and we happen to be the second vehicle at the gate ( of course this is not a race , later we were the first vehicle to stop and got pass by many others !!! )

 

 

 

View from our first stop with 3 oryx walking in the distance

 

 

Soon we arrived close to the first big dunes, they sure are impressive!!

 

 

 

We had a stop in every dune so i think we were second at the gate and last at Dead Vlei

 

 

 

The morning was very windy . Some shots while walking towards Dead Vlei.

 

 

 

We arrived to Dead Vlei with very few people around . I find this place is overwhelming , i took some shots and then i relaxed and enjoyed the uniqueness and beauty of the place !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wind and the light made for some good and different photo opportunities

 

 

 

We had breakfast at Sossusvlei under a nice tree and then visit Sesriem Canyon , curious but very unimpressive after the DUNES !!!

 

 

Overall , a magic place with unbeatable desert landscape !!

 

 

Paco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[madaboutcheetah]

Simply stunning, Paco!!!

[Bush dog]

Beautiful and magical images. Excellent composition and centring. A couple of them looks like modern paintings. You show a great artistic sense. I am very impressed!!!

[michael-ibk]

Extraordinary, simply beautiful!

[xelas]

Only to be praised. If only you could move the logo on the bottom left (or right) corner.

 

As for timing, how long did the dunes hold on colour red?

[africawild]

Only to be praised. If only you could move the logo on the bottom left (or right) corner.

 

As for timing, how long did the dunes hold on colour red?

 

Sorry about the watermark , i try a soft look but is true that in some dark images is too visible . Not that i sell photos or anything but i have already seen some of my photos used by others,is not fun !!

 

The sand has always a very intense red color but of course soft light make it look much better, i would say the first 2 to 3 hours of the day , i do not know about afternoon. The second photo of my last post is around 6:30 a.m. and the one with the springboks is around 3 hours later , very different to say the least!!

 

Paco

[xelas]

@africawild:

Paco, thanks a lot. One more question; have you used a tripod? And what about C-PL filter? I assume you were working with M settings?! Maybe a hint how to get those beautiful sand lines like on your last photo ?

 

About the watermark, I know is needed. Just your photos are so good I would prefer to enjoy them without an "intruder"!!

[africawild]

@africawild:

Paco, thanks a lot. One more question; have you used a tripod? And what about C-PL filter? I assume you were working with M settings?! Maybe a hint how to get those beautiful sand lines like on your last photo ?

 

About the watermark, I know is needed. Just your photos are so good I would prefer to enjoy them without an "intruder"!!

Sorry for the delay but has been a very busy week!

 

Yes Xelas , i took a tripod but mainly used for night photography and did not use filters !

 

I usually shoot in aperture priority , is how i feel more comfortable and i feel i have control over most of what i need. In order to capture the fine details and have a good depth of field a try to use narrow apertures in the landscape shoots .With a fast lens with VR and decent light there is no need to use tripod unless you want to shoot winner shoots !

 

But is basically the Namibian Desert and its amazing colors and patterns which makes the pictures attractive. Somehow both times i have been in Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei i felt overwhelmed by the place and did not really know well where to find that unique image .

 

The good thing is the place is so beautiful that just been there is a joy!!!

 

Paco

[africawild]

That afternoon after Sossusvlei we went to a small Sunset drive with Pierre from Little Sossus , they really have a nice place for sundown !!!

 

 

 

 

Even their dog enjoyed the view!

 

 

I wonder why?

 

Next Swakopmund area

 

Paco

 

 

 

 

 

 

[xelas]

@@africawild

No filters?! Not even for front element protection?? Anyway then you have mastered the post processing very well. More lovely landscape shots!