Vanuatu 194 photos

Lava fountains inside a glowing crater at dusk, seen from the ash rim with the far wall lit red under heavy cloud, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

93Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Walk-up ash rim above an erupting vent is unmistakably Yasur

A fountain of red lava bursts from a volcanic crater against a deep blue night sky, with ash drifting downwind, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

92Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Rim-level view of night lava fountaining, the accessible Vanuatu crater

A night eruption throws long trails of glowing spatter above the crater under a star lit sky, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

91Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same crater viewpoint as the visitor frames, best light and cleanest arcs of the set

Seen from below, a man falls from the leaning timber tower with his vines uncoiling while a crowd watches from the slope, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

90Pentecost high

Whole tower, diver and crowd in one wide frame, best scale shot of the set

A man falls from a tall lashed timber tower with vines tied to his ankles while others watch from the cleared slope below, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

90Pentecost high

Lashed land dive tower with ankle vines exists only on Pentecost

Lava fountains from the vent beneath heavy cloud with the far crater wall behind, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

89Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same crater profile as the visitor frames, strong light break behind the plume

Lava fountains from a vent on the crater floor at dusk while glowing gas lights the far wall, the crater rim in silhouette above, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

89Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Two vents inside the walk-up crater at dusk, unmistakably Yasur

An eruption throws long arcs of molten spatter above a dark crater at dusk, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

88Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same crater and rim skyline as the frames with visitors on the edge

A man falls headfirst from a tall wooden tower with vines tied to his ankles while others watch from the tower and the slope, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

88Pentecost high

Vine tower land dive, which occurs on Pentecost and nowhere else

Photographers with tripods line the crater rim as a dense ash burst lifts from the vent below, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

88Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Walk-up crater rim with visitors and live ash burst is unmistakable Yasur

A man leaves the top of the lashed timber tower with vines uncoiling behind him while others wait on the platforms, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

88Pentecost high

Land dive tower and ankle vines at the moment of release; Pentecost only

Steam and ash rise from a vent inside a wide ash crater at sunrise, with the ocean horizon beyond the far rim, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

88Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Walkable ash rim over an active vent with sea beyond matches Yasur

A bright lava fountain erupts on the left of a dark crater with the outer cone in silhouette against the last light, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

88Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Fountain plus cone profile at last light, clean separation, Yasur

A four-wheel drive sits tiny at the foot of a smooth ash cone on a flat grey ash plain under towering cumulus, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

88Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Ash cone above the vehicle track plain, strong scale, the Yasur approach

Photographers work from the crater edge as a burst of lava rises against the last daylight, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

87Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Crater rim with tripod photographers, scale of people against the vent

An arcing fountain of molten rock throws glowing strands high above a crater floor in full darkness, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

87Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Close night lava fountain shot from the crater rim, Yasur sequence

A lava fountain lights the crater floor while the outer cone stands black against a fading sky, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

87Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same fountain and cone frame as its sibling, keep one

A wide fan of molten spatter bursts from the crater floor under a break of evening light, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

86Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same rim viewpoint as the visitor frames, one of the larger bursts

A man leaves the platform of a tall wooden tower with vines tied to his ankles while another sits on the structure below, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

86Pentecost high

Vine tower and lashed timber structure, land dive, Pentecost only

A man with a white beard, a feather in his hair and boar tusk ornaments stands among banyan roots beside a tall carved wooden slit drum, with a boy on the path behind.

86no named location

Carved slit drum and banyan; object type is not proof of an island so left unnamed

A steam plume rises from a low volcanic ridge silhouetted across the water under a deep red sunset sky.

86no named location

Venting volcano at sunset from the water; profile too dark to identify

The same multi-cone volcanic skyline stands in silhouette across the water under an orange and red sunset, with a plume drifting from the right hand cone.

86no named location

Strong sunset panorama; cone profile not distinctive enough to name honestly

A man stands on a platform near the top of a tall lashed timber land dive tower with vines tied to his ankles, another climbing the frame below him, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

86Pentecost high

Lashed land dive tower with ankle vines is diagnostic of Pentecost

A dense fountain of molten strands rises from the crater floor in darkness, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

86Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same close night fountain frame as the earlier one, keep one

A white steam column and red lava rise from a vent deep inside a wide ash crater, with green forest on the outer rim and the sea beyond, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

86Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Crater interior with forested rim and ocean horizon, the Yasur profile

Visitors watch and photograph a spray of lava from the crater edge as light drains from the sky, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

85Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Burst sibling of the tripod frame, people silhouetted against the vent

