Zeiss Infinity Tour - Namibia

Namibia had been on my travel list for a long time. When I finally visited as part of the ZEISS Infinity Tour, I had just five days, including arrival and departure, to explore a landscape I had often imagined photographing.

I grew up in Lebanon, surrounded by a very different environment, and later lived in countries where the desert became part of everyday life. Those experiences taught me that each desert has its own character. In Namibia, the scale of the dunes, the open horizons and the darkness after sunset made a lasting impression.

A Short Journey into the Namib Desert

With limited time, I needed to choose where to concentrate my photography. I marked Sesriem on the map and focused my visit on the landscapes around Sossusvlei and Deadvlei.

After a long drive, I arrived at night. Over the following days, I explored the dunes and dry pans, including Dune 45, looking for compositions that expressed the scale and character of the desert.

An encounter with an oryx added another memorable moment. Its distinctive black-and-white face stood out against the surrounding landscape, a reminder that this seemingly empty environment supports life adapted to its conditions.

Photographing Shape, Light and Scale

The dunes offered strong lines and sweeping curves, but photographing them required attention to light. As the sun moved, shadows revealed their contours and changed the balance of each composition.

I looked for ways to convey their size while keeping the frame clear. Sometimes that meant including the wider landscape; at other times, it meant concentrating on a small section of a dune.

The contrast between the sand, dry ground and dark trees gave me different ways to explore the same environment. Each viewpoint revealed another relationship between shape, texture and space.

Deadvlei After Dark

One of my main goals was to photograph the desert beneath a star-filled sky.

Living in Dubai, I rarely experienced that level of darkness. In Deadvlei, away from the city lights I was accustomed to, the night sky became a major part of the scene.

I was granted permission to remain for a short time after dark. The opportunity was brief, so I had to work with purpose.

Once the sun had set, the landscape changed completely. The trees became silhouettes, the dunes formed a quiet backdrop and the stars gave the scene a sense of depth beyond the horizon.

Bringing those elements together in a long exposure became one of the most memorable photographs of the trip.

Finding Infinity in the Desert

The ZEISS Infinity Tour encouraged me to think beyond the photographs and consider what infinity meant in each place.

In Namibia, that idea emerged naturally from the landscape. By day, the dunes and open horizons suggested a space continuing beyond the frame. At night, the stars extended that feeling far beyond the desert itself.

During my travels, I met park ranger Bradwin. Our conversation about nature, the human spirit and infinity added another perspective to the journey.

Spending time with someone who worked in this environment reminded me how differently we can experience the same place. I was there for a few days, searching for photographs, while his relationship with the landscape came from spending far more time within it.

The Lenses I Used

For the photographs and film from this trip, I used three ZEISS lenses in Nikon mount: the Milvus 15mm, Milvus 135mm and Otus 28mm.

The different focal lengths allowed me to move between broad views and more selective compositions. I could photograph the expanse of the desert, then concentrate on details and distant forms within it.

Choosing the lens was part of deciding what I wanted each image to communicate, whether that was scale, isolation or the relationship between foreground and background.

A First Visit That Stayed with Me

Five days offered only a brief introduction to Namibia, but the experience stayed with me.

I had travelled there with particular photographs in mind. I left with memories of the long drive, changing light on the dunes, an oryx in the desert and the rare opportunity to photograph Deadvlei beneath the stars.

The journey reminded me how much can happen within a short visit when the location, conditions and opportunity come together. It also left me wanting more time to explore a country I had only begun to discover.