- Planet Earth
- Volcanoes
Elle Leontiev's image of Philip, a self-taught volcanologist who has lived on Mount Yasur his whole life, has won the Portraiture category of the Open competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2026.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
- Copy link
- X
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
Become a Member in Seconds
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered Daily
Daily Newsletter
Sign up for the latest discoveries, groundbreaking research and fascinating breakthroughs that impact you and the wider world direct to your inbox.
Signup +
Once a week
Life's Little Mysteries
Feed your curiosity with an exclusive mystery every week, solved with science and delivered direct to your inbox before it's seen anywhere else.
Signup +
Once a week
How It Works
Sign up to our free science & technology newsletter for your weekly fix of fascinating articles, quick quizzes, amazing images, and more
Signup +
Delivered daily
Space.com Newsletter
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!
Signup +
Once a month
Watch This Space
Sign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books.
Signup +
Once a week
Night Sky This Week
Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us!
Signup +Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter
A photograph of an amateur volcanologist standing barefoot on the lava fields of Vanuatu's Mount Yasur has won the Portraiture category of the Open competition of this year's Sony World Photography Awards. Fine art and documentary photographer Elle Leontiev captured the image of Philip, the "barefoot volcanologist" on Tanna, a remote Pacific island approximately 120 miles (190 kilometers) from the main island of Efate.
A post shared by ELLE LEO | Sony Award Winning Photographer (@elle_tieva_)
A photo posted by on
Mount Yasur is a 1,184-foot (361 meters) active volcano on the eastern side of Tanna. It has been erupting since at least 1774, according to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, with regular low-to-moderate Strombolian explosions. The last period of major unrest was December 2025. Because of its frequent, moderate explosive activity, Mount Yasur is one of the most accessible Strombolian volcanoes in the world.
You may like-
The world's 'hidden' volcanoes pose the greatest risk for global crisis
-
A deer carrying the rotting head of its vanquished foe and a playful lynx shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People's Choice Award
-
Best space photos of 2025
Philip, who was born and lives at the base of the volcano, has spent years studying and monitoring Mount Yasur. He trained with French volcanologist Thomas Boyer — but with limited access to further education and the high cost of fees, Philip has no formal qualifications.
Boyer, lab manager and chief scientist at Geolab XP, a Vanuatu-based independent geological laboratory, met Philip in 2011 while visiting Yasur.
"I started to teach him stuff about volcanoes at the same time he was teaching me how to approach the Yasur and (volcano) field techniques he learned since he was a small boy," he told Live Science in an email. "We complemented each other from the start and have since successfully blended our two worldviews: science and Melanesian customs. … Philip has progressively played an increasingly important role locally as a knowledgeable observer of Yasur and as a bridge between the volcano, visiting scientists, and the communities of Tanna."
Because of the volcanic soil, Tanna is extremely fertile. People on the island, which has a population of around 30,000, rely on farming and tourism, focusing on basic needs and cultural customs. "Philip's sort of that exception to the rule in a sense that, yeah, he's a man of science; he loves science," Leontiev said.
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter nowContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Activity at Yasur generally consists of explosive bursts that eject "volcanic bombs," ash and gas from the vents in the summit crater, Boyer said. It's relatively predictable, he added, which is why controlled tourism is possible.
As a guide, Philip takes researchers and tourists up the volcano, but there's been a significant decline in visitors to Vanuatu in recent years.
"It's pretty isolated out there now," Leontiev said. In 2015, Tropical Cyclone Pam, one of the worst Pacific storms in recorded history, severely damaged Vanuatu's infrastructure and wiped out crops, livestock and fisheries. Tourism was also severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2024, the main domestic airline, Air Vanuatu, was placed into liquidation. Then, in December 2024, the country was hit by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake that caused extensive destruction and affected over 80,000 people.
You may like-
The world's 'hidden' volcanoes pose the greatest risk for global crisis
-
A deer carrying the rotting head of its vanquished foe and a playful lynx shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People's Choice Award
-
Best space photos of 2025
Vanuatu, a chain of around 80 volcanic islands, is also at huge risk from climate change, with extreme weather, coastal erosion, sea level rise and ocean acidification affecting resources and tourism.
Leontiev said Philip now collaborates with the Vanuatu Meteorology & Geo-hazards Department, visiting the seismic stations on the volcano and occasionally carrying out sampling. He also works at the nearby volcano museum that Boyer set up.
"Yasur is embedded in the cultural and spiritual life of Tanna," Boyer said. "All communities consider it part of their identity and history, and people have lived safely around it for generations, respecting the volcano and understanding its rhythms. Philip and I tried to highlight that in our museum, that science and traditions are not at odds with each other."
The museum, Haos Blong Volkeno, is an educational center and hub for visiting scientists. "It provides an important local base for logistics, field coordination, and scientific exchanges between international researchers and the local community," Boyer said, adding that both he and Philip help visiting scientists access craters, carry out observations, and maintain and check monitoring equipment.
