My Photographic Artistry has been shaped in the warm embrace of the Namibian dunes. Willem Oets and Nicole Palmer shared their skills with us at Dina House, Sossusvlei and Dimple Dunes over 8 days at their Desert Lights course. We would rise at 4am to catch the first rays over the dunes, receiving all the nuggets of gold which they cumulatively acquired in their years in photography. We would flop into bed in the wee hours of the morning after evaluating everyone’s photos.

I arrived a total novice, I left transformed as a knowledgeable photo artist.

What I learned from Willem was to become curious about every detail, every shadow. Willem’s print studio in Amanzimtoti Med Image, is where I printed many of my photos and did extra courses. 

Nicole, being a potter by trade, saw in me a unique talent for the unconventional. While the group all aimed in the same direction, Allegra was engrossed in something entirely different and new. I will never forget Nicole’s words “when you pass by something and you stop to have a second look. Know that there is a good story that got your attention, find it and tell it through your lens”. She inspired me to find unique perspective. Laying down in the dirt, hanging off a branch, nothing was too weird for her. I am so so grateful that I found my creative feet in the midst of such freedom to be me.