The Gate, a photo from Erongo, South

Photographer's Note

A drive from Swakopmund, in a northerly direction, along the coast road takes one across the seemingly barren margin between coast and desert gravel plains. It is here that the fragile ecosystem of lichens cling on to precarious life. Off-road driving has been detrimental to this fragile and unique area, if you look at the Google Earth map you will see tyre tracks across what seem to be barren waste, these tracks destroy the lichens and mar the landscape and take hundreds of years to be erased from the gravel plains. Today, off-road driving is strictly controlled.

This shot was taken at the Swakopmund Salt Works on the seaward side of the road.
With evaporation by far exceeding precipitation, Namibia's windy, arid coastal climate is highly favourable for cheap production of solar salt, due to a virtually unlimited source of brine from the ocean. Numerous pans occur along the coast while vast flat-lying areas adjoining them are also available for future expansion. The major concentration of large coastal pans are located from Meob Bay in the south to Cape Fria in the north. These include the current producing facilities at Swakopmund, Cape Cross and the Walvis Bay

RhodieIke, Suppiluliuma, tyro, Fly, jlbrthnn, ChrisJ, annjackman ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

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RhodieIke (11752) 2012-03-06 22:09

Morning Rosemary, Minimalist photo in lots of elements, love it, here is a poem I found to suit,

Down in the Saltpan Country the saltpans white as snow
You won't see many animals where only saltbush grow
All through the thirsty Summer the days are warm and long
In the dry and the bare countryside known as the Coorong
Met an old bloke at Meningie the Coorong countryside he know
He said that old Lake Albert has never been so low
The water has retreated far inland from the shore
He said I've never seen it as low as this before
Down in the Saltpan Country the water birds are rare
Of the dwindling wildlife numbers one cannot help but feel aware
In a healthy Natural environment wildlife numbers do abound
In the Coorong only more and larger saltpans for miles and miles around
Down in the Saltpan Country where only saltbush grow
The saltpans in the sunshine are gleaming white as snow

By Francis Duggan.
Cheers Iain.

Suppiluliuma (3931) 2012-03-06 22:18

Plain, clear, simple. That's what Namibia generally is. With all mysteries hidden in it, of course.

This area looks veyr much like Skeleton Valley, actually it shouldn't be far away. We happened to drive in a sand storm in a deserted road, which seemed to appear and disappear in a glimpse.

Nice narrative, as always.

TFS.

Erdem

tyro (30513) 2012-03-06 23:57

Good morning Rosemary,

A very interesting note - and, yes, I do believe I can see evidence of some "unofficial" and very minor tracks across the coastal area here on your Google map - even more so if you click on the multicoloured "Google" logo there which takes you into a bigger map. I presume that this gate is intended to control traffic along that long and thin spit of land (or causeway) between the saltpans.

A very fine picture which shows the enormous scale of this place, because each of these lakes seems to be not far short of a kilometre wide. Almost a minimalistic composition, the gate stands alone amidst a sea of sand and water with just the causeway drawing the eye off to the right toward the distant horizon.

Lovely soft colours, perfect exposure and, as always, exquisite sharpness.

Lovely!

Kind Regards,

John.

dkmurphys (78000) 2012-03-07 0:30

Hi Rosemary,
A deep calm atmosphere along the beach. I like it, simple and attractive.
Have a nice day.

Daniel

Fly (366) 2012-03-07 1:00

I have to say that subject gate seems somewhat incongruous in this setting. It is clearly intended to restrain vehicular traffic but not foot traffic, yet its flimsy construction and unguarded state shouldn’t constitute a serious barrier to entry. Maybe it is just a symbolic statement of ownership – what lies beyond belongs to someone else and in good faith please stay on your side!

I like your low-angle POV which makes the gate stand out against the salt pans and the sky. It also emphasises the flatness, the barrenness of the area. Not one of your most dramatic captures, but it did make me smile.

Take care, JP

timecapturer (49288) 2012-03-07 2:40

Hi Rosemary
love shots like this. Minimalist and so entrancing. I assume the gate has a purpose although it looks very easy to circumvent it! Fascinating and executed perfectly. Wonderful imagery!

Regards - Brian.

jlbrthnn (76041) 2012-03-07 13:01

Hello Rosemary,
The artificial landscape is beautiful and interesting. The framing is in balance. Light and color are excellent. Note also excellent. Bravo.
Have a nice evening.
Cordially
Joël

ifege (32169) 2012-03-07 22:16

A strange bare landscape Rosemary - but with a certain appeal. Great use of the lonely gates.
cheers
Ian

ChrisJ (159996) 2012-03-08 21:00

Hi Rosemary

An incongruous sight of the road gate with no adjacent fence. I guess most vehicles would not attempt to drive through the water so they are pretty much restricted to using the gate or turning around & going back. Well spotted & with good sharpness. Tfs!

annjackman (23019) 2012-03-14 5:55

Hi Rosemary,
Love this one - a real 'photographers' picture. The gate nicely breaks up the flat landscape. The colours and quality of your picture makes the barren land come to life. Excellent.
Best wishes, Ann

adidas5nb (5743) 2012-07-28 22:06

BEAUTIFUL PICTURE. very nicely thought out.
regards
DWAIPAYAN