Good m-o-o-o-rning Sahara, a photo from Tamanghasset, Inland

Photographer's Note

This may not look like anything special, but to me this was a decisive moment, one of the few times I got out of bed at sunrise to start taking pictures.

I was in fact more than happy to get up, because I had experienced the coldest and most uncomfortable night of my life. I had left the city of Tamanrasset at the foot of the Hoggar mountains in southern Algeria the day before and we kept on driving until after midnight. When we finally stopped here in the darkness I couldn't make myself a comfortable bed on top of the truck, mainly carrying sacks of dates. It was bitterly cold, probably close to zero, and I was freezing horribly in spite of being fully dressed in my sleeping-bag.

It was a great relief when dawn finally arrived so I could get up. Of course, one hour later I was sweating from the heat.

The next night was not so bad. We stopped quite early in the evening in the no man's land between the Algerian and Nigerien border-posts. It was not quite as cold and I had time to prepare my bed better. The third night pas perfectly all right. We stopped somewhere in northern Niger where there was vegetation and fairly warm even at night.

The Map: view will give you an approximate idea of the location. Please note that the Trans Saharan Highway shown on the map did not exist 35 years ago, and I believe that in some parts of the desert it still exists only theoretically.

I have scanned this from a Kodachrome slide. Here is a larger version.

ikeharel, jhm, pajaran, papagolf21, jean113, ourania, saxo042, Graal, cornejo, alvaraalto, ChrisJ, williewhistler, worldcitizen, macjake, adramad, Tue, PaulVDV, macondo, Royaldevon, gervaso, Hansaphotos, mirosu, Gigidusud, COSTANTINO, mcmtanyel, delpeoples, adores has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Nicou (193806) 2016-04-20 2:46

Hlelo

quelle vue de ce camion dans le déserte quelle compo et image superbe captage et ces deux personnages tout habillés couleur ils doit faire très froid superbe compo.
Belle journée et merci
Nicou

lousat (138669) 2016-04-20 3:02

Hi Gert,it's always nice to read your adventures in the note,real adventures in uncomfortable places far by the tourist trips and many years ago. Warm days and cold night,your morning pic is beautiful,perfect talking about lights and bright colors. Reminds me my early morning in the moroccan desert,but the comfort was different...ehehe...have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

emka (157280) 2016-04-20 3:21

Hi Gert,

It is visible on the beta site. But I wanted to write an e-mail to Stephen, and Contact doesn't work anywhere. So gradually the functionality is going down.
Fantastic to read about your adventures. It is the important part of travelling. And what a problem when someone is still young .Would you remember the night in n stars hotel? probably not as much as this bitter cold night on the desert. My night on the desert near Jaisalmer was also very uncomfortable and cold. But what a surprise when I waked and saw the camel head just above me. Interesting picture - such a flat middle of nowhere and the red truck - "my" truck was crowded, your was empty.
Haha, "one of the few times I got out of bed at sunrise to start taking pictures."
Warm regards MAlgo

jhm (211734) 2016-04-20 3:26

Hello Gert,

Congratulation for 1100th picture on TE.
You as specialist of scanned pictures and old history images.
Everytime, I look with much attention to your old pictures with a nice history.
Again a lovely picture with the lorry and the people.
An excellent panoramic view.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

mjw364 (1466) 2016-04-20 3:58

Hello Gert

Good note - there is nothing quite like the coldness you feel anywhere in the world when it is accompanied by a lack of sleep. Chilled to the bone is the expression I think. The two people with blankets wrapped around them contrast with the apparent warmth of the colour temperature. At least you knew that you would get warm as the sun rose.

Nice contrasting colours and light.

Have a warm day - unusually the sun is up today in the UK!

Mike

Fis2 (169821) 2016-04-20 4:34

Witaj Gert!
Interesting scene from daily life.
Good frame and composition.
Colors are impressive.
Well done.
Nice afternoon.
Krzysztof

papagolf21 (152605) 2016-04-20 5:36

Bonjour, cher Gert,
L'on voit tout de suite la patte du photographe reporter, l'image nous parle et donne le ton de la situation.
J'aime ce genre de photo. Un retour sur le passé bien agréable.
Amitiés.
Philippe

pajaran (114995) 2016-04-20 5:37

Dobar dan.
Lep pogled i trenutak ujutru, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Dobar rad i format panoramske fotografije, lepo pokazan kamion, dobar kontrast i ostrina, lepe boje.
Lepo uhvacen trenutak sa svetlom i senkom.
Lepo popodne i sve najbolje sa lepim secanjem na 1982. Paja.

