Those of you who know me well know that I love visual design. So it’s no surprise that when faced with these huge dunes in Namibia, I was seeing shapes everywhere. The reach of my Tamron 150-600mm lens created an optical compression of the depth, furthering the graphic quality of these shapes. And all of them mattered – the darker and lighter dune shapes, and the sky shape. A long time ago when studying Freeman Patterson’s work I remember him saying that everything is a shape in your picture. I felt the same way but hadn’t expressed it as well to my students.
So, using my telephoto lens as a spotting scope, I scanned the dunes looking for a combination of shapes that was pleasing to me. I had seen this with my own eye, but with the viewfinder framing it and the tight angle of view from the lens, I found the right combination of proportions.
I am looking forward to going back to Sossusvlei dunes on our Wonders of Namibia Photography Safari this summer. I’ll be looking for more shapes in the shifting sands, and sharing what I see with others, on this amazing journey with pro-photographer and co-leader Wendy Kaveney.
If you haven’t seen her A/V show yet, Fall in Love with Namibia, you have to check it out! She’s blended stills with some video that make the place come alive. And she includes a variety of pictures to tell the story of the journey between the amazing, iconic locations. You can also view still images at my site and Wendy’s website.
Join us this summer for a wonder-filled journey.
Thanks for visiting.