A diver hangs upside down in mid air with vines trailing from his ankles beside the wooden tower, palms below, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

85Pentecost high

Vine tower and ankle vines, land dive, Pentecost only

A man launches outward from the top of the tower with his ankle vines uncoiling behind him, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

85Pentecost high

Moment of the launch, low angle, whole body and vine in frame

Molten spatter arcs out of one vent while a second glows dull orange across the crater floor at dusk, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

85Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same dusk crater sequence, two active vents from the rim

A white steam column rises from a lava-filled vent on the crater floor, with blue gas drifting left, forest on the rim and the sea beyond, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

85Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same crater interior frame from the rim, near-identical to its siblings

Two people ride in the back of a pickup on the ash plain below a steep cone, in black and white, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

85Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same ash cone and plain, people give the scale; plate text illegible

A column of glowing spatter rises from the crater against a dark blue sky, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

84Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Burst sibling, same crater and skyline, slightly smaller eruption

A diver stretches out horizontally in mid air with vines trailing behind him as others watch from the wooden tower, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

84Pentecost high

Vine tower land dive, Pentecost only; clean flat sky, body fully in frame

A man drops from a platform partway up a tall lashed timber tower, coconut palms and a ship at anchor offshore beyond, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

84Pentecost high

Land dive tower with the sea and a ship behind; the ship is a vessel, not a place

A man arches through the air with vines trailing from his ankles as another watches from the tower, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

84Pentecost high

Land dive in mid air, clean separation from the tower against flat sky

A man drops from the tower with vines trailing while three others climb the structure, coconut palms behind, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

84Pentecost high

Land dive with the tower, climbers and palms all placed cleanly in frame

Visitors stand on the crater rim in daylight as a steam plume rises from the vent below, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

84Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same ash crater and rim as the dusk frames, people on the edge give scale

A dark ash plume rises from an active volcanic vent at dusk while a small group of visitors stands on the rim ridge to the right, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

84Mount Yasur, Tanna medium

Eruption plume with visitors on rim ash ridge; Yasur pattern, crater itself hidden

Two figures look downhill past the lashed timber dive tower toward the sea, where a large white ship lies at anchor off a palm covered coast, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

84Pentecost high

Land dive tower in frame; ship offshore is a vessel, not a location clue

A close portrait of a man wearing a red headband, a wreath of green leaves and white pigment beneath his eyes.

84no named location

Strong tight portrait, dark background, no place information at all

A bearded man in a red headband and a bunch of green leaves at his chest stands against a dark buttressed trunk.

84no named location

Controlled portrait light, nothing behind the subject that could place it

Four children sit in a dugout outrigger canoe on a black sand beach while a large cruise ship lies at anchor offshore at dusk.

84no named location

Volcanic sand and an anchored ship; the vessel is not a location clue

A huge banyan with hanging aerial roots leans over a still turquoise freshwater blue hole ringed by jungle, Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.

84Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santo high

Inland banyan blue hole matches the Santo blue holes; which one unclear

Steam and blue gas pour from an active vent on the floor of a wide ash crater, with forest on the far rim and open ocean behind, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

84Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Near-identical crater frame to the previous one, same viewpoint

Shafts of light drop through cloud onto a twin-humped forested island across calm water, with palms on a low point in the right foreground, Nguna Island, Vanuatu.

84Nguna Island high

Strong light shafts on a distinctive island profile, name not provable

A four-wheel drive crosses a wide ash plain below a grey cone trailing a thin plume, with green ridges behind, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

84Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Venting cone above the ash plain crossing, same approach sequence

A diver falls from the wooden tower with ankle vines paying out, coconut palms behind, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

83Pentecost high

Vine tower land dive; palms give context, diver clean against sky

A man falls through the air from the tower with vines paying out while four others watch from the timbers, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

83Pentecost high

Sibling of the other mid air frame, more of the tower and watchers in shot

Late gold light rakes across a forested ridgeline running down to a curving surf beach and open ocean, with tree ferns in the foreground, Tanna, Vanuatu.

83Tanna high

Big warm coastal vista, no identifiable headland or settlement

Visitors line the crater rim at dusk as lava spatters inside the vent, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

82Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Accessible active crater rim with visitors standing at the edge, unmistakable Yasur

Seen from the tower, a man stands with arms raised on the jump platform above a green slope where a crowd waits, sea on the horizon, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

82Pentecost high

Land dive from the tower platform, rare angle looking down the cleared slope

A man hangs head down from the tower with vines tight around his ankles after the fall, palms behind, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

82Pentecost high

Land dive, the vine at full stretch, close and sharp

A man hangs upside down at the full stretch of his ankle vines against a white sky, treetops below, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

82Pentecost high

Ankle vines at full stretch, land dive, isolated cleanly against sky

A man stands in shallow water on a reef flat holding a long wooden bow and arrow, with surf breaking on the reef edge behind him.

