I planted the seed for a Namibian trip with a group of my photographer friends, who like to travel, over a year ago. We met on an African Safari led by Jamie Thom, owner of Conservation Safari Company, in Botswana three years back. We knew that, as a professional photographer, Jamie would take our interests to heart so we immediately contacted him to guide our next adventure. After a few communications back and forth, Jamie tailored a Namibian itinerary specifically to our group’s interests.

Photographers are a special lot with specific requirements;

• A driver capable of positioning the 4x4 for optimal shots

• Sufficient amount of outlets, in our vehicle, allowing everyone to charge camera batteries and various electronics

• Flexible mealtimes, photographers will only return to camp when photographic opportunities are exhausted, usually after dark.

Our ten-day exploration of Namibia was filled with new experiences beginning with 3 days of camping in and around the Namib-Naukluft National Park. On our first day together we were up before dawn, downed quick cups of tea, and then hightailed it to the park to witness the sunrise over the dunes of Sossusvlei.

Here are a few of my shots from that first day out in the Namib desert concentrating on the dunes of Sossusvlei and of Deadvlei.