Jan Brezina, Autor Fripito

When Is the Best Time to Travel to Namibia?

11Nov11.11.2016 By Jan Brezina

Namibia is very diverse and large country, causing big differences in weather and temperatures in different regions. The South is always dry and hot, while the North is usually wet and colder. The weather also changes a lot during the year, but in every season the country has its own charm. So, when is it the best to go to Namibia for photographers?

Namibian Spring (September to November)

Spring boasts a mild climate. In the south of the country and in deserts, the temperatures move in a comfortable range of 25-35 ° C. In the higher-lying areas in the center of the country and in the north, the temperatures may be even 5 to 10 degrees lower. The weather is usually sunny with occasional photogenic clouds, ideal for landscape photographers. Due to intermittent rainfall, the landscape is very green and picturesque.

For lovers of wildlife photography, springtime is the best time to capture newborn and young animals. Although it is relatively hard to spot them especially due to green landscape and tree and brush foliage, the more unique photos you can capture.

Namibian Summer (December to February)

Summer in Namibia is hot, especially in the drier and low-lying areas. In the deserts and in the south, be prepared for temperatures around 100+ °F. The weather in the whole country is dry, sunny with cloudless sky.

From the photographic perspective, summer is the best time for wildlife photography. The animals gather around water holes and there is also minimum foliage on the plants that could make the visibility harder. It’s easiest to photograph large herds and felines in the Etosha National Park or elephants, hippos and rhinos in Cape Corn.

There is more locals travelling by summer because of holidays!

Namibian Autumn (March to May)

Temperatures are returned to the pleasant range as in the spring. In autumn, there is greatest chance of precipitation. The showers are not very frequent, however usually very hearty. The landscape turns green, so it is true landscape photographer’s paradise. Even in the Namib desert, the storms may occur, which offers truly unique shots.

Namibian Winter – rain season (June to August)

Although the day temperatures in most parts of the country will be around pleasant 70 ° F, the night temperatures drop to zero. In some parts of the country, even the snow or frost may be occasionally spotted.

From the photographic perspective, winter is best time for shooting in the deserts and the south areas of the country.

So, When Is the Best Time to Travel to Namibia?

Namibia sure is beautiful all year round. Personally, I prefer to travel to Namibia in either November or March. These times make it a great escape from the chilly weather in the Northern Hemisphere and the weather in Namibia offers the richest mix of landscape and wildlife photography opportunities.

Want to know more about Namibia? You could use a guide? Try our travel photography guide to Namibia. You can get it for 50% off during the week of November 7.- 13. 11.

10 questions for photographer: Roger & Paula Berk

30Oct30.10.2016 By Jan Brezina

Can you introduce yourself little?

We are Roger & Paula Berk, a husband and wife photography team based in the Netherlands.

Roger started taken pictures at the age of 16 and bought a Canon A1 camera with no autofocus lens based on film. He started to capture beauty around the Netherlands and when traveling abroad. Roger has worked in the ID industry for over 25 years to capturing portrait images.

With over 35 years of camera experience Roger has developed an eye for capturing images in the studio or out in the field.

Paula has experience in fashion photography and enjoys taking food, street and nature photos. She is also, the marketing brain of it all. She is the social media guru and a freelance graphic designer.

For us travel photography is the most challenging and rewarding form of photography. Every capture is unique, every trip a new adventure, every encounter a new friendship, every culture a new experience. We capture the beauty, essence and diversity from around the world.

With the ability to capture those moments is a gift and we love sharing that gift with others. As a husband and wife team, photography has always been a major part of our lives. Photography has been our hobby and our life-long passion.

Our travels take us all over the world, and this is reflected in our photos.

What is favorite photographic topic of Roger & Paula Berk?

We both enjoy taking pictures of city architecture, food and landscapes. When we’re in exotic places we also, like to mingle amongst the locals and capture them in their own environment.

Are you full time professional photographers?

At the moment we are professional amateurs in the industry with a passion of taking unique pictures.

Is it complicated to become a professional photographer in the Netherlands?

In the Netherlands there is a lot of competition. Cameras became inexpensive and people with cellphone think they can make similar captures with their phones. LOL… We as photographers know that is not true. In order to standout you need to work hard, invest a lot of time, learn every day of your mistakes, admit them and try again to become better. In addition to following the latest news of equipment and techniques, we work hard to get the best out of the images we take.

We met at Photokina. How do you feel the photo industry is moving to?

