Vendors set up their carts in the early morning light.
Bridge of arts, Paris, Summertime.
Still photography selection from various assignments and projects.
The worlds biggest Tourism Fair 2017 in Berlin, Germany.
Buried deep in the jungles of Venezuela exists one of the world’s most unknown natural phenomenon: Catatumbo Lightning. Every year, Bahamian photographer and Catatumbo Lightning expert Alan Highton guides small groups of storm chasing tourists on a rugged 4-day journey through the precarious Venezuelan backcountry to his jungle guesthouse. Armed with waterproof bags, mosquito nets and other backcountry gear, the group must travel first by plane, then by road, and finally by boat. Once at the guesthouse they wait to witness Catatumbo Lightning first hand.
Catatumbo Lightning is a thundering symphony of relentless lighting storms concentrated in a small area. Occurring 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day and striking up to 280 times per hour, the storms are unmatched in their ferocity and unrelenting power. The Guinness Book of World Records will be adding Catatumbo Lightning to their list of record holders for the highest amount of average lightning bolts (250) per square kilometer, per year.
The lightning is a one of a kind natural phenomenon resulting from the particularly unique geographic conditions in the area where the Catatumbo River and Lake Maracaibo meet. At this nexus point, hot, wet winds blowing in from the lake collide with the mountain ridges of the Andes to create a perfect storm. The conditions are like nowhere else on earth and result in continuous lightning storms which start and finish like clockwork.
This story documents the journey of Alan Highton and his tour group as they push deep into the Venezuelan backcountry in search of Catatumbo Lightning.
Buried deep in the jungles of Venezuela exists one of the world’s most unknown natural phenomenon: Catatumbo Lightning. Every year, Bahamian photographer and Catatumbo Lightning expert Alan Highton guides small groups of storm chasing tourists on a rugged 4-day journey through the precarious Venezuelan backcountry to his jungle guesthouse. Armed with waterproof bags, mosquito nets and other backcountry gear, the group must travel first by plane, then by road, and finally by boat. Once at the guesthouse they wait to witness Catatumbo Lightning first hand.
Catatumbo Lightning is a thundering symphony of relentless lighting storms concentrated in a small area. Occurring 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day and striking up to 280 times per hour, the storms are unmatched in their ferocity and unrelenting power. The Guinness Book of World Records will be adding Catatumbo Lightning to their list of record holders for the highest amount of average lightning bolts (250) per square kilometer, per year.
The lightning is a one of a kind natural phenomenon resulting from the particularly unique geographic conditions in the area where the Catatumbo River and Lake Maracaibo meet. At this nexus point, hot, wet winds blowing in from the lake collide with the mountain ridges of the Andes to create a perfect storm. The conditions are like nowhere else on earth and result in continuous lightning storms which start and finish like clockwork.
This story documents the journey of Alan Highton and his tour group as they push deep into the Venezuelan backcountry in search of Catatumbo Lightning.
A man and the female family members harvest green peanuts, one of Lombok's crops, that are grown along the southern tip of Ekas.
Salman, a fisherman and the best surfer in the village of Ekas, sands his fishing boat that has been freshly pained with Sasak designs. Other men of the village work on a boat and mend nets close to the shore of the bay.
During the day, women take care of the children while tending to other household chores. This boy will surely grow up to be a fisherman, and perhaps a surfer, in the village of Ekas.
Teens take some time out during the day to hang out, play music, or watch the sea from the shore. It's time to spend with friends or alone, as much time is spent fishing or surfing in the world famous waters of Indonesia.
As night falls with Mount Rinjani in the distance, the village leader's son plays with the trash left behind the fisherman along the banks of Ekas bay. The village becomes very lively as everyone enjoys the sunset, the cool air, and the ending of another day of simple hard labor.
Rumaji, a local fisherman of Ekas, pulls his nets in after sunrise to find his daily catch that will feed his family for the days to come. This small remote fishing village still remains completely self-sufficient with little need for resources further close to cities.
Rumaji, a fisherman of the small village of Ekas, prepares his boat at sunrise to collect the fish from his nets. Mount Rinjani, Lombok's one active volcano, sits off into the distance.
After a night of sailing and fishing, men bring their boats to the shore of Lombok's largest fish market, Tanjung Luar. After sunrise, primarily women, and some men, will wade to meet the boats then bring the fish into the market to be sold.
Left: Marine worms called "Nyale" come to certain beaches of southern Lombok to spawn once a year. The legend says that after Princess Mandalika jumped from the cliffs to save the island from war, her people searched the tidal flats below but only found nyale marine worms, which they believed were the magical infestation of her beautiful hair. Right: Ice is sold at the largest fish market on the island of Lombok to keep the fish fresh and able to transport across the island.
As the first light of day rises over the village of Ekas, a family collects nyale, a sea worm that comes to the southern coast of Lombok once a year and is part of the activities of the most important holiday of Sasak culture.
Men rest on the beach during the early morning of the Bau Nyale festival, a traditional holiday that occurs once a year on Lombok Island. It's a Sasak holiday that occurs for two days, on the 10th month of the Sasak calendar, and people travel to the southern coast for the festivities.
During the annual Sasak festival, Bau Nyale, men will perform peresean which is traditional stick fighting competition. This may represent the story how many kingdoms ago, Princess Mandalika had numerous suitors fighting for her hand in marriage. To prevent war and death on the beautiful and peaceful island of Lombok, she threw herself off the seaside cliffs to her death.
Sahram uses traditional tools for building fishing boats to carve a "gamboose" on the shore immediately after choosing and cutting the tree to be used for the traditional instrument. It will take an approximate week to make this 7 stringed instrument that will use a varied weight fishing line for strings.
Sitting on a traditional "bruga", to shade from the sun and allow the ocean breeze to cross, the loser at a game of dominos must wear a stone tied to his ear with fishing line.
Boys of fisherman living in the small Indonesian village of Ekas, cool off from the intense heat and play with miniature boats that were built with the help of their fathers.
A fisherman, his wife, and child pass to drop their fishing nets for the evening as Rumaji reuses a plastic bag to funnel petrol into the rudimentary internal combustion engine so the boat can return to the village of Ekas.
About a kilometer into the bay of Ekas, there is a single fish farm where most of the fish are exported to China and islands settled further north of the Indian Ocean.
While laboring over parts to repair fishing boats, the men of Ekas find ways to keep spirits high with jokes and laughter among themselves.
A young shepherd turns his attention away from his flock of sheep to watch a group of local surfers along the horizon of the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean.
Jamal, a fisherman of Ekas Bay, uses zip ties to attach a new bamboo beam to help the balance of this fishing boat. During the day, most men will be repairing boats or nets. His sandals have been clipped to allow for more stability and control.
Surfer is entering the famous spot called Cloud 9 on Siargao Island in the Philippines.
Final night of the Minya Konka trek in the 500 year old Mount Gonga Temple for 30RMB. Kham, Tibet (Garzê Tibetan Prefecture, Sichuan, China) October 8, 2015.
The private home of Sera Llamo, a single Tibetan woman, near Sershul Monastery at Shiqu, Garze, Sichuan. September 16, 2015
A 35RMB/night, single room at a Tibetan guesthouse near Dzogchen Monastery, Kham, Tibet. (Garze, Sichuan, China) September 9, 2015.
November 2016 Kenya
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November 2016 Kenya