Dappled
As the morning light tries to maneuver its way through a cluster of saplings, it is reflected in all directions. The leaves reduce the piercing sunlight to an agreeable softness.
Tropical Glare
Iridescent skies and toxic green vegetation are no strangers in the Pacific.
Fern Fronds
The undergrowth always provides green chambers for insect life to dwell in and interesting shadows for a photographer to play around with.
Fire and Rain
Clouds roll over the islands on westerly winds carrying moisture from New Guinea. Still, the Pacific sun radiates through.
The Bank
Up close and personal with a riverbank, one can get a millipede’s view of life go by.
Grassy Footpaths
Layers of moss soften one’s footsteps and the air is heavy with an exotic humidity that almost feels intimidating.
Welcoming Seat
Umbrella palms choke a crumbling and worm-eaten bench. Nothing lasts for long in the tropics.
To the Bungalow
Fiery bushes and arrogant palms line a heavily trodden path to a typical Solomon thatched bungalow.
Morning Light
That feeling of adventure, when the first rays of sunlight pierce through the morning mist. It is what every person dreams of in far flung lands.
Evening
The razor sharp leaves of palm fronds slice through an apricot sky.
Stillness of Foliage
The branches would hardly sway in the languid evenings on Guadalcanal until the air caught a welcome breeze from the northern canal.
Family of Leaves
A diagonal string of verdant green leaves acts as a reminder that the forest is in an endless state of flux and growth.
The Climb
Vines and creepers will clamor up any barrier they face with the energetic desire of tropical growth. They tangle and entwine one another, cascading onto the forest floor in a mess of foliage.
Vegetation Galore
Plants burst onto the scene in this garden in Guadalcanal.
New Shoots
Rough ground level photography gives one the sense of really being in the thick of the rainforest.
Speckled Light
Tiny windows of light shine through the canopy.
Forest Layers
There is life in every layer and in every corner of this place.
Dazzling Palms
Criss-crossing palm fronds make an wonderful composition.
Guadalcanal Hills
Banana plants dot the sandalwood forests that cling to the lush hillsides found in the interior of this island.
Guadalcanal River
Fallen sandalwood branches serve as useful bridges over a shallow but turbulent river.
View Up River
Rivers cut their way through verdant forests like jagged scars.
Rapids
The river rushed past our resting spot with ferocity and speed.
Gentle Bay
At last, a piece of Heaven, a gentle spot, a bay of calm waters. Rapids, swirls and bubbles lead to this. A safe moon-shaped slice of sand looked upon by whispering trees.
Vines and Falls
The hint of a waterfall peaks through a tumultuous cascade of creepers and vines.
Pebbles
The river bottom swells after heavy rain but in the dry season it reveals a bed of colorful pebbles. Red, crimson, ochre and purple.
Saplings
The forest floor is a contrast of bark and leaf. The musty earth of the topsoil serves as a base for the growth of wondrous exotic plants.
Jungle Corridor
Banana leaves, mango trunks, sandalwood branches and ficus trees glamour for attention along the narrow, wet corridor carved into the forest by a fast flowing river.
Wet Shadows
Specks of foliage and thick red mud line the banks of this river. The contrasting shadows of a forest floor can be intense.
The Falls
Three graceful sisters plunge into a turquoise pool. Guadalcanal is dotted with waterfalls.
Sandstone Paths
Green banks and a reflective river line the large, flat pebbles that make up the valley bed. Soaking up the sun, they are warm and blissful to touch with the soles of one’s bare feet.
Morning Glare
The Pacific sun, bouncing off polished pebbles and a shallow stream, stings the eyes and burns the top of your head.
Plants in Protest
Large tropical leaves seem to crowd around the camera, as if in protest at the looming wet weather, the incoming deluge and the fierce winds of the night. Who will remain rooted and who will be swept away?
Layers of Green
Take a slice through any rainforest and you will find plants of all ages, insects of all species.
Home in the Undergrowth
A thatched roof and a typical island pattern are a welcome sight at the end of a long hike through the surrounding rainforest.
Palm Tunnel
Green canopies line every forest corridor. The Solomon Islands are brimming with life.
Wet Horizons
Palm fronds bow to the approaching clouds. A purple haze hangs in the sky, signaling rain.
Garden Dates
A splash of red adds an unsettling vibrancy to the wet and tropical scene.
Bamboo Paths
Vertical trees in all sizes, from Bamboo to Sandalwood and Palm, lined the slim corridors that cut through this whimsical garden.
Lush
There is nothing quite like the morning mist that fills the valleys and hangs around the tropical hills.
Palm Shoots
Palm trees grow in villages and gardens, along roads and in jungle clearances. The shade offered by their broad leaves is life-saving.
The Visitor
I stumbled upon this group of children playing in their tree houses along a river bank in central Guadalcanal. As always, children are typically shy and inquisitive of those holding a camera.
Meeting Spot
A group of young islanders hang out on their favorite patch of green..
Colours of a Garden
Solomon Islanders have a real connection with nature and spend many hours cultivating orchards and picking fruit from the surrounding forest.
Home in the Trees
Island huts can be found along the muddy river banks, floating on bamboo rafts and little islets, buried deep in the rainforest or perched up high in the canopies.
Umbrella Palm
The most fashionable of the palm species, with its green to yellow shades and its wide, neatly-trimmed leaves.
Little Banana Plant
A banana plant stands proud in the foreground. It will produce one of the island’s staple fruits.
Evening Spell
The gentle light of another evening in the tropics casts a warm glow over the forest canopy.
Garden Tumble
The dense vegetation of a garden in Guadalcanal fills the air with a languid, sweet scent.
Hill Clad
The highlands tumble gently towards the coast, covered here and there by dense patches of vegetation.
Jungle Folds
A purple evening hangs over the jungle clad hills and valleys in central Guadalcanal.
Evrand
His hair was bleached a ruby red thanks to the betel nut juice rubbed into his scalp.
Felix
This young boy showed a big interest in the camera lans. The forest canopy cast green shadows across the children’s’ faces.
Jacob, Felix and Annette
These brothers and sisters look solemnly into the camera as their close friends peer from behind them.
Annette
As one of the older girls, Annette must take care of her younger clan.
Crown of the Canopy
The branches and vines of the forest’s higher reaches loom over the underpasses like twisted figures.
Wall of Sandalwood
Vegetation manages to cover the sheer, vertical slopes that surround a forest basin.
Dry River
In the dry season, many small rivers narrow at their wastes, leaving a warm line of red sand at the feet of imposing arboreal giants.
Village Brothers
Felix and his close friend look out for one another in the village home they know so well. The looming forest that surrounds them can be a perilous place.
Sheltered
A corrugated iron roof is a luxury in a place where it seems to rain for days on end.
Annette
The eldest of three siblings takes some time off play to gaze into the lens. Houses stand on tall stilts to avoid the seasonal floods.
Lining Up
Children line up in one of their active games upon the forest floor.
See Through
A boy plays hide and seek behind an empty packet of stickers.
Escaping the Heat
A young boy enjoys some time out in the shade.
Goodbyes
A group of young children look on as we make our way along the rest of our trail.