After five days exploring the depths of the desert, it was surreal to wake up to the smell of water. Outside, the Kunene River separating northern Namibia from Angola rushed westward at the foot of my private deck on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. I was a guest of Serra Cafema, the last stop […]
08
Jun
Jun
Learning about Lions Across the dimly lit tent stands Dr. Philip “Flip” Stander, the world’s foremost expert on Namibia’s famed desert-adapted lions, looking every bit the grizzled, stereotypical scientist who’s spent most of his life alone in the field––sun-baked skin, hair askew, a scraggly beard, and a lanky frame all elbows and knees. He stands […]
01
Jun
Jun
In photography, professionals will always tell you to “look for the light,” but sometimes it’s more fun to focus on the dark, to embrace the beauty of a silhouette. A good silhouette adds drama, mood, and depth to an image. It serves up a fresh narrative and gives another reason for a viewer’s eye to linger. There […]
04
May
May
The teenager stood 10 feet in front of our vehicle, a large branch hanging like a giant frown from his mouth. His ears were spread wide and his trunk, held long and low, tipped up at the end to smell us. He looked and he waited, shifting slightly from one foot to the other. It was […]
13
Apr
Apr
It’s funny what the mind latches on to. All I could think when our tiny Cessna touched down on the faded airstrip in the middle of Damaraland, was, I’d never seen so many rocks in my life. How many were there? A billion? 10 billion? I was tired and hot. Perhaps I was just hallucinating. […]
06
Apr
Apr
It’s my second day in Palmwag, Namibia, a reserve along the Skeleton Coast. As Bons, my guide, three rangers and I walk across an endless plain of rocks I replayed the rules for tracking black rhinos in my head: 1. Be very quiet. 2. If something goes awry, do whatever the rangers tell me. It […]