Kanaan Desert, Namibia – 2024

Archival Pigment Print

“John Ford said that the elemental grandeur of Monument Valley gave him an extra character for free in his movies and that was why it was his preferred filming location. If he was right, and he surely was, then the deserts of Namibia in Africa lend you at least a couple more.

The problem is that filming in the Namibian Desert is logistically a little more challenging than Arizona. The population density is 10 people per square mile – a tenth of America’s density – and in the desert, there is a palpable sense of solitude. Outside of the capital Windhoek the infrastructure is rather basic and to film ambitious projects demands resolve and a passion for adventure.

Namibia is, however, the cheetah capital of the world. Since 1990, smart conservation efforts have resulted in the population in the country growing from 1500 to 2500 – that’s one third of the planet’s total. We have long worked with the acclaimed cheetah conservationists Rudi and Marlice van Vuuren who founded the Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary nearly 20 years ago and they partnered with us on this project in the Kanaan Desert.

I had this picture in my head since Covid days but I was only able to capture it in September 2024 – good things take time. Sunrise is a dangerous time to film; there are so many traps to fall into and the optimum light is ephemeral.

Shooting towards the sun, which would be my default position, becomes challenging if the photograph like this is contextual as I don’t like to have the sun itself in an image; it can be a little gaudy in colour and look extremely odd in black and white. To avoid the cliches and the tonal tension points, I prefer to film before the sun appears and this desert offers a chance as there are mountains for it to overcome. From my elevated position high in the sand dunes, the sun only arrives on stage a good 30 minutes after daylight.

There is a sense of timeless eternity to this photograph. I look at it and smile – what a wonderful planet we rent. Huge credit to Shanina Shaik, she was brilliant to work with, and cared not one bit about the 3 am wake up calls. I guess it’s not a bad place for a morning walk with a big cat.” – David Yarrow