Elle Leontiev named open photographer of the year out of more than 430,000 submissions for portrait of Phillip Yamah at Mount Yasur in Vanuatu
The earth was rumbling beneath Elle Leontiev’s feet, the air thick with volcanic gas and ash. Before her, Phillip Yamah stood barefoot on an exploded lava bomb. His shiny silver lava suit contrasted the dark, smouldering backdrop of Mount Yasur – one of the world’s most active volcanoes on the Vanuatu island of Tanna.
Adding tension to the scene, the Australian photographer was shooting entirely “blind”. The electricity at a nearby village had shorted her Sony A7 III screens and digital interface, forcing Leontiev to rely solely on the beep of her autofocus sensor to capture the moment.