Kawah Ijen by Philippe Bourseiller

Kawah Ijen

Nature, third prize stories

1992

The Kawah Ijen volcano spews ten tons of sulfur into its crater every day. And every day about 100 men brave the toxic gases to dislodge the sulfur with iron bars, a piece of cloth in their mouths as their only protection. The sulfur is collected in baskets, which are carefully balanced on a bamboo rod. The baskets with sulfur are carried up the steep crater wall, and on to a village 37km away. Eighty percent of the sulfur, which is melted and re-solidified in sheets of 'yellow gold', is used for the bleaching of cane sugar.

Commissioned by: Geo

Photo Credit: Philippe Bourseiller

Philippe Bourseiller travels through the vast open spaces that Nature has created on our planet with his Canon in hand. For nearly fifteen years, his fascination with all that is extreme in Nature (volcanoes, huge deserts of sand and ice) has led him to scour the planet in order to provide us with photographic testimonies of these wonders.

In 1983, he joined the staff of France Soir Magazine. This was his initiation to color photography, and all types of subjects were seen through the eye of his camera : current events, people, sports, expeditions... From 1987 to 1990 he is a member of the magazine department at the Sygma Agency and is progressively drawn towards what will become his subject of predilection: Nature.

In 1991, his decision to become a free-lance photographer was motivated by his desire to specialize in subjects related to Nature and the Environment. That same year, his first series of photographs on the eruption of Mount Pinatubo became the turning point in steering a major portion of his work towards the world of active volcanoes.

Philippe Bourseiller is a fieldwork photographer, knowledgeable and highly competent in climbing mountains, exploring caves, diving to great depths. His experience and physical capacities have enabled him to work easily in extreme conditions in the natural realms to which he is drawn thereby allowing him to share the rare sights of them with us. Recognized worldwide for his mastery of light, color, and layout he has received several World Press Awards and a Visa d’Or at the International Photo-journalism Festival in Perpignan, France