Where Light Meets Silence: Choosing the Right time for Deadvlei
As early as possible. As early as you can get into the park. As early as the ranger says yes… No matter the time of the year, when the sun clears Big Daddy and beats down into Dead Valley with no interference, the sweat starts pouring, and your skin dries out just after you turn into a tomato. The earlier, the crisper the air, the greater the contrast in the photos. The better you look.
What people don’t tell you is that Namibia gets so hot that we have heat waves from around 11 am, which makes the photos look blurry. There is nothing you can do about these waves. They can ruin a photo quicker than a frown. Unless you are aiming to look like a National Geographic photo with zebras walking across the salt pans in the heat of the day with simmering waves blurring their lines, this is not a time for photos in Dead Valley.
What about Golden Hour sunset photos?
Not a bad option, but the heat will be lingering in the pan where it has been cooking the whole afternoon. Those orange dunes attract and hold the heat far longer than you could think. Though the light is stunning, the skies will be changing colour – the heat may still be a factor. Also, remember that the orange of the sunset skies amplifies the orange of the dunes and reflects rather interestingly on lighter skin tones.
My vote is thus with the crispy, blue morning light before the sun turns me into a raisin and my camera into a frying pan.
Hi!
My name is Mariëtte, and I’m a bit of a storyteller. Whether it is with my camera or with a keyboard, I love a good story. I love the stories of the people who I meet. People who make an imprint on my skin. Or the people who believe in me, enough to tell their stories.
Because I love stories, I would love to tell your story. If you can picture yourself in my photos or find yourself in one of my characters, do contact me. I love to talk. And I listen even better. So let’s do it. Let’s write your story.
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Mariëtte du Toit
I'M A BLEND OF EDITORIAL POSING AND DOCUMENTARY STYLE — TIMELESS, PERSONAL, EFFORTLESS, AND ENTIRELY YOU.
