I don’t usually attend photographic workshops, but when
travel photographer John Shillington invited me to join him on
a Desert Light workshop to
the Sossusvlei in Namibia, an insurmountable opportunity
presented itself. Photographing that desert has been a
personal goal of mine for many years. The area includes the
Dead Vlei where the remains of trees dead for over 600 years
stand surrounded by red sand dunes. My intention was simply to
use the workshop guide’s intimate knowledge of the area to
find exceptional photo opportunities, but in the end I got far
more than just a photographic tour. Of course I found great
photo opportunities, but I also found new friends, learned a
few new tricks and tips about photography (and digital
processing), and learned a little bit about myself in the
process. What a great experience!
The workshop is led by Willem
Oets and Nicole
Palmer - both are wonderful, accomplished photographers in
South Africa. Their love for the desert, for their craft, and
for sharing their knowledge makes them perfect guides. Willem
and Nicole also have a lot of experience as workshop leaders.
They have perfected a system that ensures photographers of all
levels are quickly trained on how to best capture the subtle
desert environment at sunrise and sunset. Yet despite their
extensive location experience, they still show the excitement
of a first-time visitor when they set up their tripods for a
shoot. As they point out, the light is always changing, and
you can never have enough images to capture it all!
Preparation for the workshop began well before any bags
were packed. Notes were sent out which set expectations and
gave instructions on how to prepare properly. This workshop
was, for the first time, to be a digital-only workshop.
Traditionally there would have been slide processing
facilities, but E6 is no longer being supported due to lack of
interest. (Any travel photographers out there who haven’t
yet made the switch from film, drop us a note and we’ll tell
you how to set your digital white balance to imitate Velvia!)
The instructions highlighted critical items like memory cards,
battery chargers, and power adapters. They also covered
requirements for filters (polarizer), camera cleaning
equipment, and ziplock bags for camera protection. It turns
out that the wind and sand in the desert can be brutal on
cameras (especially CCDs). Simply covering your camera with a
bag when not shooting can save you from unnecessarily opening
your camera bag and exposing it to the elements. These are
considerations for which travel photography in London does not
prepare you!
The first two days were spent in Tolous Lodge, which is a
simple, comfortable place to stay in a magnificent desert
setting. Willem and Nicole took everyone out to local dunes
where the group learned what was expected of them in a
workshop. For instance, one should not walk out across the
dunes in front of other photographers as it leaves footprints
through the foreground of the landscape. The rules were simple
and basic, and we were all happy to help each other out.
At the same time, Willem and Nicole were watching to see if
less experienced folks might need assistance to take full
advantage of the dramatic light in the desert. In the field,
they worked with each photographer to ensure everyone was in
control of their camera(s). Back at the lodge, images were
downloaded and processed with support from Willem Jr. and
Eric. They made sure that everyone was able to perform digital
post-processing effectively. The presentation of images for
critique also facilitated feedback on composition and
depth-of-field. The direct personal work was augmented by
lectures and slide shows about creativity, composition, desert
light, and more. These lectures included amazing images that
helped to inspire by example. By the end of the second day,
everyone was ready and able to execute good field work, camera
work, image composition, and digital post-processing. It was
time to go to Sossusvlei.
As we drove along the well-maintained dirt roads, there
were beautiful scenes including zebra, gemsbok, and springbok
grazing in the grass-covered fields. Under normal
circumstances, I could have spent the day simply soaking in
the beautiful countryside. But we were on a mission to get to
the vlei, so with the exception of a quick lunch stop; the
animals would have to wait for another day.
The word vlei means a depression where standing water may
accumulate under the right circumstances. It should be
mentioned that while in the desert, an area that usually sees
about 20mm (less than an inch) of rain a year, on this
workshop we were regularly subjected to passing thunderstorms!
The result was a wonderful, flower-filled, grass covered plain
where normally one only finds sand and gravel. The opportunity
to see and photograph rainbows over the sand dunes was a rare
treat. Whereas some people might be dismayed at the challenge
of rain in the desert, with Willem and Nicole’s help, we
were able to take full advantage of this unique experience!
