Uge Fuertes Sanz's Image

When he clinched the frame, at the final moment of sunset, Uge was ecstatic.

'I felt this was possibly the most beautiful picture I'd ever created.' He had set up camp in the Giant's Playground in Namibia specifically to photograph the dramatic landscape at night. And as the African night descended, he felt the enchantment of the place. It wasn't just the dramatic dolerite boulders, strewn about like a giant's toys. It was also the otherworldly, 'magical' kokerbooms, or quiver trees. These are giant succulents, aloes, found only in Namibia and part of South Africa, which survive the arid conditions by storing large amounts of water in their trunks and leaves. He staged the fairytale set, just as the sun went down, by lighting specific trees at specific distances with a torch, using a long exposure and adjusting the zoom to highlight the changing colours as the natural light faded, moving the torch from tree to tree. He had very little time, and had just three chances at the composition. The crowning element was the spread of branches overhead, 'closing the frame and giving the picture its strength'.