82no named location

Clean low wide angle, bow fishing on reef flat; no landmark in frame

A man with a white beard, a feather in his hair and boar tusk ornaments stands in the cleft of a buttressed banyan trunk holding a staff.

82no named location

Same subject as the slit drum frame; banyan interior gives no place evidence

A man steadies a tall carved post painted with stacked faces and boar tusks on a beach, with more painted headpieces and green fibre skirts propped beside seated men.

82no named location

Carved and painted objects described; carving style is not proof of an island

A towering cumulonimbus trails rain over open sea with a rainbow standing beneath it and a low coast at the right edge.

82no named location

Big weather panorama shot from the water, no land detail to name

A view from a green ridge over a turquoise lagoon and reef flat, with a low forested island and a long sand spit reaching into open ocean, Nguna Island, Vanuatu.

82Nguna Island high

Elevated lagoon vista, coastline shape not identifiable from pixels

Long strands of molten lava arc up from behind a dark crater edge and fill the frame in orange and yellow, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

82Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Tight crop of the night fountain, edges clipped so not a hero frame

A band of red and orange fire runs under heavy cloud at sunset above the black silhouette of a wooded island and flat water, Maskelyne Islands, Vanuatu.

82Maskelyne Islands high

Strong sunset colour, island reduced to a silhouette so unnamed

A line of masked dancers in dry leaf costumes faces the camera, each holding a woven cone, in dappled forest light, Ambrym, Vanuatu.

81Ambrym high

Frontal view of the masked group, best light and depth of the set

A man stands at the very top of the lashed timber tower with both arms raised while others hold on below him, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

81Pentecost high

Top of the land dive tower, strong gesture, empty white sky behind

A steep dune of volcanic ash rises in a clean ridge under heavy cloud, its lower face combed into wind ripples, in black and white, likely Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

81Mount Yasur, Tanna medium

Same ash cone ridge as the later ash plain frames, monochrome so less certain

Sunset light burns orange along the horizon under layered cloud, with a wooded island in silhouette across still water, Maskelyne Islands, Vanuatu.

81Maskelyne Islands high

Same sunset frame as its sibling, keep the better exposure of the pair

Dancers in tall painted conical masks with fibre fringes and dried banana leaf costumes stand in a row in the forest, Ambrym, Vanuatu.

80Ambrym high

Distinctive mask form could narrow the island, but dress may not place a frame

A carved wooden figure with a large round eye and a serrated crest stands among trees, its face marked with dark lines, Ambrym, Vanuatu.

80Ambrym high

Strong carving detail against forest; carving style is not a place name

A man stands on the tower platform with his arms spread wide, another crouched on the timbers below him, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

80Pentecost high

Land dive tower, the pause before the jump, plain white sky

From the tower platform, a man holds his hands together above a cleared green slope where people wait to watch, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

80Pentecost high

Second view from the platform, height and waiting crowd read clearly

A man swings head down on his ankle vines below the tower platform above thick vegetation, the sea behind the palms, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

80Pentecost high

Land dive at the end of the fall, vines and platform clearly in frame

A dancer in a dried-leaf costume and a tall red, white and black painted mask moves through forest, caught with a spinning motion blur.

80no named location

Deliberate zoom blur, costume described only, no place evidence

A man in a leaf headdress and vine sash stands in low light beside the lashed dive tower, coconut palms behind him, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

80Pentecost high

Dive tower clearly in frame behind the subject

A photographer with a tripod stands on the track beside the lashed timber dive tower while a large white cruise ship lies at anchor beyond the palms, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

80Pentecost high

Land dive tower fixes the island; the anchored ship is a vessel, not a place

A man carries a tall painted mask board with a carved face and boar tusks along a forest path while another walks behind with a red and yellow object.

80no named location

Carried mask board described as an object; no place evidence in frame

Women and a child in long fibre skirts with red and green face paint stand in dappled light among slender trees.

80no named location

Group standing in a grove, dress described only, no place evidence

Children in brightly dyed raffia skirts and flower headdresses stand at the treeline, one boy raising a palm frond, shot from low with blue sky behind.

