Rabinowitz Photography: Embracing Spring and ‘New Life’

Being in the right place at the right time is crucial when it comes to capturing the exact moment on camera. Travel and wildlife photographer Adam Rabinowitz, shares his personal journey in the beautiful surrounds of Nambia. This image – “New Life” was a beautifully captivating moment captured.

In Namibia, spring unfolds as a symphony of renewal in the arid expanse. “New life” captures the moment the first rains fall in the desert, a stroke of rare serendipity. As droplets cascade from the heavens, the parched earth soaks up the life-giving elixir, transforming the desolation into a spectacle of vitality. For this reason, your timing has to be absolutely perfect! After the second rain comes it will be too late, so you only have a couple of days to capture this unique colour palette that combines winters golden hues with a rainbow sky – after that the window closes and you will have to wait another year.

Dormant seeds, patiently waiting, awaken in jubilant celebration. The land, once parched by relentless sun, sighs with relief as the first rains kiss the earth. Sparse, thorny bushes burst into verdant life, and the ancient desert blooms with newfound vibrancy. The desert, once a sea of arid whispers, now sings a chorus of life, as the arid land transforms into a carpet of green, teeming with life.

Beneath the acacia trees, newborn creatures take their first wobbly steps, a testament to nature’s resilience. Spring in Namibia is a celebration of survival, a testament to the land’s enduring spirit, and a promise of hope fulfilled. It’s a poignant reminder of nature’s impeccable timing and boundless capacity for rejuvenation.

Unfortunately, even if you get your timing perfect it is not guaranteed that you will capture something like New Life. I learnt this the hard way last year. I arrived in Etosha National Park in late October only to find the first drops of rain coming down as I entered the park. I thought I was the luckiest person in the world… everything was lining up for me to capture this wonderful landscape at such a unique time.

However I was there for two and a half weeks and couldn’t get anything that came close to this photograph. It was nice in a way, because it made me realise that it isn’t as simple as following steps in a recipe. Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time and you see something truly special.