Good day.
Beautiful view and a moment in the morning, interesting and good text ...
Good work and format panoramic photographs, shown a nice truck, good contrast and sharpness, beautiful colors.
Beautifully captured the moment with light and shadow.
Nice afternoon and all the best with beautiful memories of in 1982.
Paja.

Sergiom (117241) 2016-04-20 6:05

Bonjour Gert,

J'aime beaucoup la construction de cette image. Une superbe opposition entre l'ombre et la lumière. Un beau camion qui forme une belle ligne de fuite et des couleurs très joliment saturées.

Amicalement

Serge

quovadis (5711) 2016-04-20 7:11

Hi Gert.

Probably it was a chilli morning in the desert, yet the image looks very positive in terms of colours and POV. Like the black shade leading to the truck and then continue pass the vehicle. Lovely capture, thanks for sharing !!!

GyurMaster (24672) 2016-04-20 7:59

Dear Gert,

There is something time-less in your photo: an old truck, eaten by rust, but I bet it still runs somewhere up to this day. :) The beautiful colours of the Kodachrome, which renders the rust and the vivid 'clothes' of the two figures nicely. Your story completes the visual experience very well.

Excellent!

Best Wishes,
György

jean113 (27639) 2016-04-20 8:25

Hello Gert, your notes add the necessary information that puts this shot into context.
And, what memories this picture holds for you.
I see that the two people have blankets wrapped around them, and now we know why!
How uncomfortable it must have been sitting/lying on sacks of dates.
I can feel the cold from here.
Regards Jean.

ourania (51103) 2016-04-20 8:42

Hello Gert,
a timeless and graphic setting that looks so vast and desolate and where the slightest addition makes an impact and adds a story. This time it is the story of the truck, the two people and the shadow, a simple but intriguing scene open to interpretations. The quality is superb, the colours both delicious and moody. The light and the dense shadows define the character of the scene, in my opinion. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great evening,
Ourania

saxo042 (38078) 2016-04-20 10:05

Hej Gert,
Grattis till 1100 bilder! En synnerligen fin bild med stram färgskala och med en synnerligen intressant text. Inte precis något ställe jag längtar till själv. Men en bra bild blev det.
Hälsningar
Gunnar

serp2000 (47063) 2016-04-20 10:33

Hello, Gert,
It sounds strange about the coldest night in Sahara, but I also remember the Egyptian nights in February. There is big contrast with day/night temperatures indeed.
Thanks for this report from the past.
Best regards,
Serghei

boa (8039) 2016-04-20 11:26

Hej Gert,
en härlig berättelse om en inte riktigt lika härlig åktur i den iskalla ökennatten:)Jag antar att samma resa idag inte är att rekommendera pga oroligheter och banditer? Den här ganska ointressanta bilden blir plötsligt riktig bra när man har läst bakgrunds historien! Vackert mjukt ljus och fina färger!

Hälsningar/
Boa

Graal (103040) 2016-04-20 11:40

Hello Gert,
nice scene and colors on Sahara. Title like from movie Good morning Vietnam. Strong shadows and contrast. Another interesting slide from your archive.
Have a nice evening.
Aleksander

cornejo (61504) 2016-04-20 12:03

Hello Gert, very good picture of this interesting scene at dawn, very well captured in this beautiful image with good sharpness, light, color and quality. Very good and interesting work perfectly realized, my congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good night and happy rest of the week.
Best wishes from southern Spain.
Angel.

Periko (9105) 2016-04-20 14:11

Hi Gert
I like this truck in te middle of nowhere
Nice morning light and saturated colors.

Regards

rychem (72187) 2016-04-20 22:06

Sahara is associated with heat, and you're writing about a very cold night.
Next beautiful documentary image, very good scanned photo, your gallery is full of such valuable photos
regards Ryszard

abmdsudi (95869) 2016-04-20 23:41

Hi Gert
Another oldie of a decent record shot of the day and a slice of life with humble people as main focal to vigourise the warm feel accompanied by interesting narrative. Well done
Best regards

danos (110407) 2016-04-20 23:59

Hello Gert,
a nice documentary shot from the desert of Algeria,same decades ago,have the same importance in our days.The red truck parked in the middle of nowhere and the two human figures creates a great scene in arid desert.
Just yesterday i saw the documentary film,'The salt of the earth' with the great photographer Santiago Salgado.His photos was started some decades ago until our days.Extraordinary moments of photographic art.

