Dune 47 is one of the most famous sand dunes in Namibia, located in the Namib-Naukluft National Park within the Sossusvlei region of the Namib Desert. The dune stands at approximately 350 meters (1,148 feet) tall and is composed of ancient, iron-rich sand, giving it a striking red-orange hue.
The dune gets its name from its location 47 kilometers (29 miles) from the Sesriem Gate, the entrance to Sossusvlei. It is easily accessible from the main road, making it one of the most photographed and climbed dunes in the area.
I was lucky to get this photo, getting there before all the tourists and climbers, at the absolutely perfect moment of the day.
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The remnants of the dawn colours a (barely) visible in the sky. I wonder if they look artificial, and whther I should try to get rid of them. On the other hand I like it, so why should I cater to the tatse of others?
Pieter: Dunes are one of my favorite subjects (as you’ll see in future posts) and this one is marvelous. The play of light and shadow is terrific as is the color contrast of the dunes with the sky. FWIW, the subtle colors in the sky are a nice plus IMO. I also like the amount of FG you have which gives a nice sense of scale without being a distraction.
I sometimes miss the challenge of shooting slides and still have some Velvia in my freezer. I used to shoot some Ektachrome as well and the occasional Kodachrome 25. You did really well here with the capture, scan and presentation. >=))>
Bill, thank you. Yes, slides did present challenges, but also a discipline. You only have so many shots on the roll. Every shot you take costs money. You only have so many rolls in your bag, and it will be a week before you are in a place where you can buy more. And so on.
I only ever used the motor drive on the F5 once, to take the photos that I used to create the composite below (many years later). My friend Cindy going over a jump nicknamed The Broken Bridge.
Pieter: I would go on trips with 75-100 rolls of Velvia and Provia and take processing mailers with me so that some of them would be there when I got home. Those were times of elation and disappointment. But it instilled in me the skills to get the capture right which is still my greatest joy in photography. Our digital capture and processing tools are great but I would much prefer to spend my time behind the viewfinder than in front of a computer.
Pieter, the glow of the dune looks great. I also like the amount of foreground and that tree at the right edge. I’m intrigued by the repeated color shifts in the sky. If there was only one set, I’d attribute it to the early light, but with repeated cycles through the rainbow, I suspect it’s an artifact of the slide scanning process.
