A departing car from the Living Desert Sculptures hill leaves a trail of light in western New South Wales, Australia.
Water, or the lack thereof, is western New South Wales' most pressing issue. In Menindee, droughts and mismanagement have pushed the ecological system of its lakes towards total collapse. These dead black-box eucalyptus trees rising out of the water at Lake Pamamaroo are now a distant memory of better times.
The star lit sky of Mungo National Park in the far west of New South Whales, Australia.
Traffic leaving trails at the Sea Cliff Bridge in Australia.
The sun rises over Mahon Pool near Maroubra, Australia.
The view over the Western Express Hwy from the Westin in Mumbai, India.
A lady binds flowers together in a small lane in Mumbai, India.
A man sits outside his porch in Khajuraho, India.
A lady visits one of the temples in Khajuraho, India. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.
Four women light candles alongside the banks of the Gangies River in Varanasi, India. Varanasi is regarded as the spiritual capital of India.
Dancers perfrom inside the Brijrama Palace alongside the Ganges River in Varanasi, India.
Priests perform a prayer ritual called "aarti" to the Ganges River at Dashashwamedf Ghat in Varanasi, India.
A Hindu priest's greeting alongside the Ganges River in Varanasi, India
A Hindu lady holds multiple drapes after washing them in the Ganges River in Varanasi, India.
Ankit and Olena exchange "mala", or flowers on a string to profess acceptance and union at their wedding in Kolkata, India.
A long exposure reveals a large spectrum of colours illuminating the Sydney skyline from Kirribili, Australia.
A high dynamic range from the upper entrance of the Opera House during the Vivid light festival in Sydney, Australia.
A ferry passes undertneath the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia.
A temporary light pergola lights up part of a walkway during Vivid in Sydney, Australia.
The Great Wall of China near Mutianyu, China.
A lady in traditional Chinese atire in Chengu, China.
黄全德 on a bamboo boat in Yangshuo, China
黄全德, or “White Beard”, poses for the camera in Yangshuo, China
The view from Cuiping village near Putao, Yangshuo, China.
Rice rerraces in Longji, China.
A farmer amongst the rerraces in Longji, China.
A farmer walks amongst the rice terraces in Pǔgāo Lǎozhai, China.
According to locals, when clouds develop over the rice terraces in Pǔgāo Lǎozhai in China, it looks like “a stage for the ladder leading to the heaven”.
A Hani farmer walks over the land when clouds are approaching fast in Pugao, china.
The lack of wind turns rice terraces in Pugao, China, into immaculate mirros.
The view over Pǔgāo Lǎozhai in China. A farmer can be seen leveling his rice terrace in the bottom right.
A local smokes a pipe amongst the rice terraces in Pǔgāo Lǎozhai, China.
A Hani lady poses for the camera in the small village of Pugao in China.
A Hani lady knitting in front of her house in Pugao, China.
A Hani lady photographed in front of her house in Pugao, China.
A local Hani farmer levels a rice terrace in Pugao, China.
The view over rice terraces in Pǔgāo Lǎozhai, China at sunrise.
A Catholic church in Dali, China.
A white dove flies above the Chóngshèng Temple in Dali, China.
A boat passes along the Huangpu Rivier in Shanghai, China.
A seagul gazes into my lens at the Serpentine in London, England.
A bus passes the Tower Bridge in London, England.
A bus passes the Tower Bridge in London, England.
A double decker stopped just long enough to keep its shape in this long exposure of the Tower Bridge in London, England.
A swan passes by on the river Thames over a timespan of 3 seconds.
PARIS, FRANCE An inside look into the Notre-Dame, or "Our Lady".
A long exposure of the 55m "Big Wheel" located on the Place de la Concordein in Paris in France. It had been spinning since 1993. However, it closed down in 2018.
Cars in motion around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.
The Arc de Triomphe taken from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
The Eiffel Tower from below at night in Paris, France.
A Poe Karen lady in front of her house in Mae Ho, Thailand.
A Poe Karen lady filters rice in Mae Ho, Thailand.
A Poe Karen lady in front of her house in Mae Ho, Thailand.
