• About – Tim Bird

Six Images

~ Selections from Tim Bird's travel photography archives

Six Images

Tag Archives: volcano

Six Images: Six photos to check from the bucket-list

18 Wednesday Oct 2017

Posted by Tim Bird in bucket-list, travel photography, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

aurora, Baltic, Bandhavgarh, bucket-list, finland, himalayas, India, mountains, northern lights, Stromboli, Taj Mahal, tigers, travel, travel photography, volcano

There are certain things you simply have to get shots of. As a travel photographer you can never exhaust the photographic possibilities of the world around you, whether it’s the people or the places or the natural phenomena. I know I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to tick off quite a few items on my photo bucket list. On the other hand, if you don’t go looking for those opportunities they’re not going to fall into your lap. So luck is only part of the story. You need to be at least a little bit adventurous and resourceful.

Here are six images of things I really wanted to photograph and managed to. Some of them, like the Northern Lights, I could happily photograph daily – or nightly – if I had the chance. But then I wouldn’t have time to shoot all the other amazing people and things I see on my travels.bucketlist-9397

Walking on water: I live in Finland and large parts of the Baltic Sea freeze every winter, although climate change is affecting the extent to which ice forms. But it’s still possible to walk on water – an enthralling experience. I shot this during a cruise on the Sampo icebreaker, converted to tourist use from the north-west port of Kemi.

http://www.visitkemi.fi/en/sampo

bucketlist-6463

2. An erupting volcano: Shooting an active volcano has always been an ambition. I went through a period of travelling throughout Central America peering into dramatically smoking craters, even glimpsing red hot lava just a few metres away. But I didn’t see a properly erupting volcano until I went to Sicily and the island of Stromboli, probably the most frequently and visibly active volcano in Europe. When I was there the lava spewed out every 20 minutes or so. This was shot from a ledge about half a kilometre from the eruption. Less intrepid volcano-watchers have the option of viewing more distantly but very comfortably from the terrace of a pizzeria further down! Or like my even more intrepid companion, trek for several hours almost right to the rim of the thing, where shooting has to be done at far greater speed.

bucketlist-8331

3. Wild tigers in India: The first time I tried this, I got one shot of a tiger’s head emerging from the bush and another of its tail disappearing into the undergrowth on the opposite side of the track! My second visit to the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve in the state of Madhya Pradesh was much more fruitful. This little family (minus Dad) came strolling along the track towards our jeep and passed within a few feet of us. A breath-holding moment.

Thanks to my hosts at http://junglemantrasafaris.com/ for helping me on this one.

bucketlist-7145

4. The Taj Mahal: This extraordinary building has a lot of hype to live up to as India’s most famous tourist destination – but it succeeds. It really is magnificent. It also is really crowded during the daytime, so get up early (getting up early is an essential thing for photographers to do if they want to get the most interesting light) and head across to the other side of the river just before sunrise. When I did this I was rewarded with this wonderful view of the marble domes wrapped in mist. The night before I had seen it in moonlight. Go out at different times, see the same places in a different light…

bucketlist-5195

5. The Northern Lights: The aurora borealis is without question – in my view at least – the most magical, transfixing and addictive spectacle on the planet. It reduces me to blubbering infancy every time. You can’t just see the Northern Lights once, you have to keep trying to see it again once you’ve seen it. It casts a spell. I still haven’t got what I think is the perfect shot and the alerts I have on my phone frustratingly let me know that activity is sometimes strong – even when the sky is covered in cloud! This shot was from a lakeside near Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland, almost bang on the Arctic Circle. Note the reflections on the water – this was taken in September before the lake was frozen and snow-covered. So you don’t need freezing temperatures but you do need clear skies.

bucketlist-0364

6. The Himalayan Mountains: This dawn shot of Kanchenjunga, the summit of which is in Nepal, was from Darjeeling in India. I love mountains, all the more for their rarity in Finland where I live! I remember waking in a village in Nepal on the Annapurna trail and parting the shutters on my guesthouse window and seeing the Annapurna range in this kind of light, shaking my room mate awake and telling him: “Juha, you have to see this!” Is there anyone who cannot be humbled and awestruck by a view of mountains?

That is my bucket list shortlist. If you have enjoyed this visit (and thanks for dropping by), do come again, and feel free to share, but contact me if you have something commercial in mind – copyright for all photos is mine, all mine. If you’d like to find out more about me and my photography, visit my website at www.timbirdphotography.com

I am also in Instagram at @tim_bird_photo

and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/timbirdtravelphoto/

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp

Like this:

Like Loading...

Six Picks: Colonial towns and volcanoes in Nicaragua

03 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by Tim Bird in art, Central America, culture, geology, Travel, travel photography

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Central America, colonial architecture, festival, Granada, Leon, Nicaragua, volcano, volcanoes

A photo blog delving into my travel photography archives at www.timbirdphotography.com

A few years ago I had an obsession with volcanoes. Or rather, my continuing obsession with volcanoes manifested itself in the form of several visits to Central America, to Guatemala, Costa Rica and Honduras, for example. One of those visits was to Nicaragua where I did managed to gaze, Frodo-like, into some ominously smoking volcanic craters. More of those later, but here is a quick New Year re-visit to the lakeside colonial gems of Leon and Granada, and a glimpse of one smoking vent.

Happy New Year, Six Picks visitor!

Street mural commemorating the July 23, 1959 massacre of slaughters in Leon.

Street mural commemorating the July 23, 1959 massacre of slaughters in Leon.

Street scene from the bell tower in Granada

Street scene from the bell tower in Granada

Firework celebrations in the square at Leon

Firework celebrations in the square at Leon

My guide, Jesus, took me to the mountain. Here he is peering in to the smouldering crater of the Telica volcano.