Regards,Danos

alvaraalto (42804) 2016-04-21 2:46

Hello Gert,
Interesting story and a great illustration. I think these two people has tick blankets around them to underline your words about the intense cold in the Sahara night.
It looks like all road, but these is obvious a lack of traffic signs and guidepost. And GSM was also not functional at that time. So I’m happy you survived.
Groet Rob

jmdias (114340) 2016-04-21 2:50

gert

I saw algeria at distance while in morocco. I am not sure if one day I will visit it. here we can see how people were dressed with blankets. your description made me remember a bus trip I did at night in a mountain range in Brazil, at the end I almost couldn't make my chin to stop because I hadn't enough clothes and the bus was full of holes.

hugs

jorge

bobocortis (16090) 2016-04-21 3:59

Hi Gunnar.
Your shot transmits to the observer the heat of the desert and a taste of everyday life and work. Sharp shadows enhance graphics and simplicity of the image.

ChrisJ (171302) 2016-04-21 6:33

Hi Gert,

The red exterior of the trick and the yellow tan sand contrast well against the blue sky to give a pleasing warm cold color contrast. Good sharpness and density levels in this excellent historic archive on film. Tfs!

Cricri (176) 2016-04-21 9:00

Hi Gert
Bel effet d(ombre donner par le camion , bien pris en diagonale, la lumière et les couleurs sont magnifique, super bon travail
Amitiés
cricri

Silvio1953 (220697) 2016-04-21 11:35

Ciao Gert, fascinating desert view, wonderful warm colors, excellent clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciso Silvio

ikeharel (112497) 2016-04-22 2:42

Hello Gret,
My admiration to your continuous and endless contribution to the TE gallery, showing places that the average tourists never go, and time interval from better days in those countries.
As for this picture, the story is in between the lines of its description. a morning picture with long shadows, and two guys have a morning conversation near the giant truck.
My best regards,
Ike

williewhistler (16606) 2016-04-22 3:42

Hello Gert,
the two well wrapped figures give a clue to the temperature even though the sun is shining,they also add human interest to a very barren scene.
The quality of the original slide has been very well converted with the saturated colours particularly well handled.
Best wishes Les.

willperrett (14195) 2016-04-22 4:47

Hello Gert

This was seriously adventurous stuff you were doing back in the day! A large truck, two people, and an expanse of nothing. What more does a desert photograph need? Not sure about the turquoise sky: does the original tranny look like that I wonder. For once the story almost trumps the photograph. No, I must stop using the word trump...

Regards

Will

worldcitizen (15960) 2016-04-22 10:30

Hello Gert,
Once again you combined an interesting story with a unique photo. I can see the contrast of the desert sand with the colder temps, as those people huddle under their blankets. Nice color on the truck, too.

macjake (98262) 2016-04-22 10:41

Hi Gert
funny and interesting story...well, funny for us who didn't have to experience it haha :)

Strange how you would photograph a large industrial truck, its certainly not your typical type of subject.

again, for you the photo brings back memories, and its those memories which actually MAKE the photo, not the image itself.

another great TE experience shared.
cheers
craig

adramad (72590) 2016-04-22 13:01

Hello Gert.
The vastness of the Sahara, with the morning sun, acquires a nice golden tone, surprised that big truck, but it was your rolling hotel, very interesting note, great perspective to the vastness of the desert.
Very effective colorful, highlighting the details of the image.
Good management of both the brightness and sharpness.
Very well done. I like it.
Enjoy the weekend.
My best wishes for you.
Luis.

carlo62 (81265) 2016-04-22 15:17

Ciao Gert
le tue storie sono sempre molto interessanti, vicende vissute in anni sicuramente più difficili di adesso, senza comunicazioni, con mezzi più poveri, ma si tratta di una vita più vera, dove anche le piccole cose fanno la differenza.
Hai avuto una vita decisamente avventurosa e sei riuscito a documentarla con molta precisione.
E' sempre un piacere poter scoprire nuove avventure e nuove foto dal tuo archivio.
Buon we
Carlo

PiotrF (54246) 2016-04-22 15:50

Hello Gert,
Another beautiful documentary image from your archive.
I like nice golden tone and warm colors.
Fine presentation
Regards
Piotr

dale54 (17766) 2016-04-23 6:04

gert hello..like your title..interesting scene..nice color contrast to this shot! have a super weekend! dale

Tue (91648) 2016-04-24 3:19

Hello Gert,
Great photo of the large truck and the two people in front of the vast desert as far as the eye reaches. The early sunlight is beautiful and I very much like the appealing, warm colours contrasted with the sky.
Lars

