NAMIBIA…
…a place you thought couldn’t exist. Namibia, like no other, combines the spectacular with the endless and surreal. Vast, ancient and extremely sparsely populated, but here there is an incredible variety and combination of different environments and landscapes. Join us on a photographic adventure to this exciting country. Our trip will offer a wide range of spectacular photo opportunities, from landscape photography to animal photography (both large and small). The cities in Namibia are still characterized by German architecture and you can find wonderfully good apfel strudel in the city’s cafes.

NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY & QUIVER TREE FOREST
We start our journey in Windhoek. From here we go south to Solitaire where we spend our first night. Here in the middle of nowhere will we find our first subjects to photograph, here we can find lots of old rusty cars and tractors. Perhaps we even make a first attempt on night photography. From Solitaire will we continue south to the Quiver Tree forest outside Keetmanshoop. Here we will spend two nights and we will photograph the fantastic Quiver trees during the day, but the highlight is being able to photograph them at night against an absolutely incredible starry sky. During the two nights we are here, we will work with slightly different types of images in the sky, of course where we see the Milky Way, but we will also photograph so-called star trail. The quiver tree or Kokerboom as it is called in southern Africa used to belong to the Aloe plants but is now in a different plant family. The tree is a large and branchy succulent that is only found in southern Africa and then especially in southern Namibia and the Northern Cape Province in South Africa.

KOLMANSKOP – GHOST TOWN
From fantastic trees we make our way further west in Namibia and to the coastal town of Lüderitz. This is our base for the next two nights. We will photograph the colorful and German-inspired architecture in the city, but above all we will spend time in the nearby ghost town of Kolmanskop. At the beginning of the 20th century there was a diamond rush in Namibia and the small town of Kolmanskop flourished. However, the search for diamonds was short-lived and already during the 1920s the city began to decay. These days the buildings are completely under the relentless control of the Namib Desert, slowly the desert is taking back. The buildings have become an incredibly exciting photo attraction and we will spend plenty of time here. With special permission, we will be able to photograph both in the early morning and late evening.

SOSSUSVLEI AND DEAD VLEI
Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft National Park is our next stop on the tour. Some of the world’s highest sand dunes await us here. Beautifully ochre-coloured, they are wonderful subjects to photograph in the morning and evening light. The most famous dunes are Big Daddy, Big Mama and Dune 45. In Sossulvlei we also find Dead Vlei, the area was once an oasis with acacia trees but then the river changed its direction and the area dried out and the trees died. Today the trees stand as black relics. Sossusvlei offers fantastic landscape photography and in addition to the famous subjects, we will take you to lesser known places. To be able to be out in the National Park to photograph in the early morning light and late evening light, will we stay at one of the two lodges located inside the park. Hopefully the nights will also give us great opportunities for star photography.

DUNES, COAST AND THE SMALL FIVE
From Sossusvlei we make our way through the Namib Desert west towards the coast, more precisely to Swakopmund. With the city as a starting point, we will explore both the surrounding desert but also the coast. We will go out into the Dorob National Park and look for the small animals of the desert. With a little luck, we will have the opportunity to photograph both small geckos, chameleons, snakes and some of the other exciting animals that live in the desert. The sand in Dorob differs in color from the one we experienced in Sossusvlei, here the desert is yellow. During our days here, we will have the opportunity to photograph both sand dunes and other exciting desert environments. We will also see one of the world’s oldest plant species, Welwitschia Mirabilis, some of the plants here are estimated to be more than 1500 years old. The coast south of Swakopmund is a fine birding area. We will make our way to Walvis Bay and spend time with flamingos and loads of other birds. Our days here will also give us opportunities to photograph some coastal and beach scenery. We will choose photo location depending on the weather and tide, maybe will we go to Pelican point…

THE ROCK FORMATIONS OF SPITZKOPPE
We leave Swakopmund and head further on our tour. Our next stop is the area around the mountain Spitzkoppe. Often the mountain is referred to as “the Matterhorn of Namibia” because of its shape. In the surroundings of Spitzkoppe will we find lots of great opportunities for photography, beautiful rock formations and the famous rock arch of Spitzkoppe. We will stay inside the reserve to get access to the best light and also for night photography. Only lodging inside the reserve is self-catering so we will all help out cocking, the food will be more basic during these to days.

Namibia is a large country, and sometimes there are long distances between the places we want to photograph, we travel in four-wheel drive Toyota cars with substantial cargo spaces.

PHOTOGRAPHIC LEARNING
During the trip, we will have different photographic workshops where we will, among other things, go through different techniques to prepare for different types of photography that will come during the trip. We also look at image composition and each other’s images, all to develop your particular photography.