A photographer's heaven on earth: Kubu Island, Botswana.

 There have been some changes around this blog, and judging from the comments, for the better. I had been looking for a template where I could utilize some of the exciting photos I had taken on my last trip to Africa, and finally Blogspot came up with one that suited.

"Where did you take those photos?" I was asked on Facebook.

 The photos I have worked magic with here are taken at Kubu Island, Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana.
Click on each photo to bring them up full size. They're worth the time.

 I was front seat passenger and sometimes navigator ( Love those GPS units!) in the lead vehicle  with Russell Frankish of Green Bushpig Safaris, who was guide for Britz Rentals Johannesburg to Victoria Falls return, 4WD self drive tour.
On the return leg we drove into the Pans for a stay at Kubu Island campsite. Information is here on    Makgadikgadi Pans, and the formation of Kubu Island, a rocky outcrop with many baobab and star chestnut trees. There is a campsite up close to Kubu Island.

First glimpse of Kubu Island.

 We arrived late in the afternoon after a long drive on sandy roads, through at times almost featureless scrub and dry grasslands. With an hour's sunlight left I grabbed my camera and climbed up through the rocks to capture what I thought may be a nice sunset. I truly was not expecting to see such a (and yes I know it's clichéd) stunning place! But the true beauty was not revealed until the sun was low on the horizon at sunset, and sunrise next day.

Soft glowing light spreads across the rocks.

Not so long ago I was a happy snapper with a basic camera, just intent on taking a few pics to record where we had been for our photo albums back home. But blogging, signing on for a travel writer's course, and buying a better camera has changed the way I look at everything when travelling. And to find myself unexpectedly in such a photographer's heaven as Kubu Island at sunset, with no one else around, I was out to make the most of my short time there...and entered into a really beautiful world in that magical golden time when the earth comes alive. Here in this almost deserted place, Nature pulled back her curtain, and the greatest show on earth commenced.

The light tinged the trees a glowing reddish orange.
 Fascinating twisted shapes.

The light, the colours, the rocky outcrops, all topped off with the starkness of the twisted bare baobabs and star chestnuts appealed to my creative juices...what could I create with my Canon SXIS10 on different settings?
After climbing down off the rocky outcrop I walked out on the pan, directly towards the setting sun.

The sunset colours were intense. But even better was to come.

 I would keep snapping pics as the sun approached the horizon, then turn 180 degrees to shoot Kubu Island, then turn to the sun, and then back to the island. The terrain being flat to the horizon allowed the "Golden Hour" to extend to such a low angle to magnify in brilliance, and create a soft rich depth of glow across the land, and a rainbow of colours in the sky behind the island. Possibly the pure clear air, and absence of light pollution wove their magic also.

The last glimpse of the sun as it sets a blazing display!

Whenever I turned 180 degrees I took a series of pictures, as the sun set lower, or as the soft sheen of golden light deepened over Kubu Island, and created a rainbow for the horizon backdrop.

You can see the length of my shadow in the centre
 as the last low light falls across Kubu Island.

Kubu Island in the "Golden Hour."

The rest of our party were cooking dinner back at our campsite seemingly unaware of the show Nature had put on for its solo audience. When I returned to camp the glow on the horizon was fast fading. I looked up from the fire and saw through a gap in the overhanging trees what I thought was a great composition for a photo. I am fascinated by silhouette photography.

I cropped this to use as my header.

Star chestnut trees overhanging our campsite created a perfect picture frame for these shots.

Same scene shot using 'Sunset' Setting.

 Then zeroed in at extreme limit of 20X optical focus upon the bare bush in the centre.

I have cropped this for my blog background,
rather liking the skeleton effect against the blazing background.

I turned into bed early, determined to be up well before dawn. I was hoping the morning display would be as good. Check back in to see if I was disappointed.



All photos are as my camera recorded them and not enhanced. Sunset setting does tend to enhance the yellows and reds.

And friends, if you enjoyed these photos, please hit that Share/Submit gadget just below, and spread this post around so others can join me in my journeys!

A photographer's heaven on earth: Kubu Island, Botswana.

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