Drone photographer Daniel Haussmann loves capturing epic views of volcanoes so Indonesia is a natural draw given that it is home to some of the most active and famous volcanoes in the world.
Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country’s volcanic arc stretches from Sumatra in the west to the Banda Sea in the east. After capturing volcanoes in Iceland, Haussmann recently traveled to the Southeast Asian country with his drones.
“I had Indonesia long on my agenda,” he tells PetaPixel. “Mainly because I fell in love with volcanoes. So naturally going to Indonesia with its many volcanoes was something I always wanted to do.”
Not all countries are happy about drones being brought across the border but Indonesia is fairly relaxed which proved to be another draw for Haussmann.
“The goal was to do a drone trip 100% focused on drone filming. Both FPV and classic video and photography drone work,” he explains.
“This comes with the usual caveats of getting up early (sometimes leaving the hotel as early as midnight) and also the occasional need for some longer hiking. So sleep schedules were shifted in order to get the maximum out of the trip.”
Indonesia is an enormous archipelagic nation so going to all the places Haussmann wanted to photograph was challenging and required meticulous planning.
“I decided to go to Anak Krakatau due to its proximity to our entry point Jakarta and the explosive and interesting history of this volcano,” he says.
“Then we moved on to the classic east Java Bromo, Kawa Ijen and Tumpak Sewu locations. Ending the trip in Flores Island with the highlights being the ancient Wae Rebo village, Kelimutu volcano, and the Komodo National Park with Padar Island and the Komodo Dragons as highlights.”
To cover that much ground, Haussmann had to book multiple flights, make long drives, and stay in basic accommodation where unwanted guests such as cockroaches, snails, or mice were to be expected.
He brought with him two FPV drones (DJI with GoPros attached) as well as two DJI Mavic 3 drones. The double drone packing was in case something went wrong and Haussmann needed a replacement part.
“The weather is challenging, too. With humidity and even rain in higher altitudes. And really hot 86 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (30 to 35 degrees Celcius) in other places,” he says.
“Dust also posed a challenge and was responsible for the temporary death of my FPV goggles that due to volcanic dust and humidity the next day, died mid-flight. Although with a bit of luck, I brought the FPV drone back.”
Haussmann says he is “super happy” with the results from his trip but says there is still much of Indonesia to explore.
For more from Haussmann, check out his Instagram and website.
Image credits: Photos by Daniel Haussmann.