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To capture people, wildlife and landscapes and the interactions between them in the light of a world in transition is to encapsulate an inimitable moment which will never again materialise. My own 'take' as a geographer photographer!

Born in the City of Derry in Northern Ireland and still have inextricable links to my home country. Since leaving I have lived in England, Singapore, Togo, Italy, Ethiopia, Brazil and most recently in Ireland. My photography, together with travel, have become two of my life’s passions and they in turn are an integral part of having studied Geography at University and taught it in international schools. My photography focuses on culture, landscapes and wildlife; images which reflect a spatial and temporal journey through life.

I believe fully in the concepts of sustainable tourism and development and in trying to support a perspective which enables a greater harmony to exist between people and their environment. I often use my images to educate or enhance the knowledge of others. This has promoted not only my own areas of interest but also a genuine interest in travel to others. Considered reflections may be used to market and to disseminate and promote acquired knowledge in a stimulating way. To record an image digitally or on film certainly helps to bring the reality of such experiences to life.

I have published images in magazines, calendars and cards and presented to the Royal Geographical Society. Images have been used for educational purposes and I have exhibited in Ethiopia and Ireland. I have also reached the final of travel photographer of the year (TPOTY) in 2010 and 2011.

My Facebook page is - http://www.facebook.com/AlternativeVisionsPhotography
and 500px - http://500px.com/trevcole

There are also two exposés on You-Tube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUrTKwjpMHw (This gallery takes you to Africa, the photos expose an indigenous tribe, demonstrating their traditons, behaviors and culture).
and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36anCE3MGk4 (This one is entitled light and flows)

Some of the photographs were taken with a Nikon F90 and a Nikon F5 with predominantly Fuji Velvia film. Recent images have been taken in RAW mode on a Nikon D300.

Galleries

Alternative Visions : I think that travel comes from some deep urge to see the world, like the urge that brings up a worm in an Irish bog to see the moon when it is full. ~Lord Dunsany I don’t know if worms in an Irish bog do this but it sounds like a good analogy in creating the motivation to see a little of this World. My photographs are my diary, my reflections on what I have seen and these make the memories come to life. Taking people and landscapes in the light of a world in transition - my ‘Alternative Vision’ "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes." -Marcel Proust This is especially true for any aspiring photographer.

Alternative Visions

I think that travel comes from some deep urge to see the world, like t ...

Updated: Dec 04, 2012 12:38pm PST

An inimitable light : The forgotten county of Ireland but arguably the most beautiful. An inimitable light combined with patchworks of fields, mountains and one of the most beautiful coasts anywhere. The light in winter is particularly good with the sun at a low angle even at midday the photographer cannot, or should not, fail to capture some of the essence of this wonderful place.

An inimitable light

The forgotten county of Ireland but arguably the most beautiful. An in ...

Updated: Apr 17, 2013 2:09am PST

Egypt : Cairo, Luxor and the Nile and Dahab on the Red sea. A desert which is given life by the Nile. The centre of ancient civilisations and monuments with art and sculpture which is, incredibly, in a timeless state. Pyramids, temples and pre-historic desert drawing indicating times when the Sahara was teeming with game and clearly much wetter than today. Cairo is a frenetic place, it seemingly never sleeps and houses 20,000,000 people. The roads are one huge maze of racetracks! A sailing trip on a Dahabiya, an old style sailing vessel has to be done to be savoured as one of the best things you can do in Egypt. Finally camel trekking in the Sinai, snorkelling on the reefs of the Red sea, riding horses on the beach and chilling in one of the many restaurants in Dahab. To photograph and enjoy.

Egypt

Cairo, Luxor and the Nile and Dahab on the Red sea. A desert which is ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:09pm PST

Ethiopia - Suri : An Ethnic minority on the edge.... The Suri are an ethnic minority or tribe who live in the remote South West of Ethiopia. They are nomadic pastoralists living their lives in a relatively lush savanna region close to the border with Sudan. The Omo valley is well known for its diversity of tribal peoples and they do get substantial numbers of tourists each year bringing change and perhaps bringing to an end the sustainable existence they have had for Millennia. The Suri also inhabit this region but in an area to the west of the Omo which is more remote and less accessible. In 2006 they had 35 tourists visiting the region and this has probably not changed to any great extent in 2008.