80no named location

Low wide angle group of children, nothing in frame that locates it

A woman in a fibre skirt with red and orange face paint stands in dappled forest light, with two others out of focus behind her.

80no named location

Strong portrait; dress cannot place an island, deliberately unlocated

A person in a blue jacket walks a raised ash path toward a volcanic cone at sunset, gas drifting from the ridge on the right, likely Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

80Mount Yasur, Tanna medium

Ash plain approach and cone consistent with the Yasur rim walk

Sun backlights a spreading banyan hung with aerial roots above the green water of a forest blue hole, a timber ladder leaning against the trunk, Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.

80Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santo high

Same banyan blue hole from a lower angle, Santo blue hole pattern

A grey ash plume boils out of a crater with red spatter at its base, seen across the ash rim, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

80Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Daylight ash burst from the same walk-up crater rim

A wide view along a forested coast with thin smoke rising from clearings inland, tall cumulus above and grass and tree fern in the foreground, Tanna, Vanuatu.

80Tanna high

Panoramic island coast from a ridge, no nameable feature in frame

Streaks of cloud fan across the sky and turn orange over a low island horizon at sunset, Maskelyne Islands, Vanuatu.

80Maskelyne Islands high

Radiating cloud pattern, same sunset sequence, nothing nameable

A group stands along the crater rim photographing lava in the vent below at dusk, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

79Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Near sibling of the other rim frame, lava lower in the vent, softer

Masked dancers in dry leaf costumes flank a group of men on black volcanic ground, with carved wooden figures standing in the forest behind, Ambrym, Vanuatu.

79Ambrym high

Carved figures and black ash ground indicate a volcanic island, no name in frame

A man with a bunch of green leaves tucked at his waist stands looking out to sea beside the timber tower, a ship at anchor offshore, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

79Pentecost high

Land dive tower beside him; quiet moment, ship offshore is a vessel not a place

Molten spatter bursts from a vent below the ash rim as a dark eruption cloud fills the sky, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

79Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Ash rim in foreground above an erupting vent, the Yasur viewing position

A tree fern stands on a grassy ridge above a long forested coastline, with sunlight breaking through cloud over the sea, Tanna, Vanuatu.

79Tanna high

High coastal viewpoint with tree fern, no nameable feature in frame

Rippled cloud catches red light above a dark horizon of low islands after sunset, Maskelyne Islands, Vanuatu.

79Maskelyne Islands high

Sky-dominant sunset frame, land is a flat silhouette with no marker

Glowing spatter and a red haze fill the vent as steam drifts across the crater wall, Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

78Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Same viewpoint, smaller burst and heavier steam, softer than siblings

Close view of painted conical masks trimmed with cut leaf and pale fibre beards, worn over layered dry leaf costumes, Ambrym, Vanuatu.

78Ambrym high

Sibling of the masked row, tighter crop, masks clipped at frame edges

A tall lashed timber diving tower stands above coconut palms with a ship anchored offshore under broken cloud, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

78Pentecost high

Land dive tower is diagnostic of Pentecost; the anchored ship is a vessel not a place

Men stand high on the lashed timber diving tower above the palms under heavy grey cloud, a group of people waiting at the right, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

78Pentecost high

Full height of the land dive tower with people on it for scale

Men climb the upper platforms of the lashed timber diving tower above the palms while a line of people waits on the slope at right, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

78Pentecost high

Land dive tower with climbers and crowd, gives the full scale of the structure

A man falls from the timber tower with vines behind him, coconut palms and a ship at anchor in the haze beyond, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

78Pentecost high

Land dive with the sea and an anchored ship behind; the ship is a vessel not a place

Four dancers in full-length dried-leaf costumes and tall painted conical masks with pale fibre fringes stand in a forest clearing.

78no named location

Masked dancers described only; dress must not be used to name an island

A young girl in a flower crown and painted face holds a woven pandanus fan, wearing a dyed grass skirt and a necklace of purple blooms.

78no named location

Strong portrait, shallow focus; nothing in frame that could place it

A low volcanic cone trails a grey ash plume above a forested coastline, seen from the water beneath towering cumulus.

78no named location

Active cone from offshore; several Vanuatu volcanoes look like this, not identifiable

People in dark body paint wearing fern headdresses and seed pod anklets stand on bare ground holding a green stem and white feathers.

78no named location

Objects and dress described; nothing that identifies an island

A man in mid fall against a white sky with liana vines lashed to his ankles, arms drawn in, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

78Pentecost medium

Clean isolation on blank sky; vines diagnostic, tower not in frame

A boy looks back at the camera while two others stand at the foot of the lashed timber dive tower on a grassy slope above palms and the sea, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

78Pentecost high

Same tower site; structure is diagnostic

Children play on a black sand river bank, one swinging out over the water on a rope, with a dugout canoe drawn up on the far shore.

