Behind the Lens: My Etosha National Park Photography Experience

There are places in the world that change you. Etosha National Park in northern Namibia is one of them. I've returned to Etosha multiple times now, and each visit reveals something new — a behaviour I've never witnessed, a light I've never seen, a moment that stops time.

This is the story behind my Namibia 2024 collection — the planning, the patience, the unexpected encounters, and the images that made it all worthwhile.

Arriving at Etosha: First Impressions

Nothing quite prepares you for your first sight of the Etosha Pan. Stretching over 4,800 square kilometres, this vast, flat expanse of salt and clay is one of the largest salt pans in the world. In the dry season, it shimmers white under the African sun, creating mirages that make distant animals appear to float above the ground. It is, quite simply, unlike anywhere else on Earth.

The park itself covers over 22,000 square kilometres and is home to four of Africa's Big Five — lion, leopard, elephant, and rhino — along with cheetah, wild dog, giraffe, zebra, and an extraordinary diversity of antelope species.

The Waterholes: Nature's Theatre

Etosha's permanent waterholes are the beating heart of the park's wildlife activity. In the dry season, every animal within kilometres must come to drink, and the waterholes become extraordinary stages for wildlife drama. I spent hours — sometimes entire days — parked at waterholes like Okaukuejo, Chudop, and Klein Namutoni, simply watching and waiting.

The most memorable encounter from my 2024 trip was a standoff between a large elephant bull and a coalition of lions at a waterhole near Halali. The lions had been drinking when the elephant arrived, and for nearly 20 minutes, neither side was willing to back down. The tension was extraordinary, and the light — late afternoon gold — was perfect. That image is now one of my most requested prints.

The Floodlit Waterholes: Night Photography

One of Etosha's unique features is the floodlit waterholes at the main camps. After the park gates close at sunset, guests can sit at these waterholes and watch — and photograph — wildlife through the night. Black rhino, in particular, are most active after dark, and Etosha has one of the largest populations of black rhino in the world.

Night photography at the waterholes requires a different approach: high ISO, wide aperture, and a willingness to accept some noise in exchange for capturing moments that most people never see. Some of my most atmospheric images have come from these nocturnal sessions.

The Desert Landscape: More Than Just Animals

Etosha is not just about the animals. The landscape itself is a subject — the bleached white pan, the mopane woodland, the termite mounds that rise like cathedrals from the red earth. I always make time to photograph the environment as well as the wildlife, because the landscape tells the story of how these animals survive in such an extreme environment.

The Ghosts of the Desert collection grew from this fascination with the relationship between Namibia's wildlife and its ancient, unforgiving landscape.

Practical Notes from the Field

For photographers planning their first Etosha trip, a few things I've learned the hard way:

• Stay inside the park at the NWR camps — the floodlit waterholes are worth every cent
• The best waterhole action is often in the two hours after sunrise and the two hours before sunset
• Carry a beanbag for your lens — it's the most useful piece of kit in your vehicle
• Don't rush between waterholes. Find one that's active and stay
• The park is self-drive, which gives you complete control over your time and positioning

Etosha has given me some of the most extraordinary images of my career. If you'd like to bring a piece of this remarkable park into your home, explore my Namibia 2024 fine art Giclée print collection — each image a memory of wild Namibia, printed to the highest archival standards.