Namibia Overland Photographic Journey, April 2014

Namibia Overland Photographic Journey
March 29 - April 7, 2014
and
April 8 - 17, 2014

Deadvlei

I will be co-leading a group with Joshua Holko to the Namibia desert in Namibia, Africa. The goal of this safari is to photograph the breathtaking desert landscapes of Namibia in a different way than how I have offered my Namibia trips in the past: in an overland fashion. This will be an overland photographic journey, and we have complete flexibility to stop to take photographs at any time along the way. We wanted to put this trip together that has a good balance between flexibility, photographic opportunities and comfortable accommodations. This approach will also enable us to carry more than enough amount of camera baggage, so bring what you need!

On the South Western Coast of Africa, where the icy Atlantic ocean meets the world’s oldest desert lies a place that is known for its landscapes as much as the Serengeti is known for its abundant wildlife. The unique combination of desert, grassland and cold ocean current form a one-of-a-kind terrain found only here. For this reason landscape photographers from all over the world flock to the Namib Desert to try and capture its ethereal beauty.

In this captivating region of Namibia lies a maze of mountainous valleys that look like they were carpeted from slope to slope by ivory colored grass, criss-crossed by ancient riverbeds and dotted with a collection of photogenic acacia trees. The final unique touch is added by the large snake like dunes that rise from the grasslands like the roof of some subterranean world. These stark and compelling landscapes are something to behold with the human eye, but when it’s sweeping meadows, barren mountains and blood red dunes are captured and transformed into a two dimensional image, it becomes obvious why this place is so beautifully addictive to photographers.

Highlights

– This private overland safari covers fascinating attractions in Namibia while enjoying a relaxed pace along the way.

– We will enjoy four amazing destinations in central and southern Namibia: Sossusvlei, the Namib Rand, the deserted mining town of Kolmanskop and the ancient quiver tree forest near Keetmanshoop.

– The Namib Desert may well be the world’s oldest desert. The apricot-colored dunes at Sossusvlei are some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. Herds gemsbok and springbok roam the area.

– In all the locations you will have the opportunity to spend quality photographic time.

– Finish on a high note in the magnificent sand dunes of Sossusvlei.

– Limited to only 10 participants.

The cost of this all-inclusive trip is U.S. $7,950 per person (but not inclusive of airfare to Windhoek, Namibia). The same rate applies for each participant regardless of whether they are doing photography and participating in the workshop, or not. This fee includes all in-country ground and air transportation as well as hotel accommodation (double occupancy) and all meals.

A 30% deposit of U.S. $2,325 (per person) will be required when you register. A second payment of $1,500 will be due on October 1, 2013 and the balance of $3,925 will be due no later than  February 1, 2014. If we have to cancel the trip for any reason you will receive a full refund of all monies paid to that date.

Please note: This trip is designed for photographers. Though non-photographer spouses are of course welcome, and alternate activities will be scheduled if possible, our primary emphasis will be traveling to the best locations for the best light, and this will often mean long days of both travel and shooting.

You should therefore only consider joining this expedition if you are a passionate photographer willing to put yourself out a bit. This is not a vacation sightseeing trip, but rather is a trip designed for those who’ll go the extra mile (or kilometer) to get the images they’ve been dreaming about.

Please contact me at info@andybiggs.com. You can see the entire day by day itinerary:

Namibia Overland Photographic Journey 2014

Kolmanskop

The Namib Rand

Photo of the Day - Kolmanskop, Namibia

Sand, Doorways and Golden Light

Kolmanskop, Namibia. September 2012

Phase One DF, IQ160 digital back, 28mm lens, 1.6sec @ f/11, ISO 50

I am only days away from having all of the details planned out for a 2014 trip to Namibia. This trip will be done ‘overland’ style, which means we will take the opportunity to drive the vast country in private Land Cruisers. We will have more flexibility to stop to take photos along the way, as well as an ability to stop at locations that don’t have airstrips nearby. I am very excited to return to Namibia, a country that I have photographed many times since 2006, and my co-leader will be my good friend and talented photographer Joshua Holko. We will limit this trip to only 10 participants, so be thinking if this is something you might be interested in prior to the announcement. We will be in Namibia during the best time of the year for good clouds; late March and early April, and will have the details posted online soon.