Ethiopia - Suri

An Ethnic minority on the edge.... The Suri are an ethnic minority or ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:11pm PST

Rwanda : A small central African country with a population of 8 million people. From the Genoside of 1994 Rwanda’s recovery and level of development is nothing short of remarkable. It is clean, safe and its leadership is very progressive. It is also very beautiful with large areas set aside as National Parks and these are very well managed. It has the largest montane rainforest in Africa which house 13 primate species including chimpanzees. The Volcanoes National park in the North is home to the endangered Mountain Gorilla of which there are 700 left. There is also a large lowland park (Akagera) in the East which is characterised by Savanna fauna and flora. A great deal of the essence of Africa is found in this tiny country.

Rwanda

A small central African country with a population of 8 million people. ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:12pm PST

Madagascar and Mauritius : Madagascar's forests are a shimmering, seething mass of a trillion stems and dripping leaves and slithering, jumping, quirky creatures out of nature's bag of tricks: lemurs, periwinkles and baobabs, aloes, geckoes, sifakas and octopus trees. Sadly, they are threatened by aggressive deforestation. An island which takes you back to pro-simians - more than 80% of all species are endemic, the highest rate of endemicity in the World. It is an incredible place - one of the most interesting countries I have ever visited. Apart from the bizarre, the people are a blend of Asian and African and everywhere we went we felt welcomed.

Madagascar and Mauritius

Madagascar's forests are a shimmering, seething mass of a trillion ste ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:14pm PST

Abyssinia : Landlocked, 75 million inhabitants, one of the World least developed countries and so under visited in relation to what there is to see. Desert, mountains, indigenous minorities, volcanoes, national parks............Ethiopia has an unfortunate image elsewhere in the World. One of poverty, famine and despair. This is not the case - it is a country of great contrasts and one which leaves the traveler with little choice but to come back. I love it!

Abyssinia

Landlocked, 75 million inhabitants, one of the World least developed c ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:18pm PST

Yemen and Socotra : Somewhere I have wanted to visit for years and lived up to all aspirations and pre-conceived ideas. Amazing. Steeped in ancient history, villages built for defence built on hill tops, desert palaces and an Arabian Nights atmosphere in Sanaa. Despite perceptions created by the western media it was a very welcoming and hospitable country. The altitude and climate, together with an inimitable feel made it an ideal place to take photographs. Sanaa, claims to be one of the oldest cities in the World and the first high rise city! Its wedding cake architecture, bustling markets, narrow cobbled streets create an indelible image in your mind. Yemen is perceptually a haven for extremism, yet all I experienced was genuine warmth and friendliness. The media have kept the tourists away from one of the best travel destinations on Earth. Socotra is an ‘other worldly’ island owned by Yemen in the Indian ocean. It is actually closer to Somalia. A little like Madagascar it has had a long period of geological separation from the Arabian peninsula and its bizarre assemblage of plants reflect this. It receives only a handful of tourists each year and remains, as a result, largely untouched. It is pristine, beautiful and unforgettable.

Yemen and Socotra

Somewhere I have wanted to visit for years and lived up to all aspirat ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:20pm PST

Ethiopia - Sidama : Sidama - untouristed. There are none! An area rich in culture, traditions and is one of the most fertile regions of the country. Rolling hills, a patchwork of intense greens, coffee plantations and waterfalls. An area where there is no tourist infrastructure but with so much to see. The people were shocked to see a traveller - even more so than in the remote tribal regions. The roads are, however, improving and when hotels improve this region will at last be on the map!

Ethiopia - Sidama

Sidama - untouristed. There are none! An area rich in culture, tradit ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:21pm PST

Iceland : 200 hundred million years old and growing........ Iceland, on the mid atlantic ridge is slowly being torn apart as the North American plate and Eurasion plate move away from each other. This, together with a northerly latitude of 66 degrees, has created a unique landscape which is made for the outdoors and the photographer who savours the beauty of landscape and the geothermal activity. Geysers, fumaroles, ice caps, tundra, raging torrents, waterfalls - Iceland has them all and more.

Iceland

200 hundred million years old and growing........ Iceland, on the mid ...

Updated: Mar 16, 2013 10:56am PST

Global visions : We live in a world which has compressed time and distance. Time- space convergence. To travel, to find opportunities to take photographs has become easier than ever before. There are so many diverse locations rich in culture, landscape and geography. You only discover new lands by losing site of the shore.

Global visions

We live in a world which has compressed time and distance. Time- spac ...

Updated: Jun 17, 2012 5:18am PST

Ethiopia - Surma and tribes of Western Omo : An area in SW Ethiopia with a huge diversity of ethnic groups. Suri, Bodi, Minit, Dizi, Nyangatom......some of the minorities who exist in this inaccessible area of Ethiopia. As roads improve, access improves and the tourists start to come to photograph the beauty of the landscapes and peoples of this region. The human zoo then changes the very nature of people living there. They must be the masters of their own future they should not be subject to unwanted change. An amazing place now - I hope it can survive the onslaught in a sensitive and sustainable way....

Ethiopia - Surma and tribes of Western Omo

An area in SW Ethiopia with a huge diversity of ethnic groups. Suri, ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:32pm PST

UAE - Dubai : Man over nature, a desert no more. Plastic, artificial and all consuming with a huge ecological footprint. This is high rise and has made its mark - an unsustainable one. Give me the high rise of the rainforest, the mountains or the cultures who live in relative harmony with nature. A testimony to human endeavour or greed?

UAE - Dubai

Man over nature, a desert no more. Plastic, artificial and all consum ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:33pm PST

Ethiopia - Afar : 120 metres below sea level, the hottest place on Earth - there are 1 million Afars living in some of the most inhospitable lands on the planet. Yet in this area, due to the splitting apart of the African plate, there are old salt beds which provide a sustainable resource for the Afar and their trains of camels which have been journeying for centuries to extract the salt in Dallol. The area also contains some of the most amazing hydrothermal features on Earth. Bizarre fumaroles of sulphur and many other chemicals create a surreal landscape overlying Dallol volcano. A short journey to the South over desert dunes and salt flats the very active Erte Ale volcano is found with it active and permanent lava lake. Difficult to get to but utterly amazing to see. The stars at night and the glow of lava beneath your feet give you an other worldly feeling.

Ethiopia - Afar

120 metres below sea level, the hottest place on Earth - there are 1 m ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:37pm PST

Ethiopia - North and Harar :

Ethiopia - North and Harar

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:41pm PST

Brazil - Pantanal : The largest wetland in the World - with a huge diversity of wildlife ranging from the Jaguar to the Arara Azul (Hyacinth Macaw). It is, however, an ecosystem under threat from unsustainable cattle ranching and pressure from tourism. It is nonetheless an amazing place with seasonal variations in the flooding of the Paraguay river providing a unique landscape and biodiversity.

Brazil - Pantanal

The largest wetland in the World - with a huge diversity of wildlife r ...

Updated: Dec 08, 2011 12:56pm PST

Brazil - Ouro Preto and Paraty : Cobbled streets, opulence, colour, style and charm. These beautiful towns have a rich heritage and largely grew up as a result of the gold mining and its subsequent trade. They have been beautifully preserved and have now become tourist honeypots which helps to sustain them and ensure their longevity.

Brazil - Ouro Preto and Paraty

Cobbled streets, opulence, colour, style and charm. These beautiful t ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:45pm PST

Brazil - Iguacu : One of the most beautiful waterfalls in the World - bordering Brasil, Argentina and Paraguay. Site of the huge and controversial Itaipu dam which is a joint venture but destroyed a great deal of the Mata Atlantica (rainforest) and also flooded another beautiful waterfall upstream. The remaining rainforest, together with the falls, provide the photographer and traveller with some extraordinary vistas.

Brazil - Iguacu

One of the most beautiful waterfalls in the World - bordering Brasil, ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:53pm PST

Brazil - Rio and environs : Rio de Janeiro - the social and historical core of Brasil. A city with stunning vistas, urban beaches like no others and a chaotic pattern of growth which has been determined by physical geography and social divisions. The contrast between the wealth of the coastal flats and the poverty of the favelas on the hill slopes is almost unparalleled. Within this division there is a divide in colour and urban morphology. The coast to the north and south of the city is beautiful. The granite inselbergs and resultant geology creating headlands, bays and beaches which are a magnet for Cariocas and tourists alike. Add a little pristine atlantic rainforest and the fusion is, in places breathtaking.

Brazil - Rio and environs

Rio de Janeiro - the social and historical core of Brasil. A city wit ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:55pm PST

My Smug Mug :

My Smug Mug

Updated: Jul 17, 2011 1:18pm PST

People : We, the human race, are so diverse in how we look, act and live. We are all African and yet through migrations over time we have adapted, adopted and changed in response to our new environments.

