Namibia photography workshop 2022, 5 – 16 April 2022

Dates 2022 year:

5 – 16 April (guided by Daniel Kordan & Iurie Belegurschi)

 

Day 1, 5 April 2022

Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime! On this day, you’ll arrive at Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, where you’ll be met by your guides and transferred to your accommodation at Windhoek Country Lodge. When selecting your flights, please arrange to arrive during the day anytime before 5pm.

There will be some time for you to check in to your hotel, relax and to explore the capital city of Namibia in the heart of the country’s central highlands at your own leisure before we meet as a group for a welcome dinner at 7pm in the hotel restaurant. Over a delicious meal, you’ll have the chance to get to know your fellow travellers a little bit better as your guides go over the itinerary and plan for the days ahead. They’ll give you the low-down on what you can expect and you’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions before the workshop begins.

Day 2

We’ll begin our journey from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop. Located at the main crossroads of southern Namibia, this small town in the Karas Region of southern Namibia is known as the gateway to a large quiver tree forest, where thousands of these spectacular branched aloe succulents stand tall, making for the perfect subjects for photography in this arid and rocky landscape.

Over the next two nights, we’ll make our base at the Quiver Tree Forest Camp, where we’ll be well situated to make trips out for astrophotography with the indigenous quiver trees reaching up mysteriously towards the starry night sky. If it is clear overhead, then we will spend our nights capturing these iconic seemingly upside-down trees framed by a background of stars and the beautiful arch of the Milky Way.

Day 3

On day three, we’ll get up early before dawn for a sunrise session. Our aim will be to catch the first rays of golden light glimmering through the quiver tree branches, making for an enchanting morning scene. Thereafter, we’ll return to the Quiver Tree Forest Camp for breakfast, after which there will be some time to relax and review our pictures.

After lunch, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with your photo guides for a series of discussions and post processing master classes, before you head off for a sunset session back at the Quiver Tree Forest. The desert scenery changes immensely with the moving angles of light and it will be a delight to see how the atmosphere transforms the mood and overall aesthetic of your images.

Dinner will be followed by another long and exciting night as you hunker down beneath the glittering fabric of the sky for star trail, Milky Way and astrophotography, using Namibia’s iconic quiver trees to form an astonishing foreground within the vast and exceptional landscape.

Day 4

On day four, we’ll leave the Quiver Tree Forest, continuing on our way towards the ghost town of Kolmanskop by the coast of southern Namibia. This once-prosperous diamond mining community is now a skeleton of its former self, battling the advance of the sand dunes as they blow slowly across the barren wilderness. Here amongst the windswept houses while the sun sets, we’ll capture the enigmatic ambience of an era long gone, swallowed by sand and abandoned to the desert.

We’ll spend the next two nights at the secluded seaside Lüderitz Nest Hotel with extraordinary views of the bay, where we’ll savour delicious dinners brimming with locally caught seafood, cold beers and crisp white wine as we enjoy the sea breeze drifting in from the open windows of the restaurant.

Depending on the conditions in the evening, there may be the opportunity to travel into the desert for a night photography session beneath the stars at an abandoned railway station – another wonderful chance to practice your astrophotography skills beneath Namibia’s dark sky.

Day 5

We’ll continue exploring the dilapidated township of Kolmanskop, capturing the morning sunlight as it flows through the east-facing windows of each building. The fascinating rooms with sand seeping into every crevice make for a plethora of stunning photographic opportunities.

After breakfast, there will be some time to relax back at the hotel. You can spend the day at your leisure, swimming in the sparkling ocean, sunbathing by the pool or exploring the Bavarian-styled city of Lüderitz with its colonial German buildings, as well as the surroundings.

In the afternoon, we’ll make our way back to Kolmanskop, ready for another glorious sunset session within the abandoned mining town. Getting the right composition in these sand-filled buildings can be challenging, so we’ll make sure to be back in time for the golden hour to scout for new angles and to capture the perfect shots. There is a lot to photograph in the town and it’s surprising how quickly time can pass when you are immersed in the shadows cast upon the walls by the fading light.

 Day 11

We’ll rise for an early morning sunrise session at the peaks of Spitzkoppe, scouting the area for interesting compositions before the first mesmerising rays of light shimmer over the rugged landscape. Thereafter, we’ll return to the Lodge for a delicious breakfast.

After breakfast on day eleven, we’ll pack up and head back to Windhoek. The journey will take approximately 3 hours, though we’ll make several stops along the way to stretch our legs and to document the surrounding scenery.

On arrival to the capital city of Namibia, we’ll check in to our accommodation at the Windhoek Hotel. There will be some time to relax and to explore the city at your leisure, before we meet in the evening for our final dinner as a group. Over a delicious meal, you’ll have the chance to consolidate your friendships and to engage in discussion with your guides about any further queries that you may have in relation to photography.

Day 12

This will be your final day in Namibia. After breakfast, you’ll be transferred back to Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport for your flight home or onwards to your next destination – no doubt with a host of new photography skills underneath your belt and memory cards filled with images from a spectacular photography adventure in the Sub-Saharan deserts of Namibia.

 

Included in the price:

    • Two Professional photo guides.
    • Professional driver services
    • Professional licensed local guide services
    • Transportation in a spacious, comfortable bus offering ample room for you and your photography gear, all transfers included
    • Accommodation in most amazing Namibia hotels. Rooms with private bathrooms.
    • All national parks entrance fees

Full board (all meals included!)

Price: 8900 USD

Not included in the price:

– Airfare
– Visas (if applicable)
– Single supplement 1500 USD

 

What to bring

Gear:
– DSLR camera with tripod and remote shutter release
– A wide angle lens. For example, Nikkor 14-24 or Canon 16-35. Best lens for use in wide-angle scenes
– A middle-zoom lens such as a 24-70 mm
– A telephoto zoom lens, such as a 70-200 mm

Full list of recommended wear will be sent to participants.


Tour leaders


Daniel Kordan

Daniel was born in Moscow area. In his childhood he graduated the art school. After that, he is studied in Moscow institute of Physics and Technology and became an optics physicist. During the study he gain experience not only in physics, but also in mountain climbing and hiking, guiding tourist groups in winter and in summer in Russian mountains. Right after graduation he became a guide of photo-workshops and chief editor of “Continent expedition” magazine. This magazine is about travel and adventures all over the world. He has got several awards in photography: Golden Turtle’ 13 Nature nomination winner, National Geographic Russia contest 2013 and 2014 finalist, Best of Russia’13 and ’14 winner, best photographer’13 finalist and others. He is spending most of his time in Norway, Lofoten islands and in Tuscany at villa Gaia, guiding groups of photographers.
I consider Baikal lake as top place for photographers from all over the world. I will help you to reveal its beauty.

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