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charlielynam
Epupa Falls, Namibia
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Epupa Falls, Namibia



behind the lens badge
cameraCanon EOS 5D Mark III

settings Aperture f/18 ISO 100 Shutter 8/10 Focal Length 20/1 

upload_dateJan, 2016

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5 Comments |
DebbieKMiller81 Platinum
 
DebbieKMiller81 November 04, 2016
Beautiful shot.
charlielynam
charlielynam September 04, 2018
Thank you. Sorry for the late reply, only just picked up your message now.
debhall Platinum
 
debhall November 05, 2016
WOW! I wanted to give you a magnificant capture but sometimes I don't get to select!
charlielynam
charlielynam September 04, 2018
Thank you. Sorry for the late reply, only just picked up your message now.
susanmcfarland
 
susanmcfarland March 07, 2018
Beautiful!
charlielynam
charlielynam September 04, 2018
Thank you. Sorry for the late reply, only just picked up your message now.
MRueffer PRO+
 
MRueffer September 24, 2018
This is magnificent!!
harmeetsingh
 
harmeetsingh March 13, 2019
gorgeous..

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Tags

#waterfall #landcsape #sunrise
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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at Epupa Falls on the Kunene River in far north western Namibia. The area is the home of The Himba tribe and the river forms the border between Namibia and Angola. In Africa the most famous waterfalls are Victoria Falls, where Dr. David Livingstone was quoted as saying "they are so beautiful angels must have flown here". I can only say that the Angels must have flown via Epupa, they are the most breathtaking and glorious waterfalls that span over 2kms.

Time

I got up well before dawn to take up a precarious position on the edge of Epupa Falls. Epupa Falls is totally uncommercailised, no gates, no fees, no guides, no people, it was me and mother Africa in all her splendour. I fumbled around in the dark with a head torch trying to find safe ground to place my tripod, the roar of the Falls in the background. There were a few hairy moments as I slipped and skidded on the wet rocks to take up my position, but it was well worth the effort; I think it added something to the drama of the moment!

Lighting

My plan was to picture the Falls as the sun peeped his head over the distant mountains, hopefully with a star burst effect. I did achieve that, but this photo, taken minutes before dawn stole the show; much to my surprise. It's interesting to see how the light changes so rapidly in this part of the world (above the Tropic of Capricorn), you have to work quickly as dawn is almost like a light switch. The hues of the sky change rapidly as dawn approaches and with very ling shutter speeds I couldn't afford too many mistakes.

Equipment

This was taken with a Canon 5D MK III. I used a Canon 17-40mm lens with Feisol Tripod. I also used the Lee Big Stopper 10 stop Filter to slow things down.

Inspiration

Epupa Falls is one of those places at the end of the earth. It's difficult to reach and only the intrepid manage to find their way there. All those that experience the magnificence of these Falls are left spellbound. I had heard so much about them from travellers, that it was one of the top places on my bucket list. My expectations were exceeded. All that was left was to try and capture it's beauty to share with others.

Editing

Yes, I bracketed the original RAW files. I did some basic processing in Lightroom and exported to On1 where I worked on the composites. I really didn't need to do that much, it was really just merging the bracketed psd's into a complete and well exposed image.

In my camera bag

I am ostensibly a wildlife photographer. I never go anywhere without my Canon 300mm prime! my bodies are a mix, 3 x Canon 1D's with Canon 70-200, 300mm prime and 500mm prime. Just so I'm ready for anything! I also love my Canon 5D MK III and it's my go to for landscape with Canon 17-40mm lens. I also take a 100mm macro, Feisol Tripod and monopod. I have a range of Lee Filters I take with me and a remote.

Feedback

In truth, I still have a mountain to climb with Landscapes (pardon the pun). I'm relatively new to it but have invested in some good gear like nodal point tripod head for panoramas and some excellent Lee Filters for different lighting situations. I think the same principles apply in most forms of photography, be well prepared, read up on your subject and examine the light carefully. Don't copy! Try something different, and keep trying.

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