Photo of the Day

Here is part of our group jumping off of a sand dune in Skeleton Coast Park, Namibia. Sony A900 camera with 24-70mm Zeiss lens.

Photo of the Day

Serra Cafema camp, Namibia. Taken with a Sony A900 and a Sony Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8.

Skeleton Coast update

Here is a quick image of one of our Land Rovers in the Skeleton Coast Park of Namibia last week. The Skeleton Coast is a dynamic landscape, with mountains, rivers, sand dunes and coastline. Taken with a Sony A900 and a 70-400mm lens.

AMOD gps tracker update

I have been using an AMOD gps tracker for my past few trips, and I have come to think that this is a great tool for my adventures. My goal is to provide both a gps log for inserting into my image metadata, as well as a graphical Google Earth representation of where I have been. My safari travelers seem to enjoy having these files as well.

The tracker runs off of three AAA batteries, which is less preferable to a pair of AA batteries, but I do get more than 15 hours from a set of Eneloop branded cells. I have set my device to create a log entry every 10 seconds, which seems to be enough data for me.

I left the unit on the hood of my Land Rover one afternoon, and the unit was eventually found on the ground 1km from where we were staying. The unit looks pretty bad, but still works like a charm. For $69 I will buy another one and this will be my backup.

Namibia safari update

I am back in Windhoek, Namibia after what I consider a stunning first leg of my Namibia journey. We visited the Skeleton Coast, the remote Kunene region of the Kaokoland along the Angola border, and then finished up with a few days at the tall dunes of Sossusvlei. I am back at it in a few hours for Kolmanskop, which is the location where the dunes have taken over the abandoned mining town. I have some photo permit issues just for me, so I will be going in as a 'tour leader' without a camera. Since I have been there before, this isn't a big deal, and it will allow me to spend time helping others work on their own photography.

I have been shooting with all Sony equipment on this trip, and I have come to love the system for these types of trips. Their Zeiss lenses are quite good, and I also have their newly released 70-400mm lens for a combination of wildlife and landscapes. Namibia requires focal lengths from 16mm all the way to 200mm if you are going to come here to photograph landscapes, and if you desire willdife you will need even more reach. From intimate dune scenes with a wide angle lens to far away vistas with a telephoto, Namibia will push you to take more than the standard postcard type photos.

Time for a cup of coffee, a quick bite to eat and then off to the plane for the scenic flight down south. All charter flights in Namibia can be considered scenic flights, as the entire country is amazing from the air.

Photo of the Day - Namibia

Dune Study

Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia. May 2009

Sony A900, 24-70mm @40mm, 1/10 sec @ f/11, ISO 100

Photo of the Day

Here is a quick image of John Paul having a few laughs on the dunes here in Namibia. Coming up with funny poses for a silhouette isn't always easy, as you need to have a shape that is easily identifiable from afar. This is why the camera is separate from his face.

Taken with a Sony A900 digital SLR and a Sony Zeiss 24-70mm lens.

Quad ATV's at Serra Cafema

Just a quick grab shot from along the Namibia / Angola border. We spent an afternoon on quad bikes on the dunes, searching out interesting scenes to photograph. The ATV's allowed us to be nimble and quickly find vantage points to shoot from. There is nothing like sliding down a 35 degree face of a dune. Truly spectacular.