Namibia trip report (Part 2 - Serra Cafema)

This is the 2nd trip report from my latest safari to Namibia You can read my Namibia trip report (Part 1 - Skeleton Coast) entry here if you have not already done so.

After the skeleton coast, we flew along the ocean and turned inward at the mouth of the Kunene River, which markes the boundary between Namibia and Angola. The next location on our trip was a 3-night stay at Serra Cafema, a camp along the Kunene River with the Serra Cafema mountain range in Angola in the distance.

Serra Cafema can only be described as the most remote luxury lodge in all of southern Africa. This was my 2nd time there, and each time I have felt like there isn't a care in the world. It is just one of those places that draws me back for more. Photographically the area is complex, and not easy to capture in one or a few images. Serra Cafema is quite a bit warmer than the Skeleton Coast Camp, and with good reason, as it is farther inland from the sea. The coastal fog and cool air doesn't reach Serra Cafema as much or as often as locations that are close to the sea. Serra Cafema is a wonderful location if you are looking to photograph the Himba tribe, as well as landscapes. On one occasion, a small group of us took out the quad bikes for a spin out on the sand dunes. This enabled us to manuever quickly into areas where we wanted to photograph, and then hop back on to go someplace else.

Serra Cafema Camp is a small, luxurious output in the middle of nowhere, yet the accommodations and common areas are extremely nice, comfortable and inviting. And the staff? Probably one of the best staff attitudes and service I have had anywhere in Africa. There are few that equal the service, like Mombo Camp and Vumbura Plains in Botswana.

Photographer on the Dunes, Serra Cafema, Namibia. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/40 @ f/8, ISO 100

Sundowner time! Sony A900, 70-400mm, 1/25 @ f/5, ISO 640

Back to camp after our 'tough' afternoon of photgraphy and sundowner coctails. Sony A900, 16-35mm, 1/2sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800

Photographers, dunes and mountains. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/250 @ f/5, ISO 100

Francois, our guide and snake charmer. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/80 @ f/6.3, ISO 100

Francois, JP, Larry and Randy and our quad bikes on the dunes. This is an excellent way of moving around on the dunes, as you are more nimble and can find unique areas worth stopping for where a large 4x4 vehicle likely wouldn't go. The challenge is making sure that all people in the group know when to meet back up at the quad bikes to go to the next area. Once somebody walks off behind a dune, you won't see him for a while. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/160 @ f/6.3, ISO 100

JP working his yoga mojo magic on the dunes. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/320 @ f/8, ISO 100

Setting up for refreshments after an early morning sunrise shoot. We always have snacks, cold drinks, coffee and tea ready to go after a morning shoot. Sometimes a good cup of coffee is all I need to put a smile on my face, but this is the whole package to have a cup out in a beautiful setting. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/320 @ f/5.6, ISO 100

On our final morning, the camp staff surprised everybody by bringing breakfast to us for a 'bush breakfast' feast. No exactly roughing it, I must say. After I took this photo, I realized that Justin has a problem with smiling for the camera. Nice one, Justin. Here is a zoomed in image for the world to see:

Namibia trip report (Part 1 - Skeleton Coast)

Ok, so I have been back home for almost a month and I have had the time to reflect on my latest Africa adventure. So here are some thoughts about my trip, along with a few behind the scenes type images.

This was my 3rd trip to Namibia since 2006, and I had 2 different itineraries and groups this time around. The first segment was all about the northern and central part of Namibia, and we spent our time at 3 different camps/locations: Skeleton Coast Camp, Serra Cafema along the Kunene River which borders Angola and Kulala Desert Lodge near Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and the tall sand dunes of the Namib-Naukluft Park. The second segment of my Namibia journey focused on the central and southern part of Namibia: Kulala Desert Lodge and the Namib-Naukluft Park (same as 1st trip), the unique landscapes of the Namib Rand Reserve and Woldedans Dunes Lodge, and the deserted diamond mining town of Kolmanskop.

All of my photography on this trip was taken with gear that was graciously on loan from Sony, and the kit included a pair of A900 24mp camera bodies with portrait grips, a 16-35mm f/2.8 Zeiss, 24-70mm f/2.8 Zeiss and a 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G lens. They had also sent a few other lenses, but due to weight restrictions I needed to travel with the most efficient kit possible. I really enjoyed this Sony kit, and for travel and landscape photographers I cannot think of a better system at the moment. The A900 camera is a well-built yet small camera, and the lenses are as good as any that I have used from Canon and Nikon. There is much to like about the entire system, and I am taking notice of their super telephoto that they had behind glass at this year's PMA in Las Vegas. Based on the size I can only surmize that it will be a 500mm f/4, and hope that I will be able to get my hands on it when it is available. Joe Johnson of Really Right Stuff also loaned me an L bracket for the A900, and I want to publicly say thank you to both Sony and RRS for the loaners for the trip.

This first segment was a joint operation between myself and John Paul Caponigro, and we had 10 participants. Due to the distances involved, we used bush planes to transport us, our camera gear and our luggage between our camps. Even though we did not expect it, we had an additional Cessna 210 to augment our Cessna Grand Caravan. Some of the flights were quite long, and when flying over such beautiful terrain I had to remind myself to have enough compact flash cards for these flights, as it is easy to burn through 8GB or more on a single flight.

