Windhoek

  • 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 street, and the rest is up to you. So I took a drive through Windhoek

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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!  Namibia also has one of the biggest income disparities in the world, which means that

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  • Found memories…and a lost roll of film

    Here’s a fun mystery to try and solve. For my (recent) birthday, my kids went down to Otto’s, the local “junk and curiosities” dealer and picked out for me the newest additions to my growing vintage camera collection.  In addition, my youngest was excited to have found an original box for the Agfa Billy Compur

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  • Video for a Good Cause

    One of the things I’ve had the opportunity to do in Namibia is to make short videos highlighting important causes, or to show far-away donors where their money is going. A little more than half a year ago, my wife told me that she had been to an informal settlement (a “shantytown”, literally) where people

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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 the same camera settings (OK, roughly), but zoomed.  The point is, when you’re photographing a

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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 as the sun dips near the horizon.  Usually there is a gap in the clouds

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  • Life and Death at Avis

    We have this pretty amazing reservoir just outside Windhoek created by Avis dam – it’s a wildlife protected area / bird sanctuary / dog walking area / jogging area.  And fishing/boating pond.  And you can get some awesome pictures out there if you pay attention.  Examples: An egret takes flight   Pretty good fishing at

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  • Windhoek’s Informal Settlements

    According to some statistics, 60 percent of Namibia’s urban dwellers, 25 percent of all Namibians live in so-called “informal settlements.”  They come to Windhoek in search of jobs, opportunities and a better life.  And in spite of the fact that Windhoek enjoys a reputation as a city which has taken better care of its newest

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  • Namibian Blues. Or German.

    When 18 white dudes from southern Africa with German names get together for a blues show, you know it’s gonna be authentic.  Or was that ironic. Anyway, enjoyed a rare blues show in Windhoek a couple weeks ago when local “Mojo Blues Band” teamed up with the 11-piece brass “Wikiaphoniker Orchestra.”  Although at times there

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  • Spring has Sprung in Windhoek

    Spring is definitely in the air in Namibia.  At least that’s what my daughter tells me – she informed me that September 1 was “spring day”.  Apparently in South Africa and Namibia, it’s not the 21st that heralds the coming of spring, but the 1st of September.  And given the weather these days, it’s not

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  • Moon over Windhoek

    This morning when I woke up, the moon appeared full and orange in the sky just above the horizon.  Here are a couple of shots of it.  

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