Scott Holcomb's photos with the keyword: Malawi

A good cup of tea begins far from your kitchen. Milk, Sugar? How many lumps? This photo comes from a Kodak 135 transparency shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC camera, scanned by an HP Scanjet G4050 and digitally restored with Photoshop.

This photo was shot over 35 years ago in an alpine valley atop Mt. Mulanje in the southern area of Africa's Great Rift Valley on the border of Malawi and Moçambique. I was trekking solo between Thuchila Hut and Sombani Hut, tiny mountain shelters built for trekkers. Rising on the horizon are Nandalana Peak 2,592 and Khuto Peak, 2,758 meters, several of the dozen or so granite pinnacles within this mountain massif. A project restoring faded and damaged photos such as this by a process of scanning negatives and careful utilization of digital tools is responsible for a renewal of my interest in film photography. Nostalgia can be a fruitful exercise. This image came from a 135 Kodak negative shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC camera, scanned by an Epson Perfection V600 photo scanner and digitally restored with Photoshop.

As an adventure traveler, I usually headed for the highlands and looked to the summit. This image was shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC camera, scanned by an HP Scanjet G4050 and digitally rendered in Photoshop.

At the top of the Malawi's Mt. Mulanje massif's highest point, Sapitwa Peak, 3,002 meters, is a unique cave. If the earliest humans in this area worshiped "Mother Mulanje" this was certainly the exit from the womb where humanity was born--the symbolism is startlingly obvious! These two images were shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC camera, scanned by an HP Scanjet G4050 and were collated and digitally rendered in Photoshop.

Located within the Great Rift Valley on the Malawi border with Moçambique is the highest area in southern Africa. Mount Mulanje is an enormous (25km diameter) granite massif with a dozen peaks, the highest reaching approximately 3,000m+ (Sapitwa Peak shown in the background). This is a view from the southeast quadrant of the massif. An image from a 35mm transparency shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC camera, scanned by an HP Scanjet G4050 and digitally rendered with Photoshop.

The 'payment' for a tough ascent (with 10 day's supplies in my backpack). This image came from two 35mm transparencies shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC camera, scanned by an HP Scanjet G4050, merged together and restored using multiple Photoshop operations.

I ended up scaling a number of the peaks within the Mulanje massif. Although I have no technical expertise in rock climbing I excelled in scrambling to the summits of Mulanje's granite domes. Pictured is Namasile Peak, 2,687 meters, shot from the summit of Matambale Peak. An image from a 35mm transparency shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC camera, scanned by an HP Scanjet G4050 and digitally rendered with Photoshop.

Pictured is Matambale Peak, 2642 meters, one of a dozen major Mulanje granite domes, a wonderful day's climb rewarded by 200km vistas of the Great Rift Valley below. An image from a 35mm transparency shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC camera, scanned by an HP Scanjet G4050 and digitally rendered with Photoshop.

A memorable sign on the outside wall of the Hotel Heart. I left my heart in the Hotel Heart in Nkhata Bay, Malawi. Simple and friendly, they allowed me to pitch my tent on their grounds for US$0.25 a day. This image came from Kodak 135 negative shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC, scanned by an HP Scanjet 5470c and restored by multiple Photoshop operations.

A 20 minute stroll south of the village led to a tranquil beach where a person could lose oneself in a dreamy serenity. This image came from Kodak 135 negative shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC, scanned by an HP Scanjet 5470c and restored by multiple Photoshop operations.

In the southern area of the Great Rift Valley on the Malawi border with Moçambique is the highest area in southern Africa. It is actual an enormous (25km diameter) granite massif with a dozen peaks, the highest reaching approximately 3,000m+. Pictured in the background is Chambe Peak 2,557 meters. There are a series of huts where camping is allowed--all food must be packed in by foot. In the morning one can look over the tops of clouds gathered in the Great Rift Valley below. Those clouds rise into the highlands by afternoon, usually resulting in rain by early evening. This image came from three old 35mm negatives shot from a Yashica ELECTRO 35CC camera, scanned by an HP Scanjet 5470c, merged and restored using multiple Photoshop operations.