Jordan - From Salty Seas and Dramatic Deserts
A rich history, natural attractions, and dark night skies - what’s not to like?
I’ve wanted to visit Jordan for many years, and despite its proximity to Dubai it took until now - when I’m not actually living in Dubai - to make it happen. Its rich history and natural attractions didn’t disappoint, and on top of that, the dark skies of its deserts meant some Milky Way photography was on the cards. What’s not to like?
Petra - The Ancient Capital
The first part of my trip lead me to the capital of the Nabateans - the historic Kingdom that ruled this area more than 2000 years ago until the Romans took over. Their centre was the famous city of Petra. My time here (and in Wadi Rum) was spent in a small group as part of a trip organized by Benjamin Barakat, which really helped to get access to some of the best spots, with great local guides.
With the right timing - such as being the first one to arrive in the morning when the gates open at 6am (in the summer) - you can experience this place in peace and quiet, which adds to the awe-inspiring grandeur of the sandstone carved structure built 2000 years ago.
More than the Treasury
As I’ve alluded to, there’s more to experience in Petra than just the Treasury, which admittedly got a lot of the attention in popular culture, such as being featured in the original Indiana Jones movie. In fact, there’s a lot more to see, and if you want to soak it all in, you better be prepared to hike. I did 32km in one day, but it was worth it to explore the many Hellenistic facades, the tombs, and the amazing theatre, for instance.
The Monastery
Maybe it’s simply the feeling of reward after the two hour journey to reach this place, but the Monastery might be my favorite structure in Petra. It was carved in the mid first century AD and follows the mixed architectural style that was characteristic for the Nabateans.
We were lucky to spend the sunset and early night here, allowing us to capture the structure in its best light and get a few star trails as well. It also meant that there were barely any other people left except us and the Bedouins… which couldn’t resist showing us their daring climbing skills.
I couldn’t help but join them, and being up on the roof of the Monastery was an incredible feeling, but also one that reminded me that I have a healthy respect for heights - while I sat on the edge, you bet I didn’t follow that jump. Take a look at the video below and decide for yourself…
Wadi Rum - Mars on Earth
Another two hours further south of Petra lies one more of Jordan’s six UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Petra being one as well), and another one that has been featured in quite a few famous movies, such as Dune and The Martian. The original legendary appeal of Wadi Rum comes from the tales of Lawrence of Arabia though, which kick-started the tourism industry here.
The first night took us out to a beautiful arch (one of many) not too far from the camp, and it was time for the first Milky Way session (also one of many)!
Another arch was on the cards for the following night, in fact, there are two different ones in this spot just a hundred meters apart. Paradise of rock formations!
Luckily there were a few cats around for company while one waits for the camera to finish taking 3 hours of exposures…
Our last night here was spent heading out to a few nearby dunes for sunset, joining our guides and their camels for dinner. The camel is a favorite animal of the Zalabieh bedouins that are resident here, and a symbol for male pride.
While I was off to take these photos, I set up another camera on my star tracker (the Benro Polaris) to take a timelapse sequence while the tracker was counteracting the rotation of the earth, effectively canceling it out and showing how our home planet makes its way through the galaxy.
The Final Morning in Wadi Rum
While drones are not allowed without a (very difficult to get) permit from the government, luckily there are other ways to see places from above, which I took advantage of before having to leave this incredible landscape.
Back to the North
At this point I said goodbye to Benjamin and the group and continued the journey back into the northern parts of the country on my own, hoping to explore the ancient historic and a few more natural sites.
The Salty Sea
Heading back south, my next destination was the Dead Sea - one of the world’s saltiest water bodies and the lowest point on earth, at almost 450m below actual sea level. The water level falls at an alarming rate, dropping around 1 meter per year. Its high level of salinity (more than 10 times of a normal ocean) means there is no life to be found in and around it, and that swimming is more like floating - you can’t sink here.
