DECEMBER 2006 – View from the ‘Big Mama’ dune towards the Sossusvlei desert at the Namib Naukluft National Park in Namibia. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
The Big Mama dune belongs to the Sossusvlei desert which is part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park in Nambia. You reach it after driving a rather straight tarred road from the only park entry for about 70 kilometers, then changing to a shuttle service and drive for another 3 kilometers, and finally walk to the foot of the dune, or even to its top!
We hiked all the way up to the top and were greeted by total silence (except for the wind) – and this view! The experience is similar to the Alps, but since there are so few people, you get a totally different sense of the majestic nature that surrounds you. Mountains of sand that noone could ever carry or move away. Even the sometimes strong wind barely scratches the surface and carries a bit of sand one way or another, but never enough to have a significant impact on a dune. And, of course, there is no mobile phone coverage whatsoever.
Later on, we had big fun running down the sides of the dunes and watching the traces we left in the soft sand.
An awesome, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date & Time | 07-DEC-2006, 09:17 |
| Location | Sossusvlei, Namibia |
| Camera | Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II |
| Lens | Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM |
| ISO | 400 |
| Exposure | 1/200 sec at f/22 |
| Digital Image Source Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 4992 x 3328 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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