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.
