David Minkin ~ Photo Journal

Adventures in Etosha National Wildlife Park

2010-02-12T20:20:00.003-06:00

While on the mineral tours in Namibia with my Brother in Law Doug, we took two days to visit Etosha Wildlife Park in North Central Namibia. This 8,600 sq mi game park has many watering holes. We drove from water hole to water hole to observe the animals as they came to drink.

Within 15 minutes of entering the park we looked above the tall hedges and noticed these giraffe. What a wonderful and whimsical scene. We never saw their bodies; it almost looked like they were performing a puppet show for us.

(Pick for larger view - Back to return to the blog)

Birds of Namibia

Doc Evans Photo Shoot

2010-01-29T23:23:00.001-06:00

Doc Evans, Tyreke's Brother has a production company in Philadelphia. While in Memphis last Summer, Doc hired me to photograph one of his artists, Ja' Alan for promotions and album covers. Here are a few shots from that session.

(Click for full view, Back to return to Blog)

I use an interesting editing technique to produce a very unique look. This HDR (High Dynamic Range) method enhances the photo with a metallic appearance.

(Click for full view, Back to return to Blog)

We shot at many downtown locations including the Peabody rooftop and under the new bridge.

(Click for full view, Back to return to Blog)

Doc Evans with Ja' Alan's reflection

(Click for full view, Back to return to Blog)

Nicole & Alex's Wedding Reception

2010-01-08T20:51:00.003-06:00

Here are photos from Nicole & Alex's Wedding & Rehearsal Dinner. Nicole Lissenden, is my Niece from Asheville, NC. Her wonderful wedding was September 26, 2009 in the quaint mountain town of Hot Springs, NC.

Just select slideshow from the site below.

Rehearsal Dinner Slideshow

Wedding Photo Slideshow

A Flight of a Lifetime in Namibia ~ Memorial to Nico

2009-12-26T18:00:00.103-06:00

The ultra light two seater plane we flew around Brandburg Massif in Namibia

Since I wrote the following narrative, I was told that Nico, the Son of The White Lady bed and breakfast, passed away this past summer in an automobile accident. Nico was a wonderful person that was full of life and love of flying. His enthusiasm was captivating. Although I only met him twice, I'll remember his friendship forever. The flight we took around Brandburg Mountain is one of my favorite life experiences and as I mention in the story, I'll remember it for the rest of my life.

I previously posted the Steve Minkin Memorial Water Well story. This described how and why we constructed the well for the miners and area wildlife. The photos in that blog entry were taken last year after the well was constructed and in use.

This entry is about the trip where we actually found the location for the well and includes some amazing photos.

Doug picked me up in Windhouk, Namibia on January 19th, 2008 and we went to the Ministry of Water Affairs. We got verbal permission to locate and put in a well. They said the official paperwork would follow and may take some time. As an interesting note, we actually got the official paperwork a few weeks ago on December 12th, 2009; almost 2 years after our request.

The nearest town to the mining camp is Uis, Namibia. (look it up on Google Earth) Uis is our favorite place to visit in Namibia because the people are so friendly, the accomendations are very nice and it is centrally located for day excursions to collect minerals. I think Doug would like to buy a case of cigars, home in Uis and retire there forever. Anyway... We stay at The White Lady bed and breakfast where they have a nice pool, outdoor dining pavilion and nice comfortable rooms. The buildings have thatched roofs which are exposed inside - wonderful ambience.

The Son of the owner, Nico was an avid sports pilot and took people up for rides in his ultra light plane. I talked him into flying me over the mining camp and Brandburg Massif (mountain). This was an adventure of a lifetime. We took off early in the morning and flew above Brandburg. He showed me the highest point in South Africa, where a plane had crashed on the mountain and other interesting sights of the area. The most important part of the 2 hour trip was flying over the mining camp and especially over the site for the water well. You can actually see the containment pond for the well in the photos.

I could go on for some time about the flight, but I think the photos speak for themselves. You can actually see what I saw by looking at this area in Google Earth. It is amazing how similar the photos are to Google Earth.