Namibia Trip Report [Warning, Modem Buster Alert]

Back in late September I lead a trip to Namibia for Phase One as part of their PODAS series of workshops. My good friend, Bill Atkinson, was the other instructor on the trip, and we had an excellent time together with our travelers. Our trip began and ended in the capital city of Windhoek, and we flew between 3 different locations across the country.

Since I have been to Namibia many times in the past, I tried to put myself in a different creative mind on this trip. My goal was to find new compositions with shorter focal lengths, which isn’t always easy with all of the far away types of shots that Namibia has. I did use my Phase One camera system this time, which limits me on the long end anyway, and it is probably the best camera system for that type of environment: huge huge files from 40, 60 or 80mp digital backs for crisp/detailed images with rich color fidelity.

Our first destination was in the sleepy town of Lüderitz, which is a coastal town that was built to support the diamond mining efforts at the beginning of the last century. While at Lüderitz we were able to photograph the abandoned diamond mining town of Kolmanskop, where I have been many times in the past. This was, however, my first time to visit and photograph with a medium format camera. We spent 2 nights there, and had 2 separate shoots at Kolmanskop on separate days.

As a side note, I will be leading a pair of Namibia trips with Joshua Holko in 2014. We are working on the details right now. Please notify me if you are interested in more information when I have all of the details planned out. info@andybiggs.com
 

Staircase, Kolmanskop Mining Town

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 28mm lens

Two Doors, Kolmanskop Mining Town

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 45mm lens

Door In A Door, Kolmanskop Mining Town

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 75-150mm lens

After we left Lüderitz we flew over to Sossusvlei, where some of the tallest sand dunes in the world are located. We stayed in the area for 3 nights, and visited the famed Deadvlei a couple of times in an attempt to ‘get it right’. I do like visiting a location more than once, as I tend to get hung up with a particular style on a shoot. Sometimes this means that I stick with a single lens, sometimes it means that I envision only B&W or color or sometimes it means that I take huge creative risks in an attempt to do something completely different. We also took some time to scout some less photographed areas of the Namib-Naukluft, and found what I hear is the most northern quiver tree in Namibia. Talk about far away from its nearest relative, which is still at least a 50km drive.

Deadvlei in B&W

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 45mm lens

A Lone Quiver Tree

Sony RX-100 point and shoot camera

Yours Truly

El Grupo

At the end of the trip we flew to the more remote area of Namibia, Serra Cafema Camp. Serra Cafema Camp is located on the Kunene River, which separates Namibia from Angola. One of my all-time favorite locations to photograph is here, and it is the combination of remoteness, grandiose beauty and accommodations that keeps bringing me back. 3 nights just scratches the surface of what this area can do for photography, and I look forward to going back again in future years.

Overlooking the dune field from a vantage point

Driving through the dunes

A side view of one of the dunes near camp

Our thrones around the fire

I am not sure this is what Really Right Stuff envisions for their tripod support

Another vantage point before we went into the dunes for sunset

Dune field with the Serra Cafema mountain range in Angola in the background

Ovahimba Tribe

Sharing our images

Our final breakfast location, overlooking the Kunene River and Serra Cafema mountain range in Angola

Namibia's Remote Landscapes by Private Air

Are you interested in shooting the remote landscapes of Namibia with the best photographic equipment on the market? I have teamed up with Phase One and I am running a trip to Namibia alongside good friends Bill Atkinson and Kevin Raber. If you don’t already own Phase One medium format equipment, that’s totally ok, as Phase One will be providing cameras and lenses for all participants for a *very* nominal fee of $500. Here are some bullet points for the trip:

• All Phase One equipment will be provided if you don’t already own Phase One gear
• This trip is all about private airplanes, privacy and breathtaking landscapes
• This private flying safari covers fascinating attractions in Namibia while enjoying much of the stunning landscape from the air.
• We will fly to three amazing destinations in southern, central and northern Namibia: Sossusvlei, Serra Cafema and the deserted mining town of Kolmanskop.
• The Namib Desert may well be the world’s oldest desert. The apricot-colored dunes at Sossusvlei are some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. Herds of mountain zebra, gemsbok and springbok roam the area.
• In all the parks you will have the opportunity to spend quality photographic time.
• Finish on a high note in the magnificent northern landscapes along the Serra Cafema mountain range near Angola.

