Author
Zanele Mthembu
Namaqualand
Landscape photography and the spring bloom
“We go in week two. Week one is for the bees.”
Landscape photographer who follows the flower season north every August.
The story
I am a landscape photographer based in Cape Town, and for nine years I have followed the Namaqualand bloom north every spring — first alone, then with one or two friends, now with eight people and a vehicle. The flowers taught me most of what I know about light: they open with the sun and close by four, so you learn to be in the right place early. Flower Season is a soft week. We stop constantly. I teach as we go, but nobody has to take a single photograph.
How they travel
Mornings are for the fields, afternoons for driving and rest. I carry spare lenses and the patience to wait for a cloud to move.
Their journey
One route, written and led by them
Every VELD author leads a single journey — the one they know best — on every departure.
Field notes from the road
No notes from this author yet — the first one usually arrives after the next departure.
Write to this author
Ask before you book
Questions about pace, timing or whether the route is right for you go straight to the author. Replies take up to two working days.