While originally a single body of water until the 1970s, the southern section of the Dead Sea (which is in fact a lake) is now completely separated from the northern part, and divided into commercially used evaporation pools to extract and produce chloride. The future of the northern part is not clear, some say it will eventually dry up completely, others believe this is unlikely due to the continued inflow of water, and the reducing evaporation rate that will eventually match the inflow. Commercial projects to save the lake at its current levels, such as a canal from the Red Sea, have been announced but never actually made significant progress.
Wadi Mujib
On the shores of the Dead Sea lies a beautiful biosphere reserve around a river that empties into the lake, with options for hiking and canyoning.
It's this 6th century map of the Holy Land, which represents the oldest surviving overview of the area, including old Jerusalem seen above. The representation was shown to be very accurate, occasionally even guiding excavations and research in certain areas.
Glimpses of Amman
I didn’t spend all that much time in Jordan’s capital, but of course had explore the citadel towering over the slopes that Amman has evolved on - originally, the city was built on seven hills. Excavations in the area found evidence of settlements dating back all the way to the Bronze Age, 4000 years ago.
Final Stop
And that was my trip to Jordan - as always, you can subscribe for the next updates here or take a look at some of my favorite photos in my Portfolio. If any of the images here catch your eye and you think they’d make for a good piece of art on your wall, I make custom signed prints, just get in touch!
Botswana - On The River, Above the Ground, And Under The Stars
My time in this landlocked country on south-western Africa was mainly focused on animal photography.
The third destination I visited during my Africa trip, was Botswana. My time in this landlocked country on south-western Africa was mainly focused on animal photography. Having said that, I could not help sneaking in a few rather unexpected Milky Way photos, read on to find out why that was the case.
This trip was with Pangolin Photo Safaris, specifically their 10 day - 3 location trip, which was well organized and covered a variety of wildlife and landscapes.
The Chobe River
Over the first 3 days in the country, we spent time on a houseboat cruising and mooring along the Chobe river. In fact, we were anchored on the Namibian side, so one could argue that some of these photos show Namibia, and some show Botswana, depending on which side of the shore the animals stood ;).
Elephants in the Water
It was the first time I was able to observe elephants in the water, not just bathing and drinking, but properly swimming - in fact, literally under water. The park is widely known for its many elephants. Botswana has the largest elephant population in Africa estimated at over 200,000, to the extent that their presence causes pressure on the environment and other animals, as well as conflict with humans.
Bird Life
The river has amazing bird life, from Kingfishers, to Fish Eagles, Storks, and Jacanas. Not something I was previously too interested in, but observing their behaviors is intriguing, and trying to catch them in flight is a photographic challenge (which I never shy away from).
We were also lucky enough to observe some lions with a kill directly under the bushes on the shore.
A few more animals by the water…
The Chobe river is actually the name of the eastern Cuando river, before it flows into the Zambezi. The National Park around it was Botswana’s first, and is its most biologically diverse.
The Selinda Reserve
From Chobe we took a short flight to Selinda, a private concession in the greater Okavango Delta region. The Selinda spillway links the Delta with the Linyanti Swamps, and up until 2009 has been dry for decades. Now, its floodplains and channels have water flowing for many months of the year, becoming a home for wide variety of wildlife.
From Above
It was a good place for some aerial views, and what’s better for that than a helicopter? A 45min flight above this amazing landscape is the source of these bird’s eye views of elephants, crocodiles, heartbeests, and hippos in their environment.
Lions
The Leopard
It’s always special to see your favourite animal in the wild, but a sighting like this makes it even more breathtaking. We spent four days, 8 hours a day, looking for this Leopard female and her 3 month old cub. On the very last morning, our guide - Stitcht, who called himself a legend and lived up to it - saw her sitting on a termite mount in the distance. We followed her when she called for her little one, and then climbed a nearby tree. They spent 15 min cuddling and cleaning before she rushed off to try and catch some breakfast, telling her cub to hide in the thick crown of the tree.
Watch them in motion
A few more…
Dinaka
The last stop was in Dinaka, about 100km north of Maun, and bordering the central Kalahari. It’s a dry area this time of the year, but it did have a few special places to photograph from (and sleep in).