For more information, please visit my informational page about this trip

Namibia’s Remote Landscapes by Private Air

The Skeleton Coast from the air

Flying above the dunes near Sossusvlei

The deserted mining town of Kolmanskop

Photo of the Day - Himba Women

Himba Women

Along the Kunene River in Hartmann Valley, Namibia.

Aerial photography has been added our September Namibia workshop

Great news! We have been working behind the scenes to setup some aerial photography time on the September 20-30, 2010 Namibia landscape workshop. I cannot tell you how amazing the workshop is going to be, as it combines my favorite and most photographically rich locations in all of Namibia, excellent leadership by John Paul Caponigro, and now aerial photography while flying over the biggest, baddest sand dunes on the planet. 

Here are a few bullet points about the workshop: 

• Aerial photography in the Namib-Naukluft area (optional excursion)
• The famed Deadvlei trees at Sossusvlei
• The tallest sand dunes in the world
• The remote landscapes of the Skeleton Coast
• The deserted mining town of Kolmanskop
• A small, intimate group, led by John Paul Caponigro

Imagine being able to fly over the most dramatic dunes in the world with no doors on the plane. It's you, your camera and the dunes below. Here are some photos from my last trip to Namibia over these majestic dunes (I haven't had the luxury of flying in Namibia on photo-specific flights, and the ability to take the doors off the plane and shoot unobscructed, with a safety harness, is a great benefit).

 I have heard from many travelers that aerial photography in Namibia is something that is on their list, and now I have the proper people in place to make it happen. Email me at info@andybiggs.com if you would like to join the September 20-30, 2010 Namibia workshop. It will be one heck of a good time.

September Namibia landscape workshop

Spring is almost here, and next thing you know summer will almost be over. This is just a reminder that we have a Namibia landscape photography workshop planned for this coming September, led by my good friend and excellent leader John Paul Caponigro.

The Namibia workshop will include three amazing locations: the deserted mining town of Kolmanskop, the tall and ancient sand dunes of Sossusvlei and the remote and dynamic Skeleton Coast.

If you have thought about Namibia in the past, please take note that I am not planning another Namibia trip for at least a couple of years, so 2010 may be your year. Just a gentle reminder. Please email me at info@andybiggs.com if interested. We do have some spaces available, and international airfare is best handled more than a few months in advance. You can read more about the specific itinerary by clicking on the Namibia workshop link on the left han side of this blog.

Namibia Workshop announcement

Namibia Photographic Safari

September 20-30, 2010

 

In September 2010 John Paul Caponigro will lead a private group of photographers into Namibia's untamed wilderness areas. The goal of this safari is to photograph the breathtaking desert landscapes of Namibia. This will be a flying safari and we will maximize the time out on safari by flying from location to location. This will enable us to carry an adequate amount of camera baggage, do some aerial photography of scenic locations, and eliminate time-consuming, long drives. This will be a serious instructional safari with a strong focus on teaching in the field.

Safari Highlights

• This private flying safari covers fascinating attractions in Namibia, while enjoying much of the stunning landscapes from the air.
• We will fly to three amazing destinations in central and northern Namibia: Kolmanskop, The Namib Desert / Sossusvlei, and the incredible Skeleton Coast.
• Kolmanskop is a famous ex-diamond mining ghost town which today is fighting a losing battle against the winds and sand dunes that are enveloping it... the photography here is striking and we will make two separate visits to the ghost town to make images. Truly a photographer's dream location.
• The Namib Desert may well be the world's oldest desert. The apricot-colored dunes at Sossusvlei are some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. Herds of mountain zebra, gemsbok and springbok roam the area.
• The Skeleton Coast is one of our planet's most remote locations. It is wild, desolate, uninhabited and stunningly beautiful. This is a place the will rival anything in Africa for those who enjoy the excitement of wild and remote places.
• In all the areas we visit, you will have the opportunity to spend quality photographic time.
• Personalized instruction with John Paul throughout the safari.
• Safari is limited to 11 participants.

For more detailed information on this workshop, click here. If you are interested in this exciting safari, please email me at info@andybiggs.com.

Here are some images from the locations that will be visited:

Kolmanskop deserted diamond mining town

Namib desert from our private charter plane

The dead trees at Deadvlei (Sossusvlei)

The towering dunes of Sossusvlei

Driving over and through the dunes at Skeleton Coast N.P.

Running down the dunes at Skeleton Coat N.P.