People

We, the human race, are so diverse in how we look, act and live. We a ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2011 4:57pm PST

password protected gallery

Watermarks

Updated: Sep 17, 2011 12:01pm PST

password protected gallery

Family and friends

Updated: Sep 01, 2011 2:11pm PST

Brazil - Bahia : Bahia - an area of North Eastern Brazil which has a huge diversity of cultural and physical landscapes to visit. Salvador has old an old, colourful and vibrant urban core which has been designated at a UNESCO world heritage site. Chapada Diamantina, a protected eco-zone to the West of Salvador has a wide variety of stunning physical features to relish and enjoy - canyon lands, mesas, waterfalls and cascades and cave systems many of which have been shaped by sub-surface rivers and which still have pools of crystal deep blue water. Lencois, the main town, grew up as a result of diamond mining which has long since disappeared. The town has now become a tourist honeypot with the old buildings gentrified and restored for the new tourist economy. Walk, cycle, swim an area which caters for anyone who enjoys a fusion between beauty and the outdoors.

Brazil - Bahia

Bahia - an area of North Eastern Brazil which has a huge diversity of ...

Updated: Oct 17, 2011 5:25pm PST

Costa Rica : Costa Rica, a small Central American country which lies to the North of Panama and South of Nicaragua, has a Caribbean and Pacific coastline and in between, volcanic peaks and lush rain forests. The latter were cut down rapidly in response to needs for land and cattle ranching but now the destruction has slowed and Costa Rica has designated a large number of forested areas in different eco-zones as National Parks. A great deal of income now comes from sustainable tourism and the eco-lodge is almost ubiquitous. There is a lot so see for such a small country. There are lots of primates, exotic frogs (the red eyed tree frog), more elusive cats, sloths, iguanas, snakes and a very large diversity of birds. The country is friendly and safe and the beaches fulfil all the pre-conceptions of what a tropical beach should be like. The waves roll in from both sides and surfing is part of the lifestyle of the littoral zones. There are still areas which are threatened by habitat loss but Costa Rica seems, at least to be facing the issue and trying to encourage a sustainable industry which is something that future generations can enjoy.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica, a small Central American country which lies to the North o ...

Updated: Jan 31, 2012 4:03am PST

Black and White :

Black and White

Updated: Feb 16, 2012 3:32pm PST

Galapagos : One thousand kilometres from the shores of Ecuador, there is a small group of islands with a unique ecology. The islands where Charles Darwin established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection. Travelling to the islands of San Cristobal, Espaniola, Floreana, Santa Cruz and Isabella you can see these variations first hand. There are few predators in the Galapagos and this enables the photographer to get closer than normal to a wide variety of birds, tortoises, iguanas and sea lions. Swimming with sea lions, turtles and sharks is commonplace and seeing what Galapagos has to offer is guaranteed. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy but it also poses a threat as numbers increase and pressurise the hotspots. The islands are volcanic and have a stark beauty - a place to stay for some time and see the diversity of species first hand.

Galapagos

One thousand kilometres from the shores of Ecuador, there is a small g ...

Updated: Mar 04, 2012 3:24pm PST

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SmugShots

Updated: Jun 05, 2012 5:33am PST

Israel and Jordan 2012 : The Middle East, divided and juxtaposed. Israel is a small but very vibrant country with a great deal of cultural diversity. Its history spans millennia and it is perhaps this which has led to conflicts today. Whilst there we visited Petra in Jordan, one of the wonders of the ancient world - an incredible place. The middle east is a melting pt but one which excites and thrills as there is so much to absorb and see.

Israel and Jordan 2012

The Middle East, divided and juxtaposed. Israel is a small but very vi ...

Updated: Sep 11, 2012 1:49am PST

Omo 12 : These tribes are juxtaposed between a life which is hard, bonded to nature, agrarian and the onset of a global tidal wave. They dance to an ancient beat on an empty track into a wilderness but as connectivity improves the wilderness recedes and the cultures which are in the way of progress will melt into uniformity. Roads, tourists, government directives, Isuzu trucks, communication networks and the church all create change and this change is imminent.

Omo 12

These tribes are juxtaposed between a life which is hard, bonded to na ...

Updated: Nov 26, 2012 11:31am PST

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