Category Archives: Namibia

Vintage Camera: Kodak Duaflex II

One of the key aspects of the vintage cameras I collect is that they should function.  This was the case with the Kodak Duaflex II, a plastic (bakelite) camera manufactured from 1950 to 1954.  It is normally held at waist … Continue reading

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Namibia: Skeleton Coast and Damaraland

Although we’ve just moved to India, waiting for our things to arrive means there’s time to finally catch up on those blog posts I didn’t have time to do while we were getting ready to leave Namibia. This is the … Continue reading

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Namibia: Helicopter Safari

Everyone who visits Namibia wants to go on a safari – there are game parks and private farms all over Namibia that will drive you through the bush on a 4×4 outfitted with bench seats so you can “ooh” and … Continue reading

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Matchbox Pinhole Camera Project

One of the last projects I attempted with the teens I worked with during the last two years in Katutura, Namibia was a photography class.  The idea was that I would explain how cameras work;  bring a half dozen of … Continue reading

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Redscale Photography – First Attempts

Being new to film photography, I had never heard of “redscale photography” until I spotted this on on Flickr and had to know how he had gotten this effect: Wanting to try it out on my own, I did a … Continue reading

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Namibia: Street View

I don’t think we really have Google Street View in Namibia just yet.  In fact, I don’t believe they have worked out where the different house numbers are on the streets – GPS systems just get you to the right … Continue reading

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Check out Namibia’s ‘Shishani’

One of Namibia’s rising young talents needs your help! Namibian musicians have a hard time “breaking out” – primarily as a result of Namibia’s small population – just over two million, around the same size as the city of Houston! … Continue reading

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An Oshikandela, by any other name…

In our local grocery shop you can buy a couple of different varieties of yoghurt drink.  Two popular kinds sit right next to each other on the shelf.  I’m not a big breakfast eater; as I did when I lived … Continue reading

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Namibian Fairy Circles Mystery Solved AGAIN!

It’s fun to ponder those unsolved mysteries of nature we’ve all heard about from childhood onward. Last March I blogged that one of those “nature’s unsolved mysteries” was unsolved no more – Namibia’s “fairy circles.” Of course, depending on where … Continue reading

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My Destination’s “Biggest Baddest Bucket List” and Namibia

Here’s a great idea for a video contest:  make a 3 minute video about a favorite destination, write a few hundred words about travel, and send three photos.  What can you win?  a six-month, all-expense-paid trip around the world, and … Continue reading

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Namibia’s Dwindling Historical Archives

At 23 years and 8 days old, Namibia is starting to face the very real possibility that its historical archives – the artifacts and memories documenting the country’s long fight to achieve nationhood and defeat apartheid – may be lost … Continue reading

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Another Wonderful Namibian Timelapse

While this one appears to be a commercial promo, it still does an amazing job capturing the photographer’s paradise that Namibia is, and can be for those willing to come and explore the country. Enjoy! NAMIBIA from Rufus Blackwell on … Continue reading

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Female Entrepreneur Launches Indiegogo Crowdfunding Campaign for Township Bicycle Touring Company

Here in Namibia, where income disparity is one of the highest in the world (THE highest, depending on whose figures you use) and unemployment hovers around 34 percent, small entrepreneurs in both the formal and informal sector are likely to … Continue reading

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Tone Mapping in the Namibian Desert

I’ve read a number of explanations of tone mapping, but I confess I still don’t understand what’s going on.  I know it’s a way to manipulate a digital image so that what you see in the image better approximates what … Continue reading

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Getting that “Wild West” feel – “down under” in Namibia

Just outside the vast “dune sea” of the Namib Naukluft Park is the last place you can get gas, before you venture into the coppery-red dunes of Sossusvlei, a dry but harsh landscape where only the most well-adapted creatures can … Continue reading

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Film Review: The Himbas are Shooting!

You may never have heard of what a “Himba” is, but after seeing this film, you’ll never forget. The Himbas are a people living in northern Namibia in the traditional way they have for millennia, distinctive for their long red … Continue reading

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Attenborough’s “Africa” Features Namibia – Prepare to be Amazed! (updated)

If you have access to BBC One (or live in the UK, where you can stream it from their website), you’ll want to check out the six-part series on Africa that began airing Wednesdays starting January 2nd.  The first episode, … Continue reading

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Destination Namibia: How do you Market a Country?

I remember talking to one of Namibia’s tourism officials shortly after they had returned from the 2011 Adventure Travel World Summit in Chiapas, Mexico, and he was pretty excited about Namibia’s prospects in hosting the 2013 summit, knowing it would … Continue reading

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Sunsets: the impact of cropping and zooming

I never tire of these Windhoek sunsets during the “rainy season”. But I’m always amazed by how much of a difference cropping and zooming make on sunset photography. These are three photos taken in succession of the same sunset, with … Continue reading

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In Namibia, the best light for photos is within 10 minutes of sunrise

Driving through the Namibian desert just outside the coastal town of Swakopmund at about 0545 can give you a real visual treat. It would have been more spectacular with a bit more of the fog/mist the area is known for, … Continue reading

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The Magic Hour

Strange things happen to the light in the last minutes before sunset.  And in Windhoek, during the “rainy season” (usually December and January) it’s even more extreme.  Every night, there are a few minutes where everything turns a brilliant yellow … Continue reading

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Gentle Giants: Elephant Encounter II

The sheer power and grace of elephants is difficult to convey.  When they come in from the bush to drink water, and roll around in the mud, they absolutely dominate the scene, and other animals wait patiently until they’ve had … Continue reading

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Weavers in our Garden

In my opinion, there are few natural things as amazing to see as the nest of a weaver. In Namibia, there are the giant communal weaver nests, and there are the individual pair nests (built by two different species. The … Continue reading

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Elephant Encounter

We pulled into the parking area for one of the watering holes at Etosha, and noticed immediately that there were several large groups of elephants enjoying the place. One group was in the mud bathing, another was off to our … Continue reading

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A Day in Lüderitz – Two Different Soundtracks

Recently my daughter and I took a trip to the small, somewhat odd Namibian coastal town of Lüderitz.  I say it’s odd because we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, after driving a long, winding road which seemed unable to keep … Continue reading

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