Colours of Life

• Photographer
  Tracey Shelton
• Agency / Studio
  Freelance
• Photo Date
  November 2019

From the sinister steaming swamps of Rotorua to the bubbling pools of Wai-O-Tapu, the breathe of our living planet can be seen in vibrant colour. New Zealand's north island is dotted with geothermal hotspots of bubbling mud, sulphur waterfalls, steaming vents and lakes of neon oranges, yellows and greens, coloured by the oxidization of various minerals including manganese and sulphur. Indigenous Maori tribes would mix these minerals with whale oil to paint their art work and buildings.

I have worked as a multimedia journalist in Australia, the Middle East and Asia covering conflict, politics and human rights violations since 2005. My articles, photographs and videos have been published globally, receiving 18 international awards. I reported exclusively on Gaddafi’s capture and death in Libya which sparked a UN inquiry, broke news of the Yazidi crisis in Iraq as Islamic State attacked, killed and kidnapped them and gained wide acclaim for my photography in war-torn Syria. I am currently based in Melbourne, Australia, working as a world producer and reporter for the ABC.