The Photokina is great show to see where the standard of photography is headed to in the future. Having well-known brands and up and coming brands showing their new lenses, improved cameras and accessories all under one roof. It’s exciting that these manufacturers keep on improving the quality and speed of their products.

We imagine in the future that cameras will become lighter and mirror less with improved speed. Full frame and even medium format with an amazing dynamic-range connected to your smart phone and be able to share with social media immediate gratification.

You travelled a lot. What is your favorite photo place worldwide?

We have been fortunate enough to have travelled to more than 370 cities around the world. Images relating city and architecture, Dubai and Singapore are the most outstanding places to shoot. In regards to people we were most intrigued by Afghanistan and India (in both of these countries people are the most receptive to let their picture taken and smile).

What is your favorite camera or lens?

The camera I use at the moment is the Nikon D810 with a 14 – 24 mm f/2.8. The two together are an amazing set which takes amazing 70 MB images. All the images we take are in RAW and then processed with the computer. We like to keep the images as original as possible.

Is there any dream photography job or destination for you?

One of the places we really like to see and is on our bucket list is the ancient ruins of Petra in Jordan. We never had the chance to go there but, we will.

Do you sell stock photography? Where and why?

We mostly sell our images on 500PX. We enjoy this site because we are able to engage with other photographers and measure the appreciation of our skill set.

Why did you choose to become a Fripito author?

Fripito is a great idea. There’s been so many times when going into the city; trying to figure out a good place to go to take pictures. Only to realize that we missed out on multiple photo opportunities. Fripito is a great solution. We are able to choose the best locations prepared by local photographers which save us more time to explore, to take more photos of the city when we visit.

Do you want see more pictures from Roger & Paula? Download they photo travel guide of Rotterdam.

5 Essential tips How to Take Photos in the Desert

15Sep By Jan Brezina

There is something magical about taking photos of desert dunes. The combination of geometry, elegance and the colors makes it one of my favorite photo locations. During my career, I’ve taken photos in deserts of five continents and I try to shoot in deserts at least twice a year. Here are few of my tips how to enjoy desert photography and Take Photos in the Desert.

1. Right Timing for Take Photos in the Desert

It’s the key for desert photography. First step is choosing the right season – cooler months with bearable temperatures that allow longer period of time spent outside shooting. When you visit Death Valley in July, you can expect daytime temperatures approaching 120 ° F and night temperatures around 90 ° F. But when you go in January or February, you can enjoy the shoot with pleasant 70 ° F.

Furthermore, it always pays off to look for special occasions. I’ve experienced rain in the Namib desert, photographed the desert animal cubs in Atacama or blooming wildflowers in Death Valley.

Take photos at the Desert — Take Photos in the Desert, Photo: J Brezina

2. Perfect Light

Photography is a play of light and shadows which is very true when shooting in desert. If you want to capture the dunes lines or the structure of undulating sand, you need low light. The best time for that is usually about an hour after sunrise and about an hour before sunset.

In the morning, the air is cooler and usually cleaner, so the photos are sharper. I usually try to get up early and head out before sunrise and climb up the highest peak in the area. In the evening, the air is hot and often full of dust. The haze, shimmering air and dust reflect and refract light so the pictures are more colorful with more atmosphere, but are less sharp.

Take photos at Desert — Take Photos in the Desert, Photo: J Brezina

3. Finding Structures

When shooting in the deserts, I try to avoid taking pictures with the sun behind me. In such images, the shadows are not visible, so you lose both contours and structures. Side light and backlight are interesting options, the shadows are forming lines and underline structures.

Beware direct backlight as any contaminants can cause glares on the lens. It pays off to have brush ready to remove eventual dust from the lens.

4. Equipment Protection

Deserts are very dusty although it might not be apparent at first. Try to minimize interchanging lenses, memory cards and batteries as each opening of the camera means dust getting inside. My way to deal with this is to have two cameras ready, one with ultra wide angle lens for large landscapes and second one with telephoto lens for details. If you have to change the lens, then get inside a car and wait at least half an hour until the dust settles.

5. Protect Yourself As Well

It is very important not to underestimate the risks associated with overheating. This is true both for the photographer and equipment. Always have plenty of water, do not overestimate your strength ad try to use sun protective clothes and sunblock. Try to protect the equipment from overheating. It happened to me many times that overheated camera turned off automatically and overheated lens stopped focusing.

Shooting in the desert is beautiful and it truly is one of my favorites. If you are considering desert photography, find your inspiration in the guides available within Fripito app. Download Fripito travel photography guides for iOS or Android.