PaulVDV (62804) 2016-04-24 9:55

Hello Gert,
From the clothes or the blankets the people on the picture wear we can deduce the mornings must be still very cold there.
I've always heard that winter nights in the desert are very cold but I've never experienced it. Although I've been in different deserts, it was always in summertime. With the exception of the Atacama where it was cold at night. But I guess that had much to do with the altitude and I doubt that summer nights are warm there.
The morning light creates strong colours on your photo and also nice very long shadows.
Interesting to know that you've also spent a night in no man's land, a categoriy not provided by the classification of TE :)
Best regards, Paul

macondo (20449) 2016-04-25 2:41

Hello Gert.
Another good scan from your archive, giving us a view of daily life in this sparse desert scene. I must say you have a good memory; either that or you kept a diary, perhaps. I'm not surprised you were cold - the coldest I have ever been in my life was in a tent in the central Australian desert, also fully dressed in sleeping bag. Thanks for the map view, always appreciated.
Regards,
Andrew

cristina1 (1165) 2016-04-25 8:22

Hello,

Sahara desert, a very fascinating and interesting place with beautiful colours.
Well done
Bye bye
Crstina

Royaldevon (85640) 2016-04-25 12:07

Hello Gert,

I know just how hard it is to get up for early morning photographs so I sympathise that you were eager to be on the move! The conditions must have been extraordinarily bad, maybe that's why you remember them so vividly! I do like to read your notes which always help to bring the photograph to life. (I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been to climb out of that wagon and drop to the ground when you were freezing!)
With your notes and the strong graphics it's easy to imagine the austerity of the journey. There is no evidence of anything that would be considered luxurious! The ground looks arid and the sky almost absent of cloud cover!

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

berek (50518) 2016-04-26 20:09

Dear Gert
Good m-o-o-o-rningl Sweden from Istanbul. A simple and challenging environment of nature in the background. trucks and people, of course, very interesting. you maneged good strong light.
best wishes
Burak

gervaso (28177) 2016-04-27 4:06

Hello, Gert!

What a great experience this trip must have been! And I perfectly understand what this image means to you! That's a very interesting photo of the desert, and a very interesting story about your adventure! Wonderful job!

Hansaphotos (11381) 2016-04-28 13:33

Hei Gert

En fantastisk fortelling fra en av dine mange reiser. Du ble virkelig belønnet med et flott lys ved at du sto opp tidlig denne dagen for hele 34 år siden. Det øde landskapet gjør at semitraileren og personene i bildet får full oppmerksomhet. Fine farger også. Herlig:)

Hilsen Erling

rbassin (27472) 2016-04-29 11:54

hello Gert,
avec cette image on peut s'imaginer une histoire;
Bonne présence du camion avec sa couleur, son ombre. Le titre..O-O-O.. fait penser aux roues ?
Amicalement
Roland

marabu61 (11587) 2016-05-01 5:10

Hej Gert
Oh yes, desert night can get quite cold indeed. But your efforts have rewarded you with a simple yet so stunning desert scene. I must admit that after a first night in the Sinai desert back in 83 when I hiked from Tel Aviv to Cairo, I really fell in love with deserts. As usually the quality of your old scans is amazing.
hejdå och trevlig helg
Daniel

mirosu (16313) 2016-05-01 7:20

Hi Gert,
Excellent arrangement (superb scanning); the light & clarity is very good and the contrast with blue sky superb.
Well done my friend.
Greetings
Miro

Gigidusud (21679) 2016-05-02 14:19

Hello Gert,
Another exciting adventure, what memories! Fortunately there exist photos. Very nice scene in the desert with a beautiful light. Well done.
Best regards.
Gigi

kasianowak (17672) 2016-05-04 5:39

Hi Gert
How beautiful the morning light is in Algeria! It saturates the colours and makes them truly stand out. The shadows make the photos look truly 3D.
The people standing by the truck look well wrapped up and a good illustration of the conditions you are talking about in your note.
34 years ago... I bet the landscape has not changed a bit... Probably neither have the means of transport.
Best wishes
Kasia

COSTANTINO (115605) 2016-05-11 8:21

Hello dear Gert
ir is not only the value of your photo
it is the description of your experience
with very useful notes
only sky and earth nothing else
thanks again dear friend for
your necessary information
regards
Costantino

mcmtanyel (67731) 2016-05-17 20:49

Hello Gert,
A photo that includes a truck is always interesting to me. Great colors from a ~34 year old slide.
Regards,
MT

fabianoleite (13575) 2016-05-20 13:03

Very nice image. The truck is well placed. I like the strong red colors, too. Good work, congratulations!

delpeoples (60342) 2016-06-13 0:32

Ciao dear Gert

hahahahaa a decisive moment in that you got out of bed at dawn. Too funny. But a memorable shot for you, aswell as being very attractive with the warm colours and golden light. And the photo has aged well, 1982 being a very good year.

Cheers and happy week
Lisa

adores (46979) 2016-07-17 13:23

Hi Gert!
I've always heard that Tamanrasset is a beautiful place, pity it's not so safe now. Looks you had a great adventure there. Spending a night feeling cold is not something I really envy but the desert can be so magical. Another good shot from the old days. I like the light and, of course, the old truck.