Deadvlei — Dune Rim, Namib Desert

From the crest of the red dune surrounding Deadvlei, the white clay pan below looks like a painting of a pan rather than a pan itself — the scale of the surrounding dunes makes the dead camelthorn trees look like brushstrokes. This view requires arriving before dawn and climbing the steep, loose dune face in the dark in order to be on the rim at first light, before the day's visitors make their own ascent. The shot was made at first light, the pan still in blue shadow while the dune face above it received direct sun — the tonal contrast that makes the image work. It is one of the most otherworldly landscapes on earth, and the only way to photograph it without crowds is to be there before it opens.