78no named location

River mouth with dark volcanic sand and a dugout; no named feature

A man in a red headband and flower ornaments runs along a forest path carrying a tall decorated pole, caught in a panning blur with others behind.

78no named location

Motion blur on a jungle track, no background detail to place it

Men holding spears and a curved blade stand with women in long fibre skirts on a grassy slope below coconut palms, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

78Pentecost high

Group with weapons and dress described only, nothing that identifies an island

A long volcanic island profile with several cones and drifting steam sits low on the horizon at first light, seen from the water.

78no named location

Broad shield island with steam; skyline too hazy to identify with confidence

Women and children in long fibre skirts stand under shore trees on dark leaf litter, with the beach visible through the trunks behind.

78no named location

Same grove as the other skirt group frames; still no locating feature

A tall banyan draped in aerial roots and a hanging rope stands over the deep blue water of a freshwater hole in the forest, Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.

78Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santo high

Portrait of the same banyan and rope swing over a Santo-type blue hole

Two painted conical masks with fibre beards and leaf crests, worn over dry leaf costumes, in dappled forest light, Ambrym, Vanuatu.

77Ambrym high

Same mask detail set as the single mask frame, one extra mask in the background

A man with curved boar tusks in his hair stands smiling among tall coconut palms, holding a bladed pole, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

77Pentecost high

Better sibling, blue sky and palms behind him, still nothing to place it

Sun rays break through cloud at sunset over a bay with a single sailing yacht lying at anchor off a low wooded shore, Tanna, Vanuatu.

77Tanna high

Sky dominates, anchored sailing yacht is incidental, shoreline unnamed

A banyan hung with aerial roots and a rope leans over the deep blue water of a freshwater hole in the forest, Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.

77Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santo high

Same banyan blue hole frame, Santo blue hole pattern, exact pool unclear

Dancers in flower headdresses, leaf collars and dyed fibre skirts stand together with a small child among them, faces painted, Tanna, Vanuatu.

76Tanna high

Colour and the child hold the frame; no place evidence, dress cannot place it

Close view of a painted conical mask with a yellow leaf crest, pale fibre beard and green foliage bound at the shoulder, Ambrym, Vanuatu.

76Ambrym high

Clean detail of the mask and costume, background carries no place evidence

An inflatable tender packed with children sits on flat water, a man in a life jacket standing at the console, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

76Pentecost high

Hull marking is a call sign or tender number, not a place; hazy horizon, no land

Women dance in long fibre skirts holding red leaves overhead, one carrying a child on her back, at the edge of the forest, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

76Pentecost high

Clear movement and raised leaves; forest background gives no place evidence

A man in a grass skirt and red flower headdress stands knee deep in still water among mangroves, playing an acoustic guitar.

76no named location

Selective focus lens, flooded mangrove setting, no locating feature

Women and a small child in fibre skirts and green leaf sashes stand together at the edge of thick forest.

76no named location

Group portrait, dress described only, no landform or text to place it

Figures in tall painted masks with orange fibre beards stand among trees, rendered as a radial blur.

76no named location

Zoom blur effect, masks described only, nothing to locate

A string band plays guitars and a hand-painted tea chest bass in a tight circle on grey sand beside a thatched shelter.

76no named location

Crop-read lettering is the band's own name, not a place, so left unnamed

Two men in red headbands with green leaves tucked at the waist and shoulder stand on a shaded forest path.

76no named location

Wide angle forest portrait, no landform or text present

A rainbow stands under a rain squall drifting off a forested island coast, lit by low evening sun.

76no named location

Weather panorama over an unremarkable coast; no naming evidence

An outrigger canoe rests on a black sand beach below a wooded point in a wide panorama under deep blue sky.

76no named location

Volcanic black sand and outrigger; the point has no identifying shape

Jungle and a single tall coconut palm reflect in the still green water of a freshwater pool under a blue sky with cumulus, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.

76Espiritu Santo high

Freshwater pool in jungle, no landmark or signage to place it

A grey ash cone streams a heavy plume downwind above a flat ash plain crossed by vehicle tracks, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

76Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Ash plain approach with 4WD tracks below the venting cone, Yasur

A leaning coconut palm and thick jungle stand over the calm green water of a freshwater pool under scattered cloud, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.

