JETGALA - May June 2012 (pdf file)

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May June 2012
CESSNA’S NEW
CITATION LATITUDE
FLYING CARS ARE COMING | AIRSHIP ARCHANGEL
AIRCRAFT LIVERY DESIGN | PREMIAIR INDONESIA
FRÉGATE ISLAND
SEYCHELLES
DAUM CRYSTAL ART | CUSTOM HACKER-CRAFT
BASELWORLD 2012 | CLEVERLEY BESPOKE SHOES
Viewed from up high, sand dunes, the arid
Namib Desert and the desolate Skeleton
Coast present a surprisingly vibrant palette
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The Namib Desert stretches
along the south African coast
Photography by Peter Adams
Text by Katrina Balmaceda
ambiguity of
scale
“I’m always drawn to countries that are culturally and visually different from my
homeland,” says Englishman Peter Adams, whose wandering feet fuelled his passion for photography in his younger
years. Now, it is his camera that spurs his travels. “I’m always curious to know what’s actually there on the map and meet
people, but without the motivation to take pictures, I might be too lazy to make so much effort.” One of his aerial projects
led him to an area that Namibian Bushmen called ‘The Land God Made in Anger’ — the Skeleton Coast — and to the
arid Namib Desert. His subject was the salt pans in these regions, but his view from the sky captured more: purplish sand
dunes, multi-hued volcanic rock, coloured pebbles on the shore, the tempestuous sea’s waves.
Adams, who also takes portraits and candid photographs of people, says that aerial photography is rarely spontaneous
because it entails heavy research and planning. Namibia was chosen for its “elemental and empty landscapes”, but also for
its calm, relatively predictable weather. Yet, the patterns and colours of the salt works in the region surprised his trained
eyes. This different perspective is what he likes to see and share — an “ambiguity of scale that helps engage the eye, and so
prompts questions”. His aerial photography made him a finalist in the 2011 Travel Photographer of the Year Awards in the
Natural Elements category. Recently home from a trip to China, he plans a photography workshop in Myanmar later this
year and a digital photo book. www.padamsphoto.co.uk
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Sossusvlei, which loosely translates to ‘dead
end marsh’, has sand rich in salt and iron
A vast dune sea surrounds Sossusvlei,
a salt and clay pan in the Namib Desert
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“Patterns, colours and flows
reflect elements of environmental activity
and an ambiguity
of scale”
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Adams’ foray into and above the south
African desert and coast was his first
experience in aerial photography
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Adams’ Namibia aerials won him the
bronze prize in the London Photographic
Association’s landscape series competition
“Powerful and graphic aerial images
create a sense of wonder
in the world we live in”
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