Running down the dunes. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/50 @ f/8, ISO 100

Our first camp was Skeleton Coast Camp, and on the way there we made a landing at Palmwag in the Damaraland region for fueld and a 'bio break'. The flight from Palmwag to Skeleton Coast was spectacular, as the rocky hills of Damaraland turned into bleached sand dunes along the coast. Wilderness Safaris operates the camp at the Skeleton Coast, and they have exclusive use of the entire Skeleton Coast National Park. Imagine having an entire national park all to yourself, and we pretty much had this during our stay as there were very few people at the camp when we were there. We spent 3 nights at Skeleton Coast Camp, and we only saw a small portion of what the area has to offer.

The Skeleton Coast National Park is only a small subset over the skeleton coast, as the entire coast of Namibia is considered the skeleton coast. The area is rich with many different types of eco-zones, and literally every 30 minutes you see an area that was totally different than the last. The area can get warm during the day if it has clear skies, but the closer you are to the ocean the more likely that you are going to encounter some sort of coastal fog. This brings cool air, along with an increase in wind speeds. Each morning before sunrise the temperatures were in the 40's, and on some afternoons it would get into the upper 80's. I am dying to get back to the Skeleton Coast, but John Paul is going to beat me to the punch as he will be leading a trip there in 2010 (email me if you are interested in being put on a list to be notified when we have more information).

Here some grab shots from our time there:

JP gives us his best superhero imitation

Larry striking a pose. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/80 @ f/5.0, ISO 100

The wildlife in Namibia is scare, but fabulous. Springbok near the Hoarusib River. Sony A900, 70-400mm, 1/640 @ f/8, ISO 200

Justin cannot exactly take a nap when JP is taking wide angle shots of his feet. Sony A900, 16-35mm, 1/320 @ f/4, ISO 100

The Skeleton Coast Camp vehicles have a bench seat on the top. Very cool for getting a (windy) view of the terrain. I loved sitting up on top, as I soaked in all of the views and smells of the area. This is an experience that is not to be missed, for sure. Sony A900, 70-400mm, 1/250 @ f/8, ISO 100

Part of the Namibia offroad driving experience is the traversing of dunes. This isn't a particularly tall dune, but it does give a clue as the angle of descent that we would often face. As you drive, or more accurately slide, down the sand dune roars at you as a result of the friction. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/500 @ f/5.6, ISO 100

....and taken from another angle on a separate dune. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/200 @ f/9, ISO 100

Andy's relaxed pose from on top of the Land Rover. Sony A900, 16-35mm, 1/160 @ f/9, ISO 100

One of our vehicles. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/500 @ f/2.8, ISO 100

After a long morning of driving and rich photography, we turned the corner and saw that the camp had setup a wonderful lunch right on the beach. I love it when we are able to do these types of meals, as it allows us to stay out all day and not think about returning to camp just to eat a meal. The meals are always wonderful, and when the extra step is taken to exceed expectations it is always well received. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/500 @ f/6.3, ISO 100

Gert, one of our exceptional guides, offers a cool and refreshing gin and tonic at the end of the day. Sony A900, 16-35mm, 1/500 @ f/2.8, ISO 400

The Rock Garden and Clouds. Sony A900, 24-70mm, 1/20 @ f/8, ISO 100

One on One Printing mentoring

If you are interested in creating better photographic prints, I am now offering private full-day mentoring sessions at my printing studio. This is an opportunity for you and I to work side by side to create beautiful prints from your own digital files. We can work on whatever you wish to work on, from digital capture to Lightroom workflow to digital output. The world is your oyster, and I am here to assist. Typical items that are usually covered:

• Color management
• Lightroom processing and workflow
• Soft proofing
• Black and white printing
• What to look for in a good print
• Paper choices
• Print sharpening
• Upsizing files for large format output
• Editing images for a portfolio
• Mat cutting and presentation ideas

These sessions are very informal, and are designed around getting information to you that is relative to your goals.

My location and equipment

Here is the equipment that I have in my studio in Houston, Texas (Memorial area, west of downtown):

• Canon iPF 8300 large format 44” 12-ink pigment ink printer
• Epson Stylus Pro 3880 17” pigment ink printer
• Epson Stylus R2400 13” pigment ink printer
• Epson Stylus R2880 13” pigment ink printer
• Epson Stylus R3000 13” pigment ink printer
• Canon PRO-1 13” pigment ink printer
• Canon PRO-10 13” pigment ink printer
• Canon PRO-100 13” dye ink printer
• Mac Pro desktop
• Dual LCD displays (NEC PA-272W 27” and Apple 30” Cinema)
• X-Rite i1 and iO scanning table for profiling
• X-Rite iSis
• GTI display booth with D50 light source
• Epson V750 flatbed scanner
• Plenty of workspace to layout prints
• All Moab Paper products, including Colorado Fiber Satine, Entrada Bright 300gsm, Somerset Museum Rag, Silckrock Metallic Pearl as well as Crane Silver Rag, Epson Exhibition Fiber, Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl and Photo Rag.

The Cost

The cost of this all day (10 hours) session is $950, and will include the use of all printing materials, matting materials and perhaps the use of my assistant’s time if he is around to help out. A typical day will begin at 8am, and will end around 6pm. I have found it best to have a casual lunch break away from the studio to break the long day up. Oh, and lunch is on me. I also have an espresso maker in the office for those who need caffeine at all hours of the day.

The Signup process

All you need to do is to send me an email at andybiggs@gmail.com, and we can take it from there. My schedule is busy with Gura Gear and my photographic safaris, but we can carve out some time that works for both of us.