Because it’s Friday : Photos of Africa, taken from a flying lawn chair | George Steinmetz

The following TED Talk tells the story behind an amazing collection of pictures taken by flying low and slow over Africa.

If you want to see more of George’s pictures there’s a full story on George’s site, and lots of pictures on his Instagram account.

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Sulphur stains the salt formations of Dallol, and green algae thrives in the hot mineral-rich waters. The spring is 130 meters below sea level in the #AfarDepression of #Ethiopia, which has the lowest point in #Africa. It also has the #hottest temperatures on earth, with a year round day/night average of 34.6 °C (94.3 °F). The area offers rare glimpse into the geological forces of #tectonic rift zones that are usually hidden deep beneath the sea. Moments after taking this picture I broke through the orange crust and went in up to my knees, filling up my rubber boots with scalding soup. #rudepedicure To see a TED talk about my 39 years of field work in Africa, try the link in the bio of @geosteinmetz

A post shared by George Steinmetz (@geosteinmetz) on Feb 8, 2018 at 5:10am PST

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#Zebra have the run of the strange landscape of fairy circles in #NamibRand Nature Reserve in #Namibia. The circles are a poorly understood phenomena that scientists still struggle to understand. I actually prefer the native #Himba explanation… the circles are the footprints of the Gods. To see a TED talk covering my 39 years of field work in #Africa, go to link in bio of @geosteinmetz

A post shared by George Steinmetz (@geosteinmetz) on Feb 1, 2018 at 6:14am PST

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Alexi’s plane casts a shadow over hyper-saline waters of Lake Natron, Tanzania. The lake has an unusually high pH of 10, similar to pure ammonia. Under the sun of the Great Rift Valley, it can reach 120°F, giving rise to blooms of red #algae. I was flying over this lake with my #paraglider earlier that morning, and felt uncomfortable being so far offshore, as #paramotor engines are notoriously unreliable. So I wimped and went back to land on the beach, only to discover that my carburetor was messed up and I was a few minutes from running out of fuel. If I had GONE FOR IT that morning, I would have landed in that red soup, which is so caustic that it burns your skin. So, feeling lucky to still be walking, I asked Alexis to take me up over the lake in his #Cessna, and got an even better picture! If I had to choose being smart or being lucky, I’d take lucky! #adventure #karma To see a TED talk about my 39 years of field work in #Africa, try the link in the bio of @geosteinmetz

A post shared by George Steinmetz (@geosteinmetz) on Jan 26, 2018 at 7:32am PST

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Photograph by George Steinmetz Intensive #farming goes right up to the border of the gorilla reserve in Rwanda’s #Volcanoes National Park. This cloud forest is a closely protected sanctuary for #Mountain #Gorillas, which bring in large sums of money from foreign tourists. #Rwanda has the highest rural population density of any country in #Africa, and intense competition for farm land has pushed people to cultivate right up to the park boundary, seen here at 2,900m (9,500ft.). Too view the top of the volcano, look back through @geosteinmetz #africa #mountaingorilla #conservation #wildlife #population

A post shared by George Steinmetz (@geosteinmetz) on Jan 22, 2018 at 6:09am PST

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Photograph by George Steinmetz @geosteinmetz Terraced fields of wheat climb the slopes of a small volcano near the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda, continental Africa's most densely populated nation. Land scarcity was a significant contributor to Rwanda’s genocide in 1994. To see more about the global food supply, go to @feedtheplanet #AfricanAirBook

A post shared by George Steinmetz (@geosteinmetz) on Jun 19, 2017 at 7:44am PDT