Jackals - Always Up To Something
After having observed them for a good amount of time, these mammals have climbed up in a my favorite animal rating list. A constant source of entertainment, and always giving an impression of being up to no good, I’ve seen these mischievous omnivores catch doves, chase away animals much larger than them, and strut around like they are the kings of Africa.
Starry Bedroom
Our lodge offered this special experience: A night under the stars, sleeping on an elevated platform in the bush - an opportunity I couldn’t miss out on, so one evening after dinner, I was dropped off 20min away from the camp to see what it feels like to sleep with a Milky Way view. See below for an impression!
Watch Earth in Motion below…
The Waterhole
A second special spot is found a bit closer to the ground - in fact, it’s almost underground: A bunker-type hide to view animals up close at the waterhole, for some ground level perspectives. We spent a lot of time here, watching antelopes, giraffe, jackals and many other animals come to drink and interact without being bothered much by our presence.
At Night
Private concessions (as opposed to National Parks) often come with the benefit of being allowed to stay out beyond sunset, opening the way for some nightly discoveries…
Lastly, the reserve is also home to a population of white rhino, which have been de-horned to deter poachers, a practice that some question in terms of its effectiveness in doing so, as the base is still attractive for the market.
The 2022 Lunar Eclipse - As the Lions Roar
My time in Zimbabwe coincided with the a full lunar eclipse on 16th of May, 2022,
My time in Zimbabwe coincided with the a full lunar eclipse on 16th of May, 2022, and luckily our location was just about within the area of the globe that could experience this rare phenomenon, so I had to find a way to capture it. What a sight it was - and not only that, also an audible experience, read on below…
The Location
The night before the Lunar Eclipse I arrived in the Chewore area of northern Zimbabwe, for entirely different reasons than seeing the earth cast a shadow on the moon - see my blog linked above to find out what they were. Nevertheless, I couldn’t miss this occasion, and went out in the afternoon to find a suitable elevated area in the African bush. We found a clearing 20min from camp, with views towards the hills in the distance. This was going to be our spot, starting from 3am.
The Progression
After a very short night, we headed out into the bush in my guide’s trusty 1962 Land Rover, always on the lookout for elephants, buffalo, baboons, and lions, which roam in this area. Luckily, we only heard them in the distance, which made the experience all the more special, as the occasional roar accompanied the spectacle in the sky. The moon stood high as the eclipse started around 3:30am. It progressed until earth’s umbra covered the moon completely around 5:30am. This total eclipse continued until moonset, and at the same time the sun rose on the opposite side, casting an orange hue into the sky.
Below is a timeslice of this period, using 10 individual photographs.
The Phases
The four images below show the progression of earth’s shadow on the moon. The first three photos were exposed for the bright side of the moon, where the sunlight was still able to illuminate our celestial companion. The last image is exposed for the shadow side of the moon, which in fact starts to glow red due to a phenomenon called Rayleigh Scattering - any sunlight reaching the moon passes through earth’s atmosphere, which lets red light pass more easily than other colors in the spectrum.
A composite of 6 images and their corresponding timestamps.
Totality
The full eclipse, as earth moved in between the sun and moon. If you look closely, you are able to observe some stars around the moon, visible as white dots. This is one of the only times you can photograph other celestial objects in the same exposure as the full moon, which normally shines much brighter than most stars and planets.
A Coincidence
Aside from close ups of the moon, I also had a camera set up for a wide angle view of the landscape. And good thing I did, because it captured this very special moment, combining the blood moon, a hint of the Milky Way as a white band, the colors of the African sunrise, and a meteor crossing the frame, all in one exposure. I love it when things come together, and this will probably be one of my all time favorite photos.
In Motion
Here’s a video of the entire spectacle, both from a wider view as well as a close up of the moon.
All the images shown here were shot with OM System Cameras, specifically an OM-1 and two E-M1 III. No tracker was used.
Namibia - The Most Amazing Night Sky, But So Much More
Namibia was the first destination for my two-month-seven-country Africa trip, and maybe the one I was most excited about.
Namibia was the first destination for my two-month-seven-country Africa trip, and maybe the one I was most excited about.
This part of the journey was organised by https://www.stefanliebermann.de, Sony Ambassador for Germany as a 12 day workshop in collaboration with Richard Morsbach, a local tour guide.
