Sheila Peake, Capturing the essence of time and light. (LANDSCAPE 2026)

The Namibian Desert provides a feast of changing colour from its contrasting red dunes, bleached white salt pans, blue skies and dead trees. Different times of day produce a kaleidoscope of changing hues. The early morning drive, through the Sossusvlei, as the sun rose produced a vista of shadow and light and a descending colour palate. High dunes shaded purple, smaller foredunes lit by the rising light showing their red glow and the golden hue of the trees. As the sun rose higher in the sky, I climbed the red sand dunes to descend into the white dry Deadvlei Pan. The dry heat and beating sun produced a startling imprint on the eyes. The red dunes framed a harsh white floor, dotted with 900-year-old dead trees. Those who trek into the Deadvlei Pan can immediately feel the solitude and desolation brought on by ancient dead trees and a harsh climate. The lone traveller, walking the dusty white pan, surrounded by red sand and dead trees personified the feeling of solitude in a vast landscape. The changing light in the Deadvlei Pan, and the sunlight on the surrounding dunes, formed a perfect backdrop to highlight the dead trees and the contours of the sand dunes rising above them. The Namib Desert environment, perfected by eons, for the photographer to capture light, shade, and the essence of time.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.