PHOTO WORKSHOP ON KLEIN AUS VISTA 2019

Many months have flown by since my last entry on this Blog due to much travelling all over the world which I hope to include here soon.

We have recently returned from a 5 week trip through Namibia, starting in Aus then working our way up to Etosha National Park, visiting many places we had always wanted to see. It was a long, happy and dusty journey.

                                                                                                                  

Although the Klein Aus Vista Lodge is cozily nestled in the rocky Aus Mountains, it faces extraordinarily vast landscapes. These immense plains and mountains are where JJ, Tanya and I gather every year to present our Namibian Workshop - www.photoworkshops-sa.co.za

We start our days long before sunrise and full of anticipation we wait for the first light and the seductive pinks of the earth shadow to brush the harsh desert with delicate pastel shades.

I never tire of capturing the many aspects of the Namibian landscape; it is always infused with peace and silence.

Since January, I have been very active on INSTAGRAM. Visit my collection on: https://www.instagram.com/nicoledhondtpalmer/

KOLMANSKOP THIS YEAR / 2019

Kolmanskop is the famous Diamond Ghost town 10km inland from Lüderitz and is one of our participant’s preferred photographic destinations. Over the past 63 years, the harsh weather conditions are slowly reclaiming this once-thriving settlement and today we walk through the houses filled with sand dunes and decaying wooden structures.

It is one of my favorite photographic haunts and this time I concentrated on details not noticed on previous visits, focusing on the way light came through remains of windows, creating shadows on the sand and caved in ceilings.

Since January, I have been very active on INSTAGRAM. Visit my collection on: https://www.instagram.com/nicoledhondtpalmer/

CEDERBERG

A rugged, wild place full of dramatic beauty!

Indeed, between the rocks and the wines, the botanical diversity, the birds and the stars, we relaxed completely in this quiet environment. As I watched the colours of the rocks and shadows on the mountains change throughout the day I decided to get up at 4.30am to be at the Stadsaal Caves for sunrise.

Guy left me to explore while he negotiated some steep and dusty passes on his bicycle.

I was all alone for a few heavenly hours in this wilderness, left to investigate the series of ancient, spacious inter-leading caves and it’s particularly beautiful elephant rock art painting. The warm early light reaching deep inside the cave, lit up the rocks for a short time, in a pallet of unexpected oranges and purples. The silence enveloped me while I discovered the overwhelming aspects of the scene and time flew past. A sharp whistle tore me from my captivating reverie; Guy was back, looking for me…