The stars in the night sky have been used for generations by African tribes to navigate and as markers for the start of the planting season.

Zimbabwe – Photo Tip

How using the stars will make you a better photographer

Photo by Frans Lemmens

Zimbabwe – Photo Tip How using the stars will make you a better photographer

The idea of taking an image of moving stars behind a baobab tree had been in my mind a long time, but was more complicated than I thought.

Frans Lemmens Travel Photographer

First of all, I had to find a tree with the perfect shape. Second, it had to have the right position against the circle of moving stars, which meant the southern sky needed to be right behind it.

When I found the perfect tree, in the Zambezi National Park, another problem arose. I only had one chance, because I needed a moonless night with a clear sky. But I was not allowed to drive in the park after sunset, so it took a lot of begging to convince the guards. The tree was a 30-minute drive from my camp. I installed two cameras on tripods, left the shutters wide open at F2.8, fired the flash a few times and drove back to camp.

Coming back after two hours or so to pick them up, I realized why driving at night was forbidden when I nearly crashed into a hippo. Slowing down, it took me forever to get there and back – all worth it for such an amazing photo.

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zimbabwe-1026 — Astronomers have even speculated that Great Zimbabwe was an observatory, similar to England's Stonehenge, that could predict eclipses and track solstices. **Photo by Frans Lemmens / Getty Images**

Frans Lemmens

Agency: Getty Images

Astronomers have even speculated that Great Zimbabwe was an observatory, similar to England's Stonehenge, that could predict eclipses and track solstices.

Other stories about Zimbabwe

Hailed as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls is on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. It was named by Scottish explorer David Livingstone in honor of Britain's Queen Victoria when he became the first European to see it in 1855. Local people still call it Mosi-oa-Tunya: the Smoke that Thunders.

The Smoke That Thunders

For most visitors to Zimbabwe, their journey starts in Victoria Falls, the town named for Africa’s biggest waterfall.

Arne Doornebal Journalist

The ruins of Great Zimbabwe date back to the 11th century and once housed at least 10,000 people. "Zimbabwe" means "House of Stones" and this one was called "Great" to distinguish it from the 200 other smaller such complexes in the region. When the black majority took over the former Rhodesia in 1980, they adopted the name for their new country.

The ancient African city lost in legend

The abandoned ancient city of Great Zimbabwe not only gave Zimbabwe its name, and the bird emblem for its flag, but also symbolizes its strength. For, no matter how many troubles the country goes through, it somehow survives.

Arne Doornebal Journalist

This is the million-dollar view you come to Victoria Falls for

When Scottish explorer David Livingstone first saw Africa’s greatest waterfalls, he named them after Queen Victoria. The local people already had a better name: Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park – The Smoke that Thunders.

Peter Adams Travel Photographer