The trip was focused on astrophotography, as Namibia has some of the best dark skies in the world and the Milky Way was visible all night during new moon. We did however also have the opportunity to take some daylight cityscape, sunrise and sunset, wildlife, and landscape images.
Namibia is incredible and definitely a destination I’d come back to. Read on to find out what you can see in this country, and the photos I captured to document it.
You can also head over to my Instagram (www.instagram.com/djflore) and check my Story Highlights for a bit of background info.
The Quiver Tree Forest
Our first destination after flying into Windhoek was the Quiver Tree Forest, north-east of Keetmanshop, where we arrived just in time for sunset after a 5h drive and lunch break.
Onwards
After a sunset, night, and sunrise at the Quiver Trees, we moved straight on to the next spot., Fish River Canyon for a night, and then into Lüderitz, one of the country’s most famous towns.
The Abandoned Town of Kolmanskoop
About 10km from Lüderitz you can find one of Namibia’s most popular destinations - a ghost village!
Onwards to Sossusvlei
After Lüderitz and the abandoned town, our next destination was the famous dunes of the Namib Naukluft National Park a bit further north of the country.
Swakopmund
To the northern end of the park lies this small city and its attractions.
The Spitzkoppe
or Africa’s Matterhorn, as they call it.
Etosha National Park
Our last destination was in the northern part of the country for some wildlife viewing.
Scroll through the gallery for some of the animals we captured during the 2 days.
International Space Station - Moon Fly By
Finally I had the chance to observe and capture something I've been waiting for for quite a long time already: The ISS in front of the moon. This occurred on January 26th shortly after midnight in Dubai, UAE.
Finally I had the chance to observe and capture something I've been waiting for for quite a long time already: The ISS in front of the moon. This occurred on January 26th shortly after midnight in Dubai, UAE. It's pretty humbling to think that the ISS is 400km above us, and moving at 26,000km per hour.
Shot with Olympus OMD EM-1 Mark III, and 300mm F4 lens with MC-20 teleconverter.
This video shows a slowed down frame by frame animation, and a realtime sequence - the entire event takes just above 0.5 seconds.
The Great Conjunction - Jupiter and Saturn passing Burj Khalifa
On December 21st 2020 something very rare is happening: The largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will be at their closest observable in 800 years.
On December 21st 2020 something very rare is happening: The largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will be at their closest observable in 800 years. This event, dubbed the “Great Conjunction”, happens regularly, but the planets have not been this close and at the same time visible from the earth since then.
I set out to try and capture this event in a different perspective 2 days before the date, where the planets were already incredibly close. The goal was to photograph them passing the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa, in Dubai.
It was a cloudy evening but due to travels this was my only chance, and luckily some gaps in the sky enabled me to capture the videos and photos below. This was truly one of the most mind-blowing things I’ve ever seen through my camera’s viewfinder.
Enjoy.
Dubai Partial Solar Eclipse
Dubai was witness to a partial solar eclipse on June 21st, 2020 - the second in the last few months. This time, the UAE did not get to experience the full eclipse as it’s not located in the narrow band that experiences this rare phenomenon, but it was still a spectacular sight, with the skies darkening noticeably and shadows becoming fuzzy.
Dubai was witness to a partial solar eclipse on June 21st, 2020 - the second in the last few months. This time, the UAE did not get to experience the full eclipse as it’s not located in the narrow band that experiences this rare phenomenon, but it was still a spectacular sight, with the skies darkening noticeably and shadows becoming fuzzy.
The sight began at 8:14 (UAE local time) when the moon moved in front of the sun, and the eclipse was over at 11:12. I was lucky enough to be able to capture it from my balcony, and had set up my Olympus OMD EM-1 to shoot a sequence using a star tracker and home made solar filter.
Here are the results.
A full view of the middle portion of the eclipse.
A view of the the eclipse covering almost the entire period of the moon covering the sun.
Here is a video representing the same period - this was very tricky to align and smoothen out, as my tracker was not perfectly polar aligned, requiring some manual movement of the camera.