Photography by Randy Hanna

The sand dunes of Northern Namibia, while inhospitable, can produce some very spectacular imagery.  As a photographer, I had to work very hard to capture in digits, what my eyes could seen.  While the advances of modern digital cameras have been nothing short of spectacular, they are still a long way from the dynamic range of the human eye.  The image below was taken in Northern Namibia, deep in the dunes, looking north directly toward Angola.

Sunrise in the Dunes of Namibia

Nikon D300, 17-55mm VR at 38mm, ISO 200, f/10 at 1/100 sec

Cheers and happy photo’ing

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The Sands of Namibia

Nikon D300, 17-55 @ 17mm, ISO 200, f10 at 1/160 sec

Deep in the sand dunes of Namibia, I was presented with a rolling light show of highlights and shadows as the sun rose from my left.  With the camera having significantly less dynamic range than the human eye, it is always a challenge to record an image that depicts, as close as possible, the scene as it was seen by the eye.  As many of you know, I am a technical shooter.  Shooting in the deserts of Namibia was truly a personal and technical challenge for me which resulting in pushing my photography skills to a new level.  Amidst a sea of sand, I worked hard to incorporate an artistic approach in many of my images.  I found myself paying a great deal of attention to lines, shapes, highlights and shadows to tell the image story.  Thanks to JP Caponigro and Andy Biggs for pushing me into this artistic journey!

This image is a good example of the use of hyperfocal distance knowledge to achieve the desired zone of focus.    Using hyperfocal tables, I was able to determine that focusing on the sand, 10 ft in front of me, the hyperfocal distance would be 5.37 feet (using f10 and the D300 at 17mm), resulting in a near focus limit of 3.48 feet and a far focus limit of infinity.  After determining these values, I simply reset the focus to 5 feet and shot.  To make all of this easier, I now use an iPod for my hyperfocal distance calculations rather than lugging around 10 pages of tables.  Thank you Mr. Apple.

Cheers and happy photo’ing

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Sunrise over Namibian Mountain Range

Nikon D300, 17-55 @55mm; ISO 320, f 7.1 @ 1/640 sec

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Windy Ridge - Skeleton Coast

May 2009 – Nikon D300, 17-55 @17mm, ISO 200, f 10 at 1/250 sec

Windy Ridge Sunset, Skeleton Coast, Namibia,  looking toward the ocean.

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The Best Seats in the House

Nikon D300, 70-200VR @130mm; ISO 400, F7.1 @ 1/320 sec

Traveling through a river bed in Namibia inland from the Wilderness Safari Skeleton Coast campsite, three photographers grab the best seats in the house while taking in the wonderful scenery.

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Namibia Sunrise

May 2009, Nikon D300, 17-55mm f2.8@ 55, ISO 500, f11 at 1/50 sec, -1/2 EV

Metered slightly below the horizon in spot metering mode

As sunlight started across the distance mountain range, I hiked up a nearby rock outcroping some 500 feet above the valley floor to get this image.  The clouds were simply spectactular as the moved across the desert sky.  After shooting about 6 frames (I don’t recall even checking the histogram), I put the camera down and just took in the view of the entire valley.  As I watch the rising sunlight dance across the valley floor, I realized just how lucky I was travel to places like this – to see and photograph things  and places that others seldom get a chance to see or even hear about.

Cheers and happy photo’ing

Randy

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Red Dunes (Dune 43) of Namib-Naukuft Park, Namibia

Nikon D300, 70-200VR, 95mm @ f9 1/640 sec, -2EV

While shooting in the sand dunes of Namibia, I found myself in an environment that was largely reds and blues.  After looking at the large histogram for general exposure, I always shifted to the RGB histograms for evaluation.  More often than not, I found that I was blowing out the reds.  A simple drop in EV solved the blown channel.  Usually using only a -1/3EV to solve normal exposure problems, I was very surprised by having to drop down into the -2’s for a correct exposure.  While post processing, I was also surprised by the white balance of the camera.  I always shoot in auto WB mode and correct during post processing.  When shooting in extreme conditions, it is not uncommon for me to use either a white balance card or a color checker to help with setting my white balance in post processing.  What surprised be was how far off the color temperature was when I started the post processing.  I am going to attribute this to the high amount of reds from the sand.  The lesson here is to use all of your tools, both in camera and out of camera.  Learn when the in-camera meter is smart, when it is dumb,  and take the necessary actions to get the shot.

