In southern Namibia near the small mining and fishing port of Luderitz is a truly unique and interesting location for photography. Surrounded by an apocalyptic looking barren landscape, Kolmanskop Ghost Town is unlike any other location that I have been too. Like many other locations in Namibia this is one of those places that has been on my wish list for some time and one of the reasons I decided to return to Namibia.
Kolmanskop is a long deserted diamond mining settlement that is slowly being swallowed up by dunes and disintegrated by the harsh weather. I suspect that the deterioration is not as quick as it might have been in a an environment with more moisture and regular rains. The mining operation dates back to when Namibia was still under German colonial rule, starting in the first decade of the 20th century and finally petering out in the 1950’s. The settlement was built in a German style and is a mixture of commercial buildings, worker’s barracks and elegant management residences – some still with German nameplates on the front like ‘Architekt’.
Read MoreI have just returned from a twelve day driving tour of southern Namibia. It was a fantastic (if exhausting) experience during which I was able to revisit some locations for the second time and finally see some locations I hadn’t been able to previously. The Quiver Tree Forest is an utterly unique and world famous place that I have been wanting to visit for a long time. On this, my third visit to this amazing country, I was finally able to do so. The location itself is five to six hours drive south of Windhoek, Namibia’s capital and about twenty minutes’ drive from the small dusty town of Keetmanshoop. It is privately owned, not in a state reserve or national park. It is in fact part of a working farm and you have to pay a fee to the owners for access. Fortunately it is possible to get a night photography permit for unrestricted access at any hour which is essential. I stayed at the Quiver Tree Rest Camp which is located on and run by the farm operation.
Read MoreJakarta is a city with a split personality. It is a mixture of ultra-modern commercial facades and kerb-side watch band sellers standing on cracked pavement. Luxury shopping centres selling world standard luxury consumer goods and street dwellers living in tents. German luxury cars and buzzing mopeds. I'm not a street photographer by any means but when I was in Jakarta for a few days recently I was inspired by its eclectic and energetic nature. I felt compelled to have a wander around with my camera seeing if I could spot some interesting scenes that might convey a storey.
Read MoreThere are many landscape photography locations around the world that have achieved iconic status. Locations that because of their uniqueness or particular beauty, attract obsessed photographers like myself to them in droves. They have become places that you go to put a notch on your tripod or a tick on your bucket list. I've been to a few of these locations (Deadvlei in Namibia and Glacier Lake in Canada are two examples) and the experience has usually prompted a mix of emotions.
Read MoreThe Great Ocean Road and Otway Ranges areas in southern Victoria are iconic in their status as a tourist destination and like a honeypot for landscape photographers like myself. I've made a couple of previous trips there and recently got a chance to make my third visit for a few days.
Read MoreI had an opportunity to visit the Great Ocean Road region of Victoria recently. I mainly wanted to re-visit a few locations and improve on the efforts of my previous visits. I had mixed results in this regard due to weather (something I will talk about in a future post). I did however, manage to visit a new location with some success...
Read MoreI often re-visit landscape photography locations. If you are a landscape photographer you will know the reasons, but every day at a location has different light with different sky and weather conditions so you can never really say....
Read MoreIt has been some time since I did some bird photography but I got a chance to dust the cobwebs off my 500mm Canon lens recently on a trip to the Denmark area of Western Australia. The small country town of Denmark is situated on Wilsons Inlet and is also close to the coastal strip. Birds can generally be found wherever there is water so Denmark and its....
Read MoreI have always been an admirer of the San (commonly known as Bushmen). I had read about them in fiction and non-fiction on many occasions and it was clear they were one of the hardiest and most resourceful of indigenous peoples to be found anywhere. Pushed into marginal arid area's of Africa (places like the Kalahari desert) by more dominant and war-like Bantu peoples, the San had to survive where others could not. They were highly skilled hunters.....
Read MoreThere are very few places in Africa where you will be guaranteed a wild leopard sighting. I have spoken to people who have made several trips and never seen one. I myself have been lucky to see and photograph quite a few leopard in Botswana, Kenya and Namibia but this is not necessarily the usual course of affairs. There is however, a place in Namibia where you can be very confident that you will be able to see and photograph leopard and cheetah. Okonjima is a unique game reserve located an easy 2-3 hours drive from Namibia's capital Windhoek. The.....
Read More