Desert photography is my passion. I chose to live in the American Southwest for this particular reason. Most of my shooting happens here, but I still branch out to other places in the world that clearly have the feeling of desert. Deserts can be found in many variations. The presence or absence of water is not always what defines a desert, but how nature handles this precious resource.

I found deserts in Bolivia, Brazil, Iceland, Mexico, Middle Eastern countries, and Namibia, in particular. The latter is, beside the American Southwest, my favorite sandbox, no pun intended. Sossusvlei is undisputedly the most iconic spot in Namibia and possibly the greatest reason for people to travel to this country located somewhat outside the usual jet set. The entire area around the ephemeral Tsauchab River, with its towering red and orange-colored sand dunes, is a sight of another world.

Deadvlei is a little hidden gem in this maze of never-ending sea of sand dunes. A sand dune enclosed by dried white mud flats contains circa 700-year-old camel thorn trees which protrude their black sun-backed branches into the blue sky as witnesses of past times when the Tsauchab River flowed through this area and provided the trees with water. Those times are long gone as the shifting sand dune cut the water supply for these trees. What is left behind is a jaw-dropping photographic icon. The difficulty of this spot is reaching it at the right moment of the day.

The closest overnight is a one-hour drive away, and you have to leave it at sunset and return to it only one hour before sunrise. Besides, the last 5 km of driving are through deep sand. Each time I went there, I saw people stuck with their cars and missing out on the magical moment. Once you park your car, you still have a 1 ½ km hike through the sand to finally enter Deadvlei. After all this, you are pretty much off limits.

The off-limits challenge at this present visit was a fierce wind that filled the air with sand. My photographic gear and I were exposed to the wild elements, yet this provided me with an unusual sight of this iconic location.