Cheers and happy photo’ing

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The journey homeward started with a four hour flight from Serra Cafema to a dirt strip outside of Sossuvlei.  During a three day lay over at Sossuvlei area, we took advantage of shooting Deadvlei.  Four brave soles hit the dunes beyond Deadvlei for a long and strenuous hike deep into the dunes.  This last hike of the trip took a serious toll on my Nikon gear causing failure of the playback and AF buttons in both D300 cameras. This was in addition to my lenses sounding like pepper grinders.   Just my luck, the playback button failed in the depressed position which locked out all button functions to the left of the view screen.  With the histogram no longer available, I was on my own for exposure management.  Thankfully I had been shooting in the desert for almost a week and was well aware of the ‘plus’ exposure compensation when shooting bright subjects such as sand.  What was more challenging was preventing clipping of the blue and red channels during exposure and managing the shadow details with nothing but my shooting experience to rely on.  So why did my Nikons fail?  Simple, I used them unprotected in a 30-35 knot sustained wind in the middle of sand dunes.  Needless to say, sand was getting into everything.  Look out Nikon – all of my gear is heading your way for repairs.

With both cameras down and one more day of shooting, I decided to take a big risk and result to using a safety pin and Eclipse Sensor Solution.  I used one drop of solution (like I would if I had WD40 or a silicon lubricant) around the edges of both buttons and pried them up using the end of safety pin.  After repeating this procedure several times, I had most of my controls back, at least enough to shoot Dune 47 in the late afternoon – at least I thought so.  When taking the classic post card shots of the red Dune from the road, the controls failed again, this time in the RGB histogram mode.  I could not have ask for a better failure, as I was able to adjust the exposure compensation to prevent clipping with an automatic display after each shot.  The following day, was another bush plane ride to Windhoek, then on to Johannesburg, connecting to New York and LA with the final push to Seattle.  Total flight time I would estimate at something like 23 hours from Johannesburg to Seattle, each way (not including some 10 hours in bush planes).   Total air time – my guess is something just short of 56 hours.  This trip was painful, exhausting, challenging, and professionally rewarding as my photography skills were pushed to a new level.  Thanks to my photography, once again I was able to see another corner of the world that is seldom seen and yet most of all – I met some wonderful people that will likely influence my personal and professional life for a long time to come.  Special thanks to my truck buddies, Paul T, Sylvia, Justin, Larry, JP, and of course Andy for the invitation of a lifetime.  I never thought I would be standing on the side of a river looking at the border of Angola.

After South African Airlines lost my checked bag, I treated myself to a business class upgrade.  So here I sit in the LAX Red Carpet Club after a wonderful United meal of smoked salmon, fresh greens, stir-fried shrimp, chocolate and grand vanilla ice cream followed up by a warm chocolate chip cookie. Oh yes,  I almost forgot the raspberry mojito (always thinking of you, Coogan).  Home for two weeks then it’s off to Hawaii for a week of photography and fun in the sun.  I will be processing most of images from Tanzania and Namibia in the weeks to come, so enjoy these few images until the next posting.  Just a warning, if the colors are a bit off it is because I am using a non-color managed netbook that I bought just for this trip so I will have to fix them after I get home.