75Espiritu Santo high

Same frame as the previous pool shot, keep one of the pair

Four men dance on cut grass in fibre skirts and leaf ornaments, holding white fronds, with forest behind, Tanna, Vanuatu.

74Tanna high

Clear action and expression; background gives no place evidence

Men walk away across black volcanic ground with sprays of croton and palm leaf tucked into their belts, masked dancers in dry leaf costumes at the edge of the group, Ambrym, Vanuatu.

74Ambrym high

Black volcanic ground says volcanic island, not enough to name one

A visitor in a white shirt laughs alongside a group of men and boys at the edge of a grass clearing, palms behind, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

74Pentecost high

Genuine shared moment; background is forest only, nothing to place it

The lashed timber diving tower seen from below with vines hanging from its platforms and the sea beyond the palms, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

74Pentecost high

Land dive tower and hanging vines, structure busy against a pale sky

A string band in grass skirts and face paint plays guitars and a hand-painted tea chest bass on a black sand beach, likely Tanna, Vanuatu.

74Tanna medium

Crop-read box lettering resolves as YASUR plus a welcome line; black volcanic sand agrees

Women in long fibre skirts hold red leaves on a grassy hillside above coconut palms, one of them carrying a child on her shoulder.

74no named location

Hillside group under palms, no landmark and no legible text

A man falls head first with vines trailing from his ankles, the treetops streaked by a long exposure, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

74Pentecost medium

Ankle vine dive, but tower out of frame so the site is inferred from the sequence

Two people walk a wide empty sand beach in a panorama, with surf breaking on the reef line offshore and bush running to the sand.

74no named location

Wide beach with fringing reef; no headland shape distinctive enough to name

Looking up from underwater at a tree canopy and sky broken into ripples by the surface of a clear freshwater pool, Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.

74Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santo high

Abstract from under a freshwater pool, no feature visible to place it

A wide panorama of layered cloud lit orange and blue at dusk above a calm bay with a low wooded shoreline, Nguna Island, Vanuatu.

74Nguna Island high

Panoramic crop of the same dusk bay, shoreline not identifiable

An eruption throws glowing bombs and a pale ash cloud up the grey inner wall of a crater, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

74Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Daylight burst with bombs on the crater wall, Yasur rim sequence

An anemonefish hovers over the tentacles of its host anemone on a shallow coral reef, Ratua Island, Vanuatu.

74Ratua Island high

Species left at anemonefish, single head bar not enough to pin it

Broken cloud catches the last orange light over a calm bay, with low dark headlands and a distant conical island on the horizon, Nguna Island, Vanuatu.

73Nguna Island high

Silhouetted coast at dusk, distant cone too vague to identify

Portrait of a bearded man wearing a headband of green leaves, seated in shade with others behind him, Tanna, Vanuatu.

72Tanna high

Strong close portrait, shallow background carries no location evidence

A man climbs inside the lashed timber diving tower, with a ship anchored offshore beyond the palms, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

72Pentecost high

Land dive tower structure; busy stick pattern, ship in the background is a vessel

An inflatable tender crowded with children runs across calm open water, the man at the console raising a thumb, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

72Pentecost high

Sibling of the other tender frame, wider, blank horizon gives nothing to place it

A man stands in a coconut grove holding a bladed pole, curved boar tusks worn in his hair and a strand of dried plant across his chest, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

72Pentecost high

Full length portrait, slightly flat light, coconut grove gives no place evidence

Dancers in green leaf skirts and white body paint run across bare ground, streaked by a slow panning exposure.

72no named location

Motion study of dancing, no background detail left to read

Three men in red headbands and leaf waistbands stand on dark forest floor beside a low dry stone wall, in a wide panorama.

72no named location

Dim forest panorama, stone wall is generic, nothing that names a place

A group sits under a shore tree at dusk playing guitars and ukuleles, with a tender pulled up on the beach behind them.

72no named location

Backlit beach gathering, headland unremarkable, nothing to name

A videographer with a shoulder camera and shotgun microphone films through the open window of a timber and concrete building, a yellow flower behind his ear.

72no named location

Hard light and deep shadow read well; nothing in frame names a place

A still freshwater channel runs into thick jungle, holding a clean reflection of cumulus cloud and the green banks on either side, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.

72Espiritu Santo high

Blue hole outflow channel, no landmark, left unlocated

Layered cloud lit orange and blue at dusk over a quiet bay with dark low headlands on either side, Nguna Island, Vanuatu.