The circumstances were right, and there was plenty of standing
water in the vlei!
On reaching Sossusvlei, which is in a gated park in the
Namib Desert, we drove directly to the dunes and had our first
encounter with these behemoth piles of sand. The scale of the
dunes is not easily described, and frankly the photos do not
do them justice. For the travel photographer, Sossusvlei is a
target rich environment. Nicole referred to it as
point-and-shoot photography: wherever you point your camera,
there is a picture to be captured. And the addition of
standing water amongst the dunes complemented a most surreal
setting. It is hard to believe that this world exists on our
planet.
We left the park at nightfall, and camped just outside the
gate. Everyone moaned (expectedly) when it was announced that
we would wake up at 4am to head out for the sunrise shoot, but
everyone was secretly pleased to have such an opportunity. The
drive from the gate to the vlei is over 60km, the first 50 of
which can be managed in a 2-wheel drive vehicle. Our caravan
of 4x4s made the complete journey in time for us to be in
position long before the sun reached the floor of the Dead
Vlei.
Nicole led us into the vlei. She pointed out where the sun
would appear, and how the shadow would move across the vlei.
There were a few non-photographers in the vlei who walked into
the scene, but nothing too serious to distract us from our
photography. The sight was magnificent. The scene was from
another world. The photographic opportunities were
innumerable. Except for the punishing sunlight that eventually
drove me from the vlei when all shadow was lost (talk about
harsh lighting conditions!), I would still be there happily
filling more memory cards.
At midday it rained (again), and as we left the park that
evening the views of sunlit dunes under dark clouds was
incredible. The late afternoon light would occasionally break
through and create a magnificent rainbow. This is not a scene
one should expect to see in the Namib, but we were treated to
some special and spectacular views that day. Every once in a
while you simply had to put down the camera and just stare in
awe.
The second day of shooting was hampered somewhat by the
fact that the 4x4 road had become a river, and was not
passable. Everyone was caught off guard by this, but Willem
and Nicole found alternate locations for us to explore
photographically. The value of local knowledge was apparent as
we deviated from the plan.
In the past I have heard criticisms about photographic
workshops as being tours where you are told where to put your
tripod, where to point your camera, and when to shoot. You
essentially come away with great images that someone else
found for you. What struck me about the Desert Light workshop
was that Nicole and Willem were supportive, offering help or
advice when asked, but they were mostly there to help you
achieve your own vision. When we finally returned back to
Tolous after three days of shooting, the critique sessions
demonstrated how each photographer had found his or her own
way to capture the essence of Sossusvlei. You really can take
a dozen photographers; drop them in the same location with
similar training and equipment, and still get wildly different
results from each person. Were there similar images shot by
multiple people? Yes. But that was remarkably the exception,
not the rule.
It must be mentioned that the management of the workshop
logistics was done by a wonderful woman named Lydia Ellis.
From the first arrival at Tolous Lodge, Lydia gently guided
everyone through the introductions and orientation. But her
organizational expertise was best successfully tested when we
went out to camp in the desert. Lydia ensured that everyone
was well fed and watered, even to the point of serving cooked
breakfasts to weary but excited photographers wandering back
after an early morning desert sunrise shoot. Even as the roads
were washed out, she very capably set up a remote kitchen to
provide everyone with a wonderful meal that took the edge off
the disappointment of not getting all the way back into the
vlei. Lydia is an absolute star!
I have never been on a photographic workshop before, but I
certainly will do it again. The participants and staff of the
workshop are now friends, and I wish them all the best. I
learned quite a number of new tricks about photography, and
was simultaneous reminded of the importance of the basic
disciplines.
Anyone who is thinking about going to Sossusvlei should
seriously consider contacting Desert
Light workshops. Nicole and Willem are wonderful people
who are doing a great job sharing their world with other
photographers. I encourage you to take advantage of their
hospitality.
About the Author
Jim White is the Editor at Travel Photographer Online
Magazine. Jim's work can be viewed at JimWhitePhotos.com
, in PhotoPortfolios.net
, and in the TPN and NPN forums.
