Dunes & Ocean

During a visit to the Namib desert a couple of weeks ago, I took a scenic flight over the dunes of Sossusvlei. The Namib desert is one of the oldest deserts in the world and has dune fields over 1,000' high. It's an incredibly beautiful and photogenic area. Usually the coastal region is blanketed in fog resulting from cold moist air over the Atlantic combining with the dry warm air of the Desert. But on this day, luck was with us and the fog had lifted just above our flying height and the sun was poking through. After flying at an elevation of about 1,000' above the dunes, the pilot dropped the plane down to sea level as we flew parallel to the massive dunes with the Atlantic Ocean about 100' below us. Heading back over the dunes the pilot banked the small plane at a very sharp angle up and over the dunes. Although the resulting G force nearly made me lose my lunch, I continued to shoot and this was the best of the three I was able to get before the coast disappered behind us. One of the most memorable experiences of my life.

Nikon D100
24-84 Nikkor @ 24 mm
ISO 400
F4.5, 1/1250 sec.
Adjusted levels in Photoshop.