72Nguna Island high

Same dusk bay frame as its siblings, coast not identifiable

A banded coral shrimp sits in a reef crevice with its long white antennae curving out across the opening, Ratua Island, Vanuatu.

72Ratua Island high

Red and white banding plus long white antennae are diagnostic

Red spatter flies inside a smoking crater under a low ash cloud, seen from the grey ash rim, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

71Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Flat light and heavy ash, same walk-up crater rim viewpoint

A submersible lights a deep coral ridge with schooling fish above it, the craft's thrusters visible at the bottom of the frame, Aese Island, Vanuatu.

71Aese Island high

Deep reef from a submersible, no feature or marker that names the site

A group of boys stands close together in forest shade wearing leaf and fibre coverings, with a carved wooden post behind them, Ambrym, Vanuatu.

70Ambrym high

Carved post at right hints a carving tradition but is not readable as a place

The diving tower rises above the coast with a felled palm trunk propped against it and the sea behind, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

70Pentecost high

Land dive tower; structure reads as a tangle of sticks, weaker composition

Men holding spears and staffs stand in a hillside clearing with women and children behind them, one man wearing a curved tusk in his hair, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

70Pentecost high

Sibling of the other spear frame, better faces, still no place evidence

Dancers in green grass skirts and striped headdresses move across cleared ground in a blur of motion, with a crowd and parked vehicles behind.

70no named location

Panned blur, vehicles imply a road-served ground; nothing legible to place it

Children and men wearing woven waist cords stand on a green slope below palms and dense bush.

70no named location

Wide angle group on a bush slope; no place evidence anywhere in frame

A low reef island edged in pale turquoise sits on the horizon across deep blue water, with a mountainous coast faint in the distance.

70no named location

Distant reef islet panorama, no distinguishing feature to name

A leaning coconut palm rises above jungle along the green water of a still freshwater channel under high cumulus, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.

70Espiritu Santo high

Same freshwater channel, nothing in frame supports naming a site

Glowing bombs scatter through drifting ash inside a crater under a heavy grey plume, seen from the ash rim, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

70Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Murky daylight ash burst, same crater rim position

A white-breasted woodswallow glides across a blank white sky, its dark hood and pale blue bill clear against the white underparts, Nguna Island, Vanuatu.

70Nguna Island high

Dark hood, white breast and blue-grey bill read as white-breasted woodswallow

Men carrying spears and poles move through a hillside clearing, singing, with women in fibre skirts standing behind them, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

68Pentecost high

Low angle gives energy; flat sky and no place evidence in the background

Two men handle long vines on a freshly dug earth slope strewn with cut leaves and coiled fibre, likely Pentecost, Vanuatu.

68Pentecost medium

Coiled vines and turned landing ground read as land dive preparation, tower not in frame

A wide sand spit runs into a shallow turquoise lagoon under a heavy cloud bank, with bleached driftwood in the foreground.

68no named location

Generic sand spit and lagoon panorama, no identifying landform

Children in school uniforms and women with young children sit on the floor of a hall in a wide panorama.

68no named location

Interior gathering, no signage or banner legible to place it

A woodswallow banks overhead against a flat white sky, wings spread and pale underparts lit from below, Nguna Island, Vanuatu.

68Nguna Island high

Head-on flight shot, warm cast on the belly so species left general

A wide limestone cave mouth opens under a rock overhang in dense forest, with roots, palm fronds and a fallen log across the entrance, Lo Island, Torres Islands, Vanuatu.

67Lo Island, Torres Islands high

Uplifted limestone cave in jungle, no marker or signage to name it

A glassy black lava bomb lies on grey ash close to the camera while an ash plume rises from the crater behind, Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

67Mount Yasur, Tanna high

Fresh bomb on the ash rim with the venting crater behind, Yasur

A songbird with a white head, black mask and chestnut underparts perches on a slender stem in shaded rainforest.

66no named location

Photographer watermark in frame; Melanesian forest passerine, species not confirmed

A large group of men, women and children stands on a grass clearing in front of dense palms, several holding long poles, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

66Pentecost high

Same lineup as the other clearing frame, wider and sharper, no place marker

Men in grass skirts and red flower headdresses play guitars and ukuleles in a village clearing while one man sits on a chair and visitors watch from the treeline.

66no named location

String band and thatched houses; no place evidence, dress cannot name an island

A man in a bright patterned shirt and a photographer carrying a long lens climb a steep slope through broad leaved undergrowth.

66Pentecost low

Behind the scenes frame on a bush slope, nothing locating in view

Tall cumulus builds over a long forested coastline seen across deep blue water in a wide panorama.

