Dead Vlei photo causes stir

BREATHTAKING photographs of Namibia’s unique landscape and wildlife by photographer Frans Lanting, appearing in the June 2011 issue of the National Geographic magazine, are making a splash.

One photograph in particular, which depicts the lifeless trees in Dead Vlei at Sossusvlei, has captured the imagination of readers, who have noted that it could be mistaken for a painting due to the stark colours and surreal look.The photographs were taken by Lanting for the feature ‘Africa’s Super Park’, which focuses on Namibia’s singular and leading role in African conservation and the creation of a coastal mega-park, linking together South Africa, Namibia and Angola’s coastal regions. The article was written by Zimbabwean writer Alexandra Fuller, who highlighted the fact that Namibia is one of the first countries in the world to write protection of the environment into its constitution. ‘It was as if Namibians recognised that having fought for the land beneath their feet, they were now profoundly responsible for it.’On the National Geographic website, Lanting answered questions from readers who were not sure whether his photo is real or a painting. Lanting says the photograph has the qualities of a surreal painting as a result of the ‘intensity of the sunlight falling only on the dune in the distance, while the foreground is still in early morning shadow, so the trees are almost in silhouette. The dune, called Big Daddy, is almost 1 200 feet tall, and is an intense reddish-orange colour, so it creates a mysterious backdrop.’

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.