Duc Ngo (1994), a landscape photographer in Hanoi with more than 10 years of experience, is passionate about exploring natural beauty through his lens. During his journey to Indonesia, he captured vivid images of the pristine and majestic beauty of the land of fire. The photo series was taken at the Bromo volcano area in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (East Java, Indonesia), along with other places in Bali such as Tamblingan Lake, Banyumala Waterfall and Djawatan Ancient Forest.
Mount Bromo in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (East Java, Indonesia)
“When it comes to Bromo volcano, this is a familiar destination for travel enthusiasts - a place that anyone who sets foot in the country of 'thousands of islands' wants to experience at least once,” photographer Duc Ngo shared.
At 2,329 m above sea level, Bromo overwhelms anyone who sets foot there for the first time. Not far from there is the Semeru volcano - the highest peak on Java Island, which still regularly spews smoke about every 10 minutes. "It's a sight I've never seen in Vietnam," said Duc Ngo.
“When it comes to Bromo volcano, this is a familiar destination for travel enthusiasts - a place that anyone who sets foot in the country of 'thousands of islands' wants to experience at least once,” photographer Duc Ngo shared.
Although it has a tropical monsoon climate, due to its high altitude, the weather in the Bromo area is cold in the early morning and at night. In that cold, the clear sky is the ideal condition for the male photographer to capture natural light and process the photos easily in the post-production stage.
In that cold weather, the clear sky was the ideal condition for the male photographer to capture natural light and easily process the photos in post-production.
When interacting with the local people here, they are very friendly, perhaps partly because this is a tourist area. People are always warm and ready to help whenever you need to ask anything. Photographer Duc Ngo also feels the special affection they have for the Vietnamese people, which is clearly shown in simple but warm conversations.
Amidst the characteristic slanted light at dawn and dusk - the golden time of landscape photography, the "Indonesian horsemen" appear, riding horses across the misty sea of sand, creating vivid, spectacular frames like a movie. "We call the local horse riders by that intimate name because the scene is so romantic and wild", said Duc Ngo. Besides horse riding, the means of transportation serving tourists in Bromo also includes jeeps.
Amidst the characteristic slanted light at dawn and dusk - the golden moments of landscape photography, the "Southern Knights" appear, riding their horses across the misty sea of sand.
Leaving Bromo, photographer Duc Ngo’s journey continued to Bali, where he stopped by the misty Tamblingan Lake, the foaming Banyumala Waterfall and the Djawatan Forest with its mysterious ancient trees. “For me, photography is not just about capturing a moment, but about living fully in that moment. In Bromo, each click of the camera brings with it the dust, the sound of the wind and the rhythm of horse hooves between the sky and the earth - that is what left the deepest impression on me on this trip.”
