Arriving in our African overland truck, we set up camp at Spitzkoppe in the Namib Desert, Namibia. An amazing place that offers much for those interested in the landscape. Here, I took a star trail photograph pointed at the south celestial pole, using a natural stone arch formation for the foreground. Photo taken in August 2015.
Tag: black
Plant leaves in Borneo
I took part in a charity event in Malaysian Borneo in 2008 to raise money for an orangutan sanctuary. That was a good fun trip, and I especially enjoyed my treks through the jungle, leeches and all! During the trip, I came across this plant in Sabah, and I liked the symmetry well enough to take a photo. The jungle can be quite a dark place, giving one a sense of foreboding, so I think this black-and-white treatment compliments that feeling quite well.
Taj Mahal in the morning
The Taj Mahal is one of the most photographed buildings in the world. Here’s my take.
Woman’s Bridge in Buenos Aires
It was 2006, and it had been several years since I had last visited Buenos Aires, so it was good to venture out and explore the place. Wandering along the docks of Puerto Madero, and enjoying the music and food of this fascinating district, I spotted a distinctive and elegant structure which I didn’t recognise. On closer inspection, I discovered that it was a rotating pedestrian bridge named El Puente de La Mujer or Woman’s Bridge. Now, I had made the rookie mistake of keeping a polarising filter on my camera lens most of the time which had the effect of creating very dark and uneven skies in a lot of my photos. However, in this close-up of the bridge’s central steel needle, the contrast between dark and light is dramatic to say the least, but which I think works.
Dead trees of Deadvlei
A unique view of the dead, desiccated trees of Deadvlei in Namibia which I photographed in August 2015.
“Deadvlei” from the English word “dead” and the Afrikaans word “vlei” for marsh. It was once an area fed by the Tsauchab River where trees and other plants flourished. Perhaps 600-700 years ago, maybe 900 years ago, the changing climate and encroaching sand dunes conspired to cut-off the water supply, killing-off the trees and most of the plants.
Today, visitors are greeted by an eerie but spectacular sight. Illuminated by the brilliant blue skies, a white clay pan is surrounded by rust-coloured sand dunes which are reputed to be some of the highest in the world at over 1,312 feet (400 metres). And the trees; dead, desiccated, and scorched black by the sun. Truly a forest of the dead.