As Kyle Goetsch sprints across the Namib Desert, sand flies in every direction, but he only loses his stride for a split second before yelling to the stunned group behind him to start running. All the while, the animal draws closer and closer, its gigantic form silhouetted by the pale moonlight.
But all is not as it seems. Even with cameras everywhere, this is not the climax of a blockbuster natural horror movie. Rather, nature photographers are working at breakneck speed toward once-in-a-lifetime photos.
Götsch’s breathtaking photo of a giraffe climbing to the top of a sand dune and looking down the lens barrel from the center of a fuzzy pink moon is one of the best in an incredible series of photos that have helped South Africans gain an impressive following on social media.
For some viewers, it’s too good to be true.
“This is one of the most criticized photos for being AI,” Goetsch told CNN.
“I think that’s a compliment because it shows how unique this image is. To have all these elements together is something very rare and unique.”
Artificial intelligence didn’t exist at all, but luck was very helpful.
Götsch, who is based in Cape Town and runs workshops for budding photographers across southern Africa, took his clients to the world’s oldest desert to photograph the full moon rising above ancient trees atop sand dunes.
Although aware that a giraffe was nearby, all plans went out the window when Getch turned around during setup and saw a long-necked giant walking towards the group, perhaps intrigued by nearby noises.
Noticing it passing directly in front of the low-hanging moon, Goetsch scooped up his camera and tripod and hurried into position before it was too late.
“I had a very short amount of time to try and capture what I thought in my head was going to be an incredible image, and that’s what it turned out to be,” he recalls.
“Once I lined it up and took the first photo, I knew it was in the bank…I had to cherish that day.”
The fact that this image is one of Goetsch’s personal favorites, second only to the image taken when another giraffe nuzzles the first one, is highly regarded considering his extensive eight-year camera roll.
Photography was a big career move for the biochemistry PhD holder, but after spending so much time peering into microscopes, the University of Cape Town graduate saw the beauty of his hometown through the lens during a trip with friends in 2018 and has never looked back.
Somewhat ironically, astrophotography quickly became Götsch’s passion, and he quickly transformed from an expert in tiny molecules to a leading expert on the skies and stars.
The turning point was fueled by the impact of the photo that launched his career, capturing the Milky Way towering over Cape Town’s famous Lions Head peak. The picture required five years of fruitless and arduous hiking, waiting for the figurative stars to align, ranging from foggy heights to overhanging views of galaxies.
For all the beauty of South Africa’s legislative capital, from the rolling fynbos (hills and plains) of the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens to the bioluminescent marine life that occasionally lights up nearby Kogel Bay Beach, for Götsch, few experiences compare to the feeling of watching a budding photographer take his first shot of the stars.
“I’m always excited when I see someone for the first time. The Milky Way appears behind the screen and I can see their face,” he says.
“I’ve had people who have been with me for seven or eight years now and I’ve watched them grow, which is very rewarding for me as a photographer.”
Götsch’s tutoring role is alleviated by the clarity, which allows the stars to be seen from a wide area of Cape Town and South Africa.
In 2023, the country’s tourism board released a 10-year national strategy outlining plans to become a world leader in space tourism, citing its relatively low light pollution, favorable position relative to various constellations (such as the Southern Cross and Mensa), and abundance of meteorite impact craters.
We are already seeing results. In September 2025, Rapalala Nature Reserve in Limpopo Province was designated South Africa’s first international dark-sky park by DarkSky, a non-profit organization that fights light pollution to preserve the quality of the night sky.
Götsch has worked with the team on several occasions at the South African Large Telescope (SALT) near Sutherland in the Northern Cape, often being granted special access to photograph the observatory and other photographers at night.
“It’s really incredible to see people sitting in the dark sky taking pictures of the sky and you taking pictures of the sky at the same time,” Goetsch said. “It’s pretty surreal.”
If there’s a new moon in the sky, it’s almost certain that Goetsch is pointing his lens at it. Every star-studded photo he takes is another step towards his goal of showcasing southern Africa as a paradise for night photography.
“We often see pictures of the Milky Way in the northern hemisphere, so I try to incorporate well-known locations and something uniquely South African,” he explained.
“I think we are one of the best places in the world for night photography and astrophotography. We are really lucky here compared to the northern hemisphere where there is a lot of light pollution… We are really lucky to live in such a beautiful place.”
