This stunning photo of camelthorn trees was made during the Namibian dawn when the warm light of the morning sun was illuminating a huge red sand dune dotted with white grasses while the white floor of the clay pan was still in shade. The foreground looks blue because the white clay reflected the color of the sky above.

 

To capture the extreme contrast between the shady foreground and the sunlit background Frans used a two-stop graduated filter to reduce the contrast. The perfect moment came just as the sun reached the bottom of the sand dune and before it washed the desert floor.

 

Frans chose a long telephoto lens and stopped it all the way down to compress the perspective. The image was captured using a Nikon D3X camera mounted to a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens exposing ISO 100 for 1/10 of a second at 200mm f/22.

 

National Geographic June 2011: Africa's Super Park

 

Check out the National Geographic Photo of the Day where Ghost Trees at Dawn was featured on May 17th 2011.

 

Also, read the full National Geographic Story about Namibia's coastal parks including a detailed Behind the Lens Interview with Frans Lanting.

 

Fine Art Prints

 

For a limited time, the Frans Lanting Gallery will be offering hand-signed prints of "Ghost Trees at Dawn" at a special price:

 

Standard (13 x 20) $500

Medium (20 x 30) $750

Large (32 x48) $1000

 

Please contact the Frans Lanting Gallery to place your fine print order or call us at 831-429-1331