66no named location

Generic tropical coast and cloud, no feature to identify

Two guides in blue polo shirts with name badges and a guest in a white shirt ride in the open back of a vehicle along a palm lined track.

66no named location

Only legible text names the ship, which is a vessel and not a place

Boys and young men sit along the wall of a concrete village hall, one holding a guitar, with woven pandanus mats and timber benches on the floor.

66no named location

Plain concrete hall interior, no signage or landmark to place it

A large slender silver predatory fish with a pointed snout cruises past in clear blue open water, Ratua Island, Vanuatu.

66Ratua Island high

Tail cut off at frame edge, species left open rather than guessed

The yellow hull and manipulator of a submersible frame a pale coral bank on the edge of deep blue water, Aese Island, Vanuatu.

66Aese Island high

Same submersible dive, hardware dominates the foreground

A twin-mouthed limestone cave sits under a forested overhang, with vines, a young palm and broken coral rock across the ground in front of it, Lo Island, Torres Islands, Vanuatu.

65Lo Island, Torres Islands high

Wider frame of the same cave, nothing in it names the site

A woman with a child beside her stands on a grass bank while a man and several children look on from a log behind, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

64Pentecost high

Static group with a wire crossing the frame, no place evidence

A boy looks toward the camera through a screen of palm fronds in shaded green forest light.

64no named location

Tight portrait through fronds, no setting or place information

A woman in a blue floral dress holds a small child inside an open sided thatched building, with tables under printed cloths and the sea beyond the window openings.

64no named location

Dark interior, heavy contrast, no signage or view that places it

A photographer in a cap with a handheld radio looks up and smiles, with a lashed timber tower and a seated crowd on the slope behind him, likely Pentecost, Vanuatu.

64Pentecost medium

Lashed timber structure and crowd behind match the dive tower site, partly out of frame

A hazy pale panorama of a volcanic island with several cones rising behind a flat sea.

64no named location

Same multi-cone skyline as the dawn and sunset panoramas, still unidentified

A man films with a shotgun microphone rigged camera while leaning over the side of a moving vehicle on a rough track through palms and bush.

64no named location

Filming from a moving truck, heavy blur, nothing in frame that locates it

Men, women and children stand together on a grass clearing at the forest edge, several holding long wooden poles, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

62Pentecost high

Flat documentary group shot, palms and forest only, no place marker

A photographer in a cap with a handheld radio clipped to his chest holds a long lens camera on a green hillside.

62Pentecost low

Only legible text is the camera strap brand, which places nothing

A pale hazy panorama of a volcanic island with several cones behind a flat calm sea.

62no named location

Near identical to the other hazy skyline frame; still not identifiable

Streaks of molten spatter arc above a crater rim at dusk while the crater wall behind glows red through drifting ash, likely Mount Yasur, Tanna, Vanuatu.

62Mount Yasur, Tanna medium

Soft and blurred; same dusk eruption sequence as the sharper rim frames

A bundle wrapped in banana leaf and tied with fibre hangs from a branch, a man working with a stick behind it, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

60Pentecost high

Tight detail on a leaf bundle, background thrown out, no place evidence

A dark forested island coast lies under a broken cloud bank at dusk in a wide panorama from the water.

60no named location

Very low contrast coastline strip, nothing distinguishing in it

A man holding a video camera with a windshield microphone rides in a vehicle beside a guide in a blue polo, the roadside trees streaked with motion.

60no named location

Behind the scenes travel frame, blurred and with no place information

A guide and a guest holding a camera sit in a moving vehicle under overhanging trees, the canopy spun into a blur.

60no named location

Wide angle in transit, no signage or landform visible

A man stands with four boys in a grassy clearing at the forest edge, another man behind them among the palms, Pentecost, Vanuatu.

58Pentecost high

Snapshot framing, cluttered grass foreground, no place evidence

A gibbous moon glows deep orange low in a black sky, Ratua Island, Vanuatu.

58Ratua Island high

Isolated moon on black, no context and no place evidence at all

A silver mackerel-type fish swims alone through open blue water, Aese Island, Vanuatu.

58Aese Island high

Small in an empty blue frame, not sharp enough to name the species

A gibbous moon glows deep orange against a black sky, Ratua Island, Vanuatu.

57Ratua Island high

Near-identical moon frame, no context and no place evidence

A panorama of a settlement clearing with thatched and woven houses, a forested ridge behind and people sitting in the shade.

56no named location

Marks on the right hand wall may be lettering but are not legible at this size