"On a day-to-day basis, Philip's work is a mix of observation, guiding, and informal monitoring," Boyer said. "Because he lives directly next to the volcano, he has a continuous awareness of its behaviour. This kind of long-term visual and experiential knowledge is extremely valuable for us as volcanologists, it can help [build] models and better predict future eruptions."
The suit Philip is wearing in the photograph was donated by a group of scientists who visited the volcano, Leontiev said. He goes barefoot because he always has. "[His feet are] pretty resistant to the elements," she said. "Also his feet are so huge that no shoes fit him." Actor Will Smith, whom Philip helped guide for the 2021 National Geographic documentary "Welcome to Earth," had a pair of shoes custom-made for him, "but I don't know if he wears them," Leontiev added.
Related stories—Russia's Bezymianny volcano blew itself apart 69 years ago. It's now almost completely regrown.
—An Iranian volcano appears to have woken up — 700,000 years after its last eruption
—AI reveals hidden 'ring fault' that is unleashing earthquakes at Italy's Campi Flegrei volcano
Philip's aim is to send his son, John, to university to become Tanna's first official volcanologist. John, who is of university age, is now working with Boyer to learn about volcanoes. "The passion has been passed on to the next generation," he said. "We want to help John do what Philip was unable to do formally: study science and volcanology."
Because Vanuatu has no dedicated volcanology program, he hopes to study in New Caledonia or New Zealand. "Education in Vanuatu is limited, and they also have to pay it out of their own pocket," Leontiev said. "It's around $2,000 a year, which is really high." According to the United Nations Urban Resilience Hub, the average income for a person in Vanuatu's capital, Port Vila, is around $350 per month.
The Barefoot Volcanologist - YouTube
Watch On
Cinematographer Guillaume Beaudoin, who made a short film about Philip's work after meeting him while filming volcanoes on Vanuatu's remote islands, launched a campaign to raise funds for John's education.
"Philip is a really good person, a really kind person," Leontiev said, "and someone who believes a lot in his community and looks out for everybody. I think that desire to see the youth succeed and get an education is something really admirable about him and something that he strives for regardless of his circumstances. He's also someone that hasn't let his dreams die in the face of any obstacles. I think that's pretty special."
Sony World Photography Awards 2026. Exhibition at Somerset House in London, April 17 to May 4, 2026. worldphoto.org
Hannah OsborneSocial Links NavigationEditorHannah Osborne is the planet Earth and animals editor at Live Science. Prior to Live Science, she worked for several years at Newsweek as the science editor. Before this she was science editor at International Business Times U.K. Hannah holds a master's in journalism from Goldsmith's, University of London.
View MoreYou must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
Logout Read more
The world's 'hidden' volcanoes pose the greatest risk for global crisis
A deer carrying the rotting head of its vanquished foe and a playful lynx shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People's Choice Award
Best space photos of 2025
'Necessary for the future of humankind': Who was honored at the first-ever Global Space Awards?
Parkfield, San Andreas, and the quest for a 'crystal ball' for predicting earthquakes before they happen
Grim photo captures polar bear mom and cubs resting in mud in summer heat
Latest in Volcanoes
Volcanoes: Facts, news, features and articles about geology's fieriest features
The world's 'hidden' volcanoes pose the greatest risk for global crisis
Coconucos volcanic chain: Colombia's stunning cluster of volcanoes, lost in an otherworldly landscape
Russia's Bezymianny volcano blew itself apart 69 years ago. It's now almost completely regrown.
'Like a sudden bomb': See photos from space of Ethiopian volcano erupting for first time in 12,000 years
Eruptions of ocean volcanoes may be the echoes of ancient continental breakups
Latest in News
Stone Age woman was buried like a man, revealing flexible gender roles 7,000 years ago in Hungary
Mysterious 'dots' discovered by Webb telescope may be the first stars in the universe on the verge of collapse
Gold coin discovered by a metal detectorist in the UK may have been dropped by a Viking invader from the Great Heathen Army
'Collective hum' of black holes could settle the debate over new physics
'Blood moon' total eclipse dazzles millions around the world (photos)
Prehistoric water-dwelling weirdo with sideways teeth and a twisted jaw was already a 'living fossil' 275 million years ago
LATEST ARTICLES
1Prehistoric water-dwelling weirdo with sideways teeth and a twisted jaw was already a 'living fossil' 275 million years ago- 2Mysterious 'little red dots' discovered by James Webb telescope may be the first stars in the universe on the verge of collapse
- 3Stone Age woman was buried like a man, revealing flexible gender roles 7,000 years ago in Hungary
- 4'Collective hum' of black holes could mend our broken understanding of the universe, physicists say
- 5Gold coin discovered by a metal detectorist in the UK may have been dropped by a Viking invader from the Great Heathen Army
