Enrico Villa Photography

Mount Pico wearing a turban (dedicated to my Mom)

Sunset on Mount Pico, the highest peak in Portugal (2351 metres). Located on Pico Island in the Azores, this stratovolcano is dormant and last erupted in 1718. His famous hat (a lenticular cloud) looked actually more like a turban when I captured this shot. +/- Read the story behind this shot

Grand Teton National Park

View to the Tetons from my trip to Wyoming and Montana in 2011.

Forte de Santa Catarina

My take on the Forte de Santa Catarina at blue hour, Figueira da Foz, Portugal.

Sunrise on snowcapped Pico

It was right while taking this shot that I realised a fumarole was starting to appear on the volcano. You can find another shot in this gallery which I took after changing lens and zooming in on to the fumarole, which became meanwhile much more visible.

Portuguese Man o' War

Often incorrectly defined as jellyfish, the Portuguese Man o' War is a siphonophore - a colonial organism. Their tentacles can deliver very painful stings, while the bell is completely harmless. I took this shot while the Man-o-war was floating at the water surface a few miles off the south coast of Pico Island (Azores, Portugal). Later on, at home, I looked at the picture and realised, much to my surprise, that I got a shot with a very abstract mood from a 100% real photograph. Very calm seas and smooth wavelets led to the totally unexpected reflections. +/- Read the story behind this shot

Resting with a Newfie dog by a tidal pool

Stopping by a tidal pool at sunset while walking a Newfoundland dog on the beach of Senigallia, Marche, Italy.

Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)

Water playing with a surfacing Fin whale

Blow without a Whale

Very special weather and sea conditions off the coast of Pico Island in the Azores made the blow of a Fin whale persist for a long time after the animal dove. When I got back to land, I looked at this 'ghost blow' and, suddenly, my thoughts went to the millions of whales slaughtered for centuries by mankind. This photograph is dedicated to their souls. +/- Read the story behind this shot

Cloud Hat on Pico Volcano

The amazing cloud hat on Pico volcano, the highest peak in Portugal (2351 m). Such lenticular cloud is rarely observed. It forms very rapidly and, due to the high air turbulence, the changes in shape are so abrupt that they sometimes look like time lapses! I was very lucky in this occasion as the cloud just kept spinning around the top of the mount during the 30 seconds I needed for my exposure. Ten seconds later, it suddenly started to descend along the slopes of the volcano, completely covering its summit. +/- Read the story behind this shot

Lighthouse and volcano of Capelinhos

My black and white take on the dramatic scenery of the Capelinhos volcano and its ruined lighthouse. The volcano last erupted in 1957-58.

Road on Pico Island vanishing into Faial Island

View to the island of Faial from the road that crosses Pico Island from the mountain to the coast. My wife was spotting for cars behind me, so that I could safely take the shot.

Bison traffic jam

Spot color photo on bison causing a bit of a traffic jam in Yellowstone National Park. Rather than simply crossing, these four bison stopped in the middle of the road for a little while, thus freezing the shot themselves rather than the photographer!

Highlands of Pico Island

My take on the series of volcanic cones you can see from the road that leads up to Mount Pico. The island, called Pico, is the second biggest of the Azorean archipelago (mid-Atlantic, Portugal).

Nifty cat

Alya, my yellow-eyed gray cat. This is what I consider a 'natural selective' colour.