A beauty pageant in the Yee Peng parade Chiang Mai, Thailand.
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND Returning to Chiang Mai to take photos of the The Yee Peng Festival. It takes place on the full moon of the second month of the Buddhist Lanna calendar. Yee means "two" and Peng means "full moon day". In this festival, Khom Loi, Lanna style sky lanterns, are lighted and released into the air. The act of releasing the lantern symbolises letting go of the ills and misfortunes of the previous year. Thousands and thousands of lanterns can be witnessed throughout the night.
TAIPEI, TAIWAN My auntie had received a visit up the Taipei 101 tower as a gift from her children. Unfortunately they could have not foreseen the weather of the pre-booked day of entrance, preventing us from seeing much more than the inside of the viewing deck. After having returned from the mountains we decided to try again, this time being able to see a little more than the colour grey outside. Being in time for the sunset, the outdoor observation deck provides a full view of the city at an elevation of 391.8 m.
People with umbrella's taken from a walking bridge above in Xitou, Taiwan.
BOHOL, PHILIPPINES These conical hills covered in grass in Bohol stand out quite remarkably in contrast to the jungle forest below. In the dry season the grass turns chocolate brown, hence the name "Chocolate Hills". I was there just a month before the dry season was about to start so it still rather looks a bit green. Underneath the grass are karst hills that were partly pushed up and fractured due to tectonic processes and polished up by rain and wind. There should be as many as 1,268 to 1,776 hills on the island (cheers, wiki!).
BOHOL, PHILIPPINES The first time I had heard about Bohol was when an English couple in Batad tried to help me find local NGO's by trying to remember initiatives that they might have passed on their travels. They mentioned a local kayak company that was operating on the island of Bohol, that was slowly seeing its beloved river of mangroves and fireflies disappear, largely due to the damaging impact of a competing motorboat tourist company. I traveled down to take a visit. The fireflies in the mangroves are an indication of its health and unfortunately every year there are less and less fireflies present, presumably caused by the increasing amount of waves and wash generated by the motorboats, slowly eroding the mangroves. The boats carry tourists who all want to take a peak at these tiny wonders of nature, without the trouble of paddling in a kayak. Unfortunately there was not much the kayak company could do. "The motorboat company's owner is friends with the mayor," my guide said. But it's not just the motorboats that add to the degradation of the mangroves, also the increase of tourism has seen closer roads built and the increase of social media has seen an ever increase of flash photography. Light is pteroptyx macdermotti's primary method of communication, it's how they find a partner. The more light there is, the harder it becomes to communicate - thus the harder it becomes to find their "forever". They don't have a whole lot of time to find the 'one', about a month of shining on the aerial dance floor before their time is up. Currently awaiting a strategy from Kayak Asia on how best to protect these mangroves whereas Fair Photo might be able to help.
BANGKOK, THAILAND A stopover in Thailand to stay and work for a few weeks. While visiting the Grand Palace, I was intrigued by the immaculate patterns of the tiles on the rooftops. The halls and buildings inside the Grand Palace were added over a period of 200 years since 1782 by the order of king Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I).
Burmese locals unload a boat at the Ayeyarwady River in Bagan, Myanmar.
A monk dries his maroon coloured robe after washing it in the Ayeyarwady River that runs through Bagan, Myanmar. The Ayeyarwady river originates from Tibetan springs and Himalayan glaciers and roughly translates to "river that brings blessings to the people".
A farmer in Inle Lake, Myanmar.
A young Burmese monk at the Shwedagon in Yangon, Myanmar.
A Burmase lady prays inside the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar.
A motorbike passes the Thu Bồn river in Hội An, Vietnam
Most of the tall (residential) buildings in South East Asia still appear to have virtually no restrictions on entering their rooftops. The view of my temporary residence near the Rach Bến Nghé river expresses how densely certain patches of urban jungle in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, are built.
MUI NE, VIETNAM Amongst the sand some sporadic vegetation could be found. Along with the sand it visualises what the draft from the wind actually looks like.
Bau Trang is located alongside these dunes in Mui Ne, Vietnam. Bau Trang means "White Lake".
A local decides to jump down head first at the sand dunes in Mui Ne, Vietnam.
The view over Marina Bay in Singapore from a place called Level 33 on the 33rd floor on my 33rd birthday.
SINGAPORE ZOO, SINGAPORE Thinking this was an albino peacock, the eyes were actually dark, most likely making the condition leucism (an overall reduction in different types of pigment) which is apparently much more common. The peacock jumped on stage after a presenter had finished his talk and promptly showed off his feathers.
MACRITCHIE RESERVOIR, SINGAPORE When I tried to photograph this dragonfly at the end of the trail, I couldn't quite see what I was shooting at, neither if it was in focus or not. Gladly it was. The pictured red dragonfly is a male nomad dragonfly, aka red veined darter and can be found in the regions of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Asia.
MACRITCHIE RESERVOIR, SINGAPORE Singapore - where I had a quick stopover before continuing to Vietnam - has a tiny park called MacRitchie Reservoir, that has a trail called the MacRitchie trail, that has a lonely Macaque monkey chilling in the sun. The population of long-tailed macaque's in Singapore reaches about 1500 and they are pretty smart. Once they have reportedly used human hair to floss.
CEBU ISLAND, PHILIPPINES I often seek for views that stretch out over vast distances and convey a sense of grandness. Though sometimes (probably after another failed attempt to capture the uncapturable) I look down and see something I didn't quite expect. This time it was a trail of ants that seemed to travel extra fast over their very own kindof ant super highway.
A rock stands out alongside the beach in Boracay. Philippines.
A pambot drifts in front of the setting sun in El Nido, the Philippines.
Rice terraces in Maligcong, located in the mountains of the largest island called Luzon in the Philippines.
Rice terraces in Maligcong from above, in Luzon in the Philippines.
Rice terraces in Maligcong from Mt. Kupapey, in Luzon in the Philippines.
An Ifugao warrior looks out over the Bay Yo rice terraces in the Philippines. His environment has changed exponentially over the past decades.
Two Ifugao ladies pose for the camear in Banaue, the Philippines. The wraparound skirt that Ifugao women wear is called a tapis. There are five kinds and is worn depending on the occasion and/or her status. The men wear a g-string called wanno of which there a 6 kinds.
Rice terraces in Batad at sunset, the Philippines.
A farmer tends her rice terraces in Batad, the Philippines.
The "supermoon" rises over Coogee beach in Australia. On this date, the 15th of November, the moon was the closest to the earth since January 26, 1948.
Some smoke was still in the air from the back burning in the Blue Mountains, giving the skyline of Sydney, Australia, a distinctive flare.
A Burmese monk poses for the camera near my hotel in Nyaung Shwe, Myanmar
A Burmese farmer in Inle Lake, Myanmar.
A Burmese lady poses for the camera in Nyaung Shwe, Myanmar.
A Burmese lady poses in front of her home in Nyaung Shwe, Myanmar.
Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar and together with Bagan probably amongst the top must see places in Myanmar. The fishermen on this lake typically stand on the stern with their legs wrapped around the oar to see clearer through the dense reeds and floating plants. Main fish caught is the nga hpein which is a local carp only found on this lake. The lake is under threat by deforestation, overuse of pesticides and climate change.
2 March 2016 Inle Lake's fishermen have a unique and distinct way of getting the fish out of the water.
A Burmese fisherman in Inle Lake, Myanmar.
Taung Thu people in Puttu Pauk, Myanmar.
Taung Thu people in Puttu Pauk, Myanmar.
Slowly evaporating morning mist reveals Puttu Pauk in Myanmar, country of the Taung Thu people.
Local farmers return home in Puttu Pauk, Myanmar.
A Burmese man's welcoming greeting in Ya Kaung Tol, Myanmar.
The people of Myanmar often wear a yellowish paste on their faces, called Thanaka, to protect their skin from the sun. It is made from ground bark.
A child eating porridge in a small village in Myanmar.
Taung Yoe' people in Nlan Aw in Shan State in Myanmar.
A Burmese farmer smiles at the camera in a small village in Shan state in Myanmar.
Burmese farmers harvest wheat in Shan state in Myanmar.
The father of our tourguide in Pyin Thar, Myanmar.
Danu children playing in Myin Dike in Myanmar.
A portrait of a Danu man in Hin Ka Khone, Myanmar Inside the Shan state, the Danu people traditionally wear a "Gaung Baung", which used to be a display of rank. However, nowadays they just wear a towel for regular days.
A Danu lady prepares raw turmeric spice in small village in the Shan state in Myanmar.
A Danu lady at a school in Hin Ka Khone, Myanmar.
A local woman carries handmade sweeping brushes in Kalaw, Myanmar.
26 Feb 2016 Though destroyed by a fire in WWII, the Mandaly Palace was rebuilt (using force labour) in the 1990s. Though the wall photographed here, is still original from 1859. It was from the last kingdom of Burma before it was colonised by the British.
A monk passes the U bein bridge in Mandalay, Myanmar.
26 Feb 2016 This kind of boat is called 'Nghat' (bird) and is passing by on the Taungthaman lake near the ancient city Amarapura.
26 Feb 2016 U Zinn (monks) on the U bein bridge crossing the Taung Tha Man lake in Mandalay. The bridge is believed to be the oldest and longest Teakwood bridge in the world (1.2km). Monks often walk here to go to the Taung Mingi pagoda on the other side. It was actually packed with tourists and shots like these took a lot of patience.
Shepherds guide cattle over the Bagan plains in Myanmar.
After our descend of Mount Batur we went down the Jl. Trunyan road around the Danau Batur lake, towards a tiny village that buries their deceased in open air. Apparently some kind of tree next to it gets rid of the smell. The road was full of persistant hawkers trying to either sell us a boatride to this burial ground or questioning or presence. Though in the village I was warmly welcomed by a 13 year old lady who wanted to marry me.
The sun rises behind Mount Agung in the north of Bali, Indonesia.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA The ANZAC bridge from below.
A rainbow, or "Kuranya" in an Aboriginal language, arches over the iconic Bondi Beach.
Zooming the lens while shooting at 2 sec exposure at these members of the terracotta army. They were temporarily exhibited in the Hickson Road Reserve.
The sun rises behind Mount Machhapuchhare in Tadapani, Nepal.
Descending from Annapurna Base Camp towards Mount Machhapuchhare in Nepal.
A man poses for the camera near Annapurna in Nepal.
A monk walks in front of temples within the walls of the Royal Palace in Bangkok, Thailand.
LUANG PRABANG, LAOS
Dancers perform in Luang Prabang, Laos.
Water falls down the rocks at Kuang Si near Luang Prabang, Laos.
Climbing a random hill in Vang Vieng, Laos, could be a risky endeavour. The more it was also a reward when I was greeted by this view at the top.
A woman and three children walk along the road amongst rice fields in Dong Van, Vietnam.
Rice terraces in Dong Van in the north of Vietnam.
DONG VAN, VIETNAM
HANOI, VIETNAM
A small boat passes by the many karsts mountains in Halong Bay, Vietnam.
HALONG BAY, VIETNAM
A young boy sells floating candles alongside the Thu Bon River in Hoi An, Vietnam.
Visiting Hội An in Vietnam, various elderly locals are doing their best to take tourists for a short ride over the Thu Bồn river. Our captain didn't speak a word English, but had a huge smile on his face with thumbs up every time we looked at him. Only one teeth left, his smile was contagious and he gracefully paddled us over the water until we were ready to head back.
On my way to the Long Song Pagoda in Nha Trang in Vietnam (which is accompanied by a giant white buddha), a couple of elderly ladies called my attention next to the footpath. One lady was happy to be photographed but I clumsily had left the flash on without realising it. She nearly jumped up out of reflex and started yelling things I didn't quite understand. Luckily she managed to calm down and let me take this final shot.
A young Khmer boy sits inside of the doorway at one of the temples in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
Two beetles make love no a flower in Altaussee, Austria.
Mountain view of Gimmelwald, Switzerland.
Uluru, located in the near centre of Australia.