My guide, Jesus, took me to the mountain. Here he is peering dangerously into the smouldering crater of the Telica volcano.

Festival procession makes its way to the cathedral square in Leon.

Festival procession makes its way to the cathedral square in Leon.

Granada residents taking it easy

Granada residents taking it easy

Six Picks is a fairly regular introduction to my travel photography. To view my galleries, visit my website at www.timbirdphotography.com. If you enjoy your visits, please share, Tweet, shout and holler.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp

Like this:

Like Loading...

Six Picks: Tribute to Costa Rica from an Englishman

21 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by Tim Bird in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Arenal, beaches, Central America, cloud forest, Costa Rica, football, iguana, Manuel Antonio National Park, Monteverde, Pura Vida, sloth, Tico, tree frog, volcano, wildlife, World Cup

Six images from the travel photography archives at www.timbirdphotography.com

One of the best things about Costa Rica in Central America is that it doesn’t have an army. It has a surprisingly good football team, though, and they’ve just sealed the fate of my national team, England, by beating Italy. Thank you, Costa Rica, for getting the pain out of the way sooner rather than later.

Costa Rica has a lot more going for it than just a decent football team. The abundant concentration of wildlife in a relatively small area and the ease with which visitors can witness it are unequalled pretty much anywhere. It has Caribbean and Pacific shores, clean sandy beaches, surf, cool cloud forests, clammy jungles, volcanoes and friendly, easy-going people, known as Ticos, whose motto – Pura vida! – meaning literally “pure life” but is used as an all-round greeting and positive exclamation, sums up a smiling and gently upbeat fatalism.

Here is a pictorial tribute in six visual highlights:

Image

Three-toed sloth in the Manuel Antonio National Park on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. These astonishing tree-dwelling creatures sleep between 15 and 20 hours a day and have extra vertebrae in their necks, so they can turn their heads more than 250 degrees.

Image

Humming bird on the edge of the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Fifty-four species of humming bird have been identified in Costa Rica.

Image

The “Iguana Tree” near Fortuna is just off the main road and provides guaranteed sightings of these fabulous reptiles.

Image

Pura Vida! The friendly face of Costa Rica – a cheerful Tico.

Image

The active Arenal volcano and surrounding countryside.

ImageA red-eyed tree frog at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

If you’ve enjoyed visiting this blog, please send feedback using the comment form. Even if you haven’t it would be good to hear from you, and please share the blog link. If you want to re-use the pictures, though, please give credit where it’s due and remember copyright remains with Tim Bird, the photographer.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Posts

  • International Women’s Day: Women of India
  • Happy birthday Tikau
  • Around the world in six World Cup nations
  • The archery lottery in Meghalaya, India
  • Six images: On target for a lucky break

Recent Comments

Rudolf Shaw on When Santa’s presence ma…
Tim Bird on International Women’s Da…
Eeva-Helena Laurinsa… on International Women’s Da…
Tim Bird on My name is Tim, I’m a…
Geoff Harris on My name is Tim, I’m a…

Archives

  • March 2019
  • September 2018
  • June 2018
  • March 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014

Categories

  • addiction
  • Amritsar
  • architecture
  • Arctic travel
  • art
  • Assam
  • aurora borealis
  • books
  • bookshops
  • bucket-list
  • celebration
  • Central America
  • China
  • Christmas
  • Costa Rica
  • culture
  • culture shock
  • Estonia
  • festival
  • FIFA World Cup
  • Finland
  • football
  • France
  • geology
  • Golden Triangle
  • Guilin
  • helsinki
  • hotels
  • Independence
  • India
  • Juhannus
  • lapland
  • Mexico
  • Midsummer
  • mountains
  • music
  • namibia
  • nature
  • northern lights
  • Odisha
  • Paris
  • photo tours
  • photography
  • Punjab
  • religion
  • rural India
  • social media
  • Solstice
  • spirituality
  • summer
  • sustainable development
  • Switzerland
  • tourism
  • Travel
  • travel photography
  • Uncategorized
  • wildlife
  • wildlife
  • winter
  • Yangshuo

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • International Women’s Day: Women of India
  • Happy birthday Tikau
  • Around the world in six World Cup nations
  • The archery lottery in Meghalaya, India
  • Six images: On target for a lucky break

Recent Comments

Rudolf Shaw on When Santa’s presence ma…
Tim Bird on International Women’s Da…
Eeva-Helena Laurinsa… on International Women’s Da…
Tim Bird on My name is Tim, I’m a…
Geoff Harris on My name is Tim, I’m a…

Archives

  • March 2019
  • September 2018
  • June 2018
  • March 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014

Categories

  • addiction
  • Amritsar
  • architecture
  • Arctic travel
  • art
  • Assam
  • aurora borealis
  • books
  • bookshops
  • bucket-list
  • celebration
  • Central America
  • China
  • Christmas
  • Costa Rica
  • culture
  • culture shock
  • Estonia
  • festival
  • FIFA World Cup
  • Finland
  • football
  • France
  • geology
  • Golden Triangle
  • Guilin
  • helsinki
  • hotels
  • Independence
  • India
  • Juhannus
  • lapland
  • Mexico
  • Midsummer
  • mountains
  • music
  • namibia
  • nature
  • northern lights
  • Odisha
  • Paris
  • photo tours
  • photography
  • Punjab
  • religion
  • rural India
  • social media
  • Solstice
  • spirituality
  • summer
  • sustainable development
  • Switzerland
  • tourism
  • Travel
  • travel photography
  • Uncategorized
  • wildlife
  • wildlife
  • winter
  • Yangshuo

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: