Reviving the Sheer Joy of Photography

Not too long ago, we successfully concluded the final TWR safari in Botswana and Zimbabwe. A great trip with eager and capable participants signaled the end of our TWR activities. What to do next?

Hopping a plane to Windhoek, we collected our rental truck and set the compass for a seven-week sojourn throughout Namibia and South Africa.

Now that might seem odd to begin another safari just after concluding my TWR photo safari. Truth be told, I needed the spark of shooting without time constraints in order to re-fresh my creative energies and ponder the next chapter.

The result was reward in itself: lessons learned, creativity re-kindled, images captured.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft National Park offers the rich, deep orange hues of towering sand dunes that strongly contrast with the harsh grey-white of the surrounding salt and clay pans.  Visual overload is the norm here!

The shifting sands create the stunning geometric forms that criss-cross the dunes, while the angle and movement of the sun at sunrise and sunset influences the colors cast upon the dunes — characteristic of the highest dunes in the world.

Dining at Sossusviel Lodge was a culinary adventure. The evening buffet of perfectly grilled wildebeest, zebra, springbok, orek, kudu and warthog proved a hearty change from our routine diet of beef and pork.

The Dunes in Sossusvlei    bobbiegoodrich©2013

Deadvlei is a large ghostly expanse of dried white clay where you see the skeletons of ancient camel thorn trees between 500-600 years old.

Deadvlei                   bobbiegoodrich©2013

Swakopmund is the Bavarian-influenced town on the notorious Skeleton Coast and a delightful hodge-podge of the eclectic – think German architecture populated with an exotic mix of inhabitants. Herero women in Victorian dress, fisherman, artists and straight-laced German settlers all walk the streets.

Damaraland, located north along the Atlantic coast on the rim of the Grootberg Plateau offers dramatic vistas for photographing the landscape akin to a grand canyon.  Also sighted were desert-adapted black rhinos that inhabit this surreal landscape, desert elephants, and the two resident lions.

Resident Lion in Grootberg     bobbiegoodrich©2013

Epupa Falls on the banks of the Kunene River in Kaokoland, is a remote and isolated region of Namibia bordering Angola where the Himba tribal people reside.

The Himba Village: Isolated and clinging to their traditions, the Himba breed cattle and goats.  Traditionally both men and women are topless and wear skirts or loincloths made of animal skins. The hairstyle of the Himba girls indicates age and social status. Children have two plaits of braided hair. From the onset of puberty, the girls’ plaits are moved to the face, over their eyes. Married women wear headdresses with many streams of braided hair, colored and put in shape with otjize, a mixture of butter, ash, and ochre used for protection from the harsh desert climate.

    
Himba Girls                 bobbiegoodrich©2013

Etosha National Park, known as “the great white place or place of emptiness,” this park teams with wildlife of over 100 species of mammals and over 400 species of birds; a daunting place even for just brief visit. This is wildlife at its truest definition.

The Okaukuejo floodlit water hole provides ample opportunities for night photography. The most populated water hole in the park, it attracts large groups of zebras, warthogs, and kudus frolicking in the water until well after midnight.

A major stroke of luck: we spotted the somewhat elusive “white elephants,” so named because of their white skins that result from prevailing winds that raise clouds of white earthen dust devils. At times the dust is so thick, it reduces visibility to a mere hundred meters. We captured great images of these ghostly creatures.

  
  Okaukuejo Water Hole     bobbiegoodrich©2013         White Elephant   bobbiegoodrich©2013

Africat Foundation:  A non-profit committed to long-term conservation and protection of threatened cheetah, leopard and other wild cats of Namibia. The organization aims to teach abused or abandoned cats self-sustaining behaviors, enabling them to return to their natural environment.

Our stay was both enlightening and uplifting – we learned that the human-wildlife conflicts along the borders of the Etosha National Park usually end in the destruction of large numbers of livestock as well as lions. As one park ranger put it: “In the Africa of 2050, most cat species will survive only where people choose to tolerate them.”

Africat leopard              bobbiegoodrich©2013

South Africa
Franschoek is a place of outstanding natural beauty where one is challenged to find an inferior glass of wine or a disappointing meal. Over five indulgent days we sampled South Africa’s most exquisite wines, luxury accommodations, and fabulous dining in the picturesque countryside.

Our last stop – a 130,000-acre private reserve, amongst the most beautiful in the world. Photos galore of the big five – lions, buffalo, leopards, elephants, rhino – as well as zebra, kudu, springbok and mini-antelope.

Also home to the only free-roaming, self-sustaining prides of white and tawny lions.  White lions are neither a sub-species nor albino but rather, normal lions blessed with a mutant color inhibitor gene giving them white fur coats and striking light blue eyes. They’re elusive by nature and of course, quite rare.

Good fortune struck on our last outing. We were rewarded with full hard drives and an even deeper respect for a Nature that creates such magnificent creatures.

  
White Lions of South Africa          bobbiegoodrich©2013

Home – Renewed and Ready
The investment in this long but rewarding trip is undeniable. Being back amongst the creatures of this magnificent land for the sheer delight of practicing my craft proved to be my much needed tonic .

Refreshed and re-charged, I’m happily at work on the next phase of my photo journey. My new Santa Fe workshop studio – complete with stunning views and conveniently located three miles from downtown – will be where my first 2013 workshop will take place:  “HOW TO WOW:  Mastering the Creative Flow” – scheduled for August 8-12.

Also in the planning are exciting collaborative workshops in Santa Fe with Tony Sweet and Guy Tal and other outstanding photographic artists.

I am confirming dates and details for my upcoming 2014 Workshop Tours: Primate Safari to Rwanda scheduled for September 2014; Kenya for the annual Great Migration in August 2014; as well as Argentina, and Camargue. Email me if you would like to be added to my Interest List: bobbiegoodrich@mac.com

Visit my website for more information regarding workshops and tours: http://www.bobbiegoodrich.com

Wishing everyone a creative and inspired 2013!
Bobbie

A weekly observation on a world photographic

April 13, 2013

A ROAD OFT TRAVELLED

Like most creative types, I respond to the end of long stretches of work with a feeling of uncertainty. Last year we dissolved our long-standing organization TWR.  While it was the right decision given the times, it prompted in me more than a bit of worry about the future. What comes next? Where do I focus my eyes and cameras?

A favorite poem of mine is Robert Frost’s oft-quoted “The Road Not Taken” where he gently prompts the reader to ponder what might lie down an untraveled path.  It occurred to me that I needed solo camera time to re-fresh my creative energies and ponder the next chapter. Rather than leading a tour and being the guide to other photographers, I needed to explore roads untaken in previous African travel – for the sheer fun of shooting (remember that? It’s what first drew us to the camera way, way back!).

So I set my compass for a seven-week sojourn throughout Namibia and South Africa, camera in hand, and thrilled at the thought of shooting for the sheer pleasure of photography.

The details of this journey – as much inward as outbound – are recounted in my latest newsletter (which you can sign up for at the bottom of this page) but suffice to say, I renewed my love affair with the camera and nature!

With no deadlines looming or guests to escort, I leaped to each day’s adventure with the zeal of seeing with new eyes.  No small surprise here considering what I photographed during this trip:  the magnificent orange hues of the Sossusvlei Dunes in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the highest dunes in the world . . . Deadvlei’s skeletons of ancient camel thorn trees . . . Swakopmund, a delightful hodge-podge of German architecture populated with an exotic mix of inhabitants . . . the Grootberg Plateau . . . sunsets by Epupa Falls on the banks of the Kunene River . . . a day of photographing the Himba tribe . . .  Etosha National Park, wildlife photography at its truest definition . . . Franschoek, the winelands pastoral countryside … A PRIVATE RESERVE in South Africa home to the rare species of White Lions  . . . and so much more.

So I’m home in Santa Fe, renewed and ready, and happily at work on the next phase of my photo journey.  Granted, I’ve access to photo opportunities not always available to everyone, but location is not the point.  What I needed – and I suspect what we all need from time to time – is photography for the sheer fun of holding the camera and challenging yourself to capture the moment in front of you.

Grab your camera and head out to a favorite spot that you’ve not visited in way too long. Think of the trip as a reunion of sorts with an old friend; a conversation too long missed.  And enjoy!

If you’re feeling a lag in your energy, grab your camera and take off. Remember the roads taken and those unexplored. It’s a sure way to begin anew on your creative path!

See you along the trail!

Bobbie

Bobbie Goodrich’s photograph of wild zebras, Moonlite in the Mara, Massai Mara, has been juried into the Top 250 of the 2013 NANPA Showcase. and will appear in the 2013 NANPA print journal Expressions.

Moonlight in the Mara – Bobbie Goodrich © 2012

2012 International Photography Awards Announces Winners of the Competition

Horse Play by Bobbie Goodrich ©

International Photography Awards (IPA) has announced the winners of 2012′s competition. 
Bobbie Goodrich was Awarded: Honorable Mention in Nature – Wildlife category for the winning entry “HORSEPLAY.”

Bobbie Goodrich has won worldwide attention with her unique and stunning imagery. “My process is highly intuitive” employing the same fundamentals to my photographic images as  used in creating a successful oil painting. Her work commands an emotional response from the viewer.”

Her acclaimed expertise with Nik Filters came after she realized that she was able to produce painterly images using the software. Her work gained recognition and the attention of NIK, where she is now a member of their software team.

Bobbie offers workshops using the Nik™ software filters through The West … Redefined.

Her limited edition works have been honored in several museum exhibitions, including “Cowgirl Up” and “Cowgirls With a Camera” at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg, AZ. She is represented by Zuva Gallery in Scottsdale, Bentley Publishing and Licensing and Rosenstiel Fine Art Editions in the UK.

The 2012 International Photography Awards received nearly 18,000 submissions from 104 countries across the globe. IPA is a sister-effort of the Lucie Foundation, where the top three winners are announced at the annual Lucie Awards gala ceremony. The Foundation’s mission is to honor master photographers, to discover new and emerging talent and to promote the appreciation of photography. Since 2003, IPA has had the privilege and opportunity to acknowledge and recognize contemporary photographer’s accomplishments in this specialized and highly visible competition. Visit www.photoawards.com

Water Buffalo, Zambia

“A venture that began almost two years ago was nurtured by a 20-year friendship between Bobbie Goodrich and Susan Lei Burns. They had been photographing together on and off since 1994, going to ranches, wild horse lands in Wyoming, Arizona, and Colorado, Montana…and to Kenya and Niger.

When Goodrich started working with Nik Software and filters, Burns saw her in action in one of her first workshops, and something clicked.

Living in Arizona in the late 1990s, the two women hatched the idea for a workshop while on one of their frequent walks. Those walks were where they put their “right brains to the task and came up with a workshop/tour concept for a company,” but it wasn’t until they were on a long mountain hike in Colorado that the idea of actually partnering in a workshop company began to form… ”
Click here to read the complete story.