Star Trails

Nikon D300, 17-55 @23mm, f5.6, 2918 seconds exposure

Sand Storm Over Dunes

Nikon D300, 17-55mm @55mm, ISO 250, f11, 1/2oo sec

Sand As Far As One Can See

Nikon D300, 17-55mm @40mm, ISO 250, f10, 1/200 sec

Golden Light on Dunes of Namibia

Nikon D300, 17-55mm @ 28mm, ISO 250, f16, 1/125 sec

Black & White II Dunes

BTW, there are only four slots open for my Tanzania Feb 2010 trip.  If Africa is on your bucket list, then what are you waiting for?  Come join me for an adventure that will stir your soul and warm your heart.

Cheers and happy photo’ing.

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After flying for nearly 18 hours, I finally arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa.  In the beginning of the flight, I thought I had really scored big time by landing a seat in the exit row with nearly five feet of foot room.  What I soon learned was that the exit row seats were somewhat smaller than normal (width wise) and had a special air bag thing embedded in the waste belt.  Together, I had to wedge myself into the seat.  I guess I need to shed a few more pounds before the return trip.  Overnighted at the InterContinental next to the airport in JB.  This am, I am off the Windhoek, Namibia where I will do some exploration of the city and try to link up with a friend of mine that I served with in Iraq.  The one day layover in Namibia is a safety stop to ensure that our bags reach us before me move on into the outback of Namibia.  The following morning, I board a charter flight for the Skeleton Coast. I can hardly wait to start shooting.  Here is a larger map of the area.

The photo below demonstrates what happens when you shoot through the polarized plastic window of the aircraft with a polarizer on the lens of the camera.  Only in very special conditions can these two polarizers work together.  As you can see in the photograph, they are not working together.  This is largely due to the distance between the camera lens and the window as well as the differing types of material.  In special cases, where two polarizers are sandwiched together (machined glass to work together), they will work as a variable density filter (VND).  VNDs are often used by landscape photographers to slow the shutter speeds down.  The most common use of slower shutter speeds using VND is to  create motion in water falls or wave action while still being able to manage your exposure.

What I like about this shot is the reflection of the wing art .

Till the next internet connection……..

Randy

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I’m off for a couple of weeks to photograph a wonderful and inhospitable place known as the Namib and Kalahari Deserts.  Namibia has been on my bucket list for several years and only recently have I been afforded the opportunity to take this journey.  During this trip I will be visiting such places as the great Skeleton Coast,  Serra Cafema, and Sossusvlei – home to the highest sand dune in the world.  The hike along the knife-edge rim to the top is strenuous, requiring 60-90 minutes of taking two steps up and sliding one step down nonetheless, I’m going to get to the top.  I have been told that the view from the top of this dune into other valleys and of the mountains beyond is simply marvelous and I can’t wait to photograph this landscape.  Due to no internet connections in the middle of nowhere, I will not be posting until my return.  So for now, take a look at the maps below to see where I am headed.

From Seattle, I’ll fly into Dulles then onto Johannesburg, South Africa.  After a 16 hour flight, I will overnight in Joburg in prep for my flight to Windhoek the following day.  From Windhoek, I’ll be flying into the northern area of Namibia along the Skeleton Coast.  Several days in this region, then onward to Sossusvlei.

The Sossusvlei, Namibia’s famous highlight in the heart of the Namib Desert, is a huge clay pan, enclosed by giant sand dunes. Some of the spectacular hills of sand are, at a height of 300 meters, the highest in the world. The dunes of the Namib Desert have developed over a period of many millions of years. It is thought that the vast quantities of sand were deposited into the Alantic Ocean by the Orange River. This material was subsequently moved northwards by the Benguela current to be dumped back onto the land by the surf.

The coastal dunes developed as a result of this and were shifted further and further inland by the wind. Wind continuously reshapes the patterns of the huge dunes of the Namib Desert. It timelessly forces the grains of sand on the flat windward slope upwards to the crest of the dune. Here they fall down in the wind shade. The leeward slope is therefore always considerably steeper than the windward side.

While I am excited about photographing some of the oldest deserts in the world and the indigenous people that inhabit them, I am not looking forward to the very lengthy plane rides to and from.  Cheers and until I return, do some research on the areas that I have mentioned in this posting.

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