Mantra – Namibia

The third round of destination shoots, and this time we were headed to the desert! Namibia was the latest inspiration, with the new collection musing over African wildlife, landscapes, and colour palettes. After spending a few days exploring the country with Sarah Rodgers, who’d joined the crew to capture social media content, we found ourselves in the capital of Windhoek to rendezvous with the team.

Our Namibian shoot began at Omeya Golf Club, around half an hour out of the city. We spent the day exploring the idyllic course, finding the most photogenic scenes to stage our shots. Working this time alongside videographer Jason Hill, we captured the latest range on course, experimenting with the giant bunkers, acacia trees, and golf carts. The course even boasts resident wildlife, and we played out the last holes of the day with springboks running across the fairways and meerkats watching the tees from their burrows.

The following morning was another pre-dawn start to get back to Omeya for a couple of extra scenes, on our way south to our ultimate destination of the Namib Desert. After shooting some cart-to-cart action and getting some great shots playing out of a bunker, we got on the road, traversing the country on bumpy gravel and dirt. As the evening approached, we arrived in the desert dunes and were treated to a beautiful moody sunset, with colours perfectly complementing the clothes.

Deadvlei’s otherworldly presence and neutral tones were our destination for the next sunrise. This thousand-year-old forest fell victim to a drought that, 900 years ago, cut off its water supply, turning the trees into dark, charred monuments to themselves. In the extreme heat of the desert, it’s too dry for the trees to decompose. Shooting the muted colors in this complimentary landscape was an absolute dream, with the ominous trees and dramatic-like giving the sense of being on a film set.

Back at our accommodation, and after a refreshing swim, we had a casual shoot around the lodge. The beautiful architecture and smooth way the outdoors blended into the interiors created some interesting scenes for a relaxed, holiday feel. After regrouping with the team: Dom and Ashley (Mantra), Justin and Matt (Models), Jason, Sarah, and myself, we were back in the 4×4’s and heading into the wide clay pan of Sossusvlei, picking out some of the huge dunes as a stunning backdrop for our next shoot. Using a flag and set of clubs we’d brought along, we had fun with one of several ‘golf in the dunes’ concepts we were creating for Mantra. The clouds that had been lingering all afternoon came to life with the setting sun, and we quickly broke out, shooting several different looks in quick succession. A colourful sky closed out the day, and we capped things off with a couple of final shots silhouetted against the clouds.

For our final morning, we headed back to the dunes to capture another concept shoot. With the two models set up along some curving dunes, we worked to capture the immense scale and aura of the atmosphere and excitement of the shoot.

Another incredibly satisfying project with Mantra, with great locations, an amazing team, and some really rewarding images.