Paul van Schalkwyk's Image

Paul photographed these mysterious migrating dunes in the low afternoon Sun while flying over one of his favourite places – Namibia’s Skeleton Coast.

His aim was always to create intriguing abstracts through which he could share his joy of the wilderness and inspire others to value wild places. The wandering dunes have been created by southwesterly winds carrying sand inland from the coast to the gravel plains. Moulded into alien shapes, they are on a slow march – just a few centimetres a year – to a dune belt further north. Timing is key when taking aerial photographs from a fast‑moving small aircraft. But this was not Paul’s only challenge. Using a heavy medium-format camera – the best for landscape – he would shoot through the open door while flying his plane at the same time. He even listed planes among the equipment necessary for taking photographs of the ever-changing beauty of his beloved desert.