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.

New gallery posted - Kolmanskop, Namibia

I have updated my Galleries section on my main andybiggs.com web site, and the newest gallery is entitled Kolmanskop.

Kolmanskop is a deserted mining town in the southwest corner of Namibia. The town developed after the discovery of diamonds in the area in 1908, and was there to provide shelter for workers from the harsh environment of the Namib Desert. 

The town declined after World War I as diamond prices crashed, and operations moved to Oranjemund. It was abandoned in 1956, and the desert has taken over its place as the rightful owner. Kolmanskop is popular with photographers for its scenic settings of the desert sands reclaiming this once thriving town. Due to its location within the restricted area of Sperrgebiet of the Namib desert, a permit is necessary to enter the town.

Here are few select images from the gallery. Click here to be taken directly to the gallery. Keep in mind that my print prices are heavily discounted until the end of the year, in case you would like one of these images on your wall.

John Paul Caponigro will be leading a photographic safari to Namibia in September, 2010. Click here for details.

Luminous Landscape Video Journal #19

The Luminous Landscape has just released their Video Journal episode #19, and this issue includes an amazing amount of video footage from our Namibia safari from April 2006. There are other great segments, as well, however I was most interested in seeing the video from our Namibia trip.

We visited 4 different locations in Namibia on that trip: Kolmanskop, Namibi Rand, Sossusvlei and Serra Cafema. LLVJ #19 contains more than 46 minutes of footage from that incredible trip. Michael and I waited to do an on-camera discussion about the trip until we were out on safari again, and that didn't happen until last September when we were in Botswana together. Yes, our Botswana safari should eventually be a Video Journal piece, as well.

As a side note, I do have a safari again to Namibia next September 2010. My friend John Paul Caponigro is leading the trip, and there is still some space available. We have no specific plans to return to Namibia beyond next year, so if you are planning your 2010 vacation or holiday schedule, this could be your ticket.

Click here to see a quick preview.

Click here for the LL checkout page to purchase the video (I have no financial interest in this or any of the videos on Lumionous Landscape).

Click here to see my September 2010 Namibia Photographic Safari.

Workshop Testimonial: Stephen Starkman

Stephen Starkman recently traveled with me and John Paul Caponigro to Namibia, Africa. Stephen was kind of enough to share his exceptional photographs with me, as well as his testimonial. Thanks so much, Stephen!

As a side note, John Paul will be returning to Namibia next year in September 2010 to lead another Namibia landscape workshop. I will be formally announcing the workshop in the coming days, however I have already posted the itinerary online:

Namibia Photographic Workshop with John Paul Caponigro

September 20-30, 2010

"..Andy, I cannot thank you enough for all his hard work putting together our workshop in south and central Namibia. You are a man of exceptional talent and infinite patience (well, almost infinite!). You are also an incredibly talented photographer, as is evident in the pages on your website. I wouldn't hesitate for a minute taking another workshop with Andy. Andy - we all had a blast - and now some exceptional photographs to show for it!"

Himba Women of Namibia

Himba Women

Namibi, Africa. April 2006

Canon 5D, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, 1/250 @ f/6.3, ISO 250