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Photography

An Adventurous Drone Films Spectacular Aerial Footage of Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall Volcano

Braving the molten lava and fiery ash spewed by Geldingadalur’s Fagradalsfjall volcano, the team at Iceland Aerials sent a GoPro into the midst of the event mid-eruption. The spectacular footage, which captured the 6,000-year occurrence earlier this year, flies closer to the scorching scene than humanly possible, following the gush of magma as it cascades down the landscape and wading through the smoky haze that hovers over the area. Iceland Aerials shares a few videos from the dramatic site on YouTube, and you might enjoy this short film and these photos documenting the eruption, as well. (via Twisted Sifter)

Photography

Spectacular Winners of the 2021 Drone Photography Contest Capture a Bird’s-Eye View of the World

“Pink-Footed Geese Meeting the Winter” by Terje Kolaas. All images courtesy of the 2021 Drone Photography Awards, shared with permission

Following last year’s competition eclipsed by this serendipitous shot of a shark swimming in a heart-shaped school of fish, the 2021 Drone Photography Awards brings together a slew of aerial images framing the myriad patterns, textures, and colors found around the world. Norwegian photographer Terje Kolaas captured the winning composition, which joins a flock of thousands of pink-footed geese as they make their way to Svalbard. The shot is particularly interesting because the winged creatures are early on their journey to the snow-covered arctic region, a premature arrival that’s likely sparked by the changing climate.

Hosted by the Siena Awards Festival, the 2021 competition garnered hundreds of thousands of submissions from photographers working across 102 countries, an immense and diverse collection that was culled down to a few dozen winners. An exhibition titled Above Us Only Sky will showcase the finalists from October 23 to December 5 as part of the annual event.

“Duoyishu Terraces” by Ran Tian

“Volcano Show” by Oleg Rest

“Sheep in Congress” by Yoel Robert Assiag

“Poisoned River” by Gheorghe Popa

“Bank Of Buriganga” by Md Tanveer Hassan Rohan

“Melting Ice Cap” by Florian Ledoux

“Hippopotamus Group From Above” by Talib Almarri

Photography

Sweltering Photos Capture the Charred and Molten Rock Rippling Down from an Icelandic Volcano

All images © Jan Erik Waider, shared with permission

Whether shooting in the harsh snowy regions of Greenland or on the basalt-lined waters of Iceland’s Stuðlagil canyon, Jan Erik Waider highlights the textures and fleeting shapes of the earth’s landscapes. His photographs often isolate monumental subject matter like glaciers and deep, rocky canyons in a way that makes the abstracted forms appear like mysterious, otherworldly environments, an approach he continues in his recent LAVA series.

Earlier this year, Waider, who is based in Hamburg but frequently travels throughout remote regions in the Nordic countries, trekked to Iceland’s Nátthagi valley following the Fagradalsfjall volcano eruption. He spent three days getting as close as possible to the magma as it poured across the landscape and using a telephoto lens to document its changing forms in magnified detail, which he describes in a note to Colossal:

I was absolutely blown away by how quickly the lava field changed. Apparently, cooled lava broke open, and thick, fresh lava flowed out and formed new shapes and “sculptures,” which were then destroyed again by new lava a few minutes later. This simultaneously beautiful but also brutal transience was the charm for me. A surreal landscape that in just a few minutes will no longer be visible to anyone.

The resulting images contrast the crispy, charred edges of the cooled rock with its molten underbelly. You can see a portion of the LAVA series is below, but check out Behance for the full collection. All of the shots are also available as prints on his site.

Photography

Stranded: Striking Aerial Footage Flies Over Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall Volcano as It Erupts

A few weeks ago we shared these dramatic photographs of Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano as spews molten rock into the air, and a new short film by French director Stéphane Ridard hovers over the Geldingadalur landform to capture the eruption, which is the first in 6,000 years, in incredible detail. Shot on March 19, “Stranded” reveals spectacular aerial footage of rivers of lava pouring across the landscape, magma shooting upward onto the Reykjanes peninsula, and the smoky haze that blankets the site, which is located about 20 miles from Reykjavík.

Having just moved to Iceland a few weeks ago, Ridard shoots a variety of landscapes around the world, and you can find more of his films and photographs on Vimeo and Instagram.

Photography

Spectacular Aerial Photos Capture the Dramatic Scenes Unfolding as Iceland’s Volcano Erupts

All images © Thrainn Kolbeinsson, shared with permission

Photographer Thrainn Kolbeinsson has been camping out on the Reykjanes peninsula in recent days documenting the long-awaited eruption of Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano. Following an estimated 50,000 earthquakes and nearly 6,000 years since its last event, the Geldingadalur landform, which is located about 20 miles from Reykjavík, has been transformed into a scorching scene of molten lava, ash, and explosive bursts that spatters across the sky—the setting is so dramatic and ominous that the internet has even started likening it to Mordor.

Kolbeinsson says that after a few days of calm, “the Earth suddenly opened up, and the night sky turned red,” erupting in a blazing mass of lava that roils through the charred landscape. “Even though it might look terrifying, it was actually a beautiful experience watching the violent spits from the volcano quickly turn into smooth streams of glowing lava as new earth was being born. Every day the area has changed, and at this pace, the whole valley will fill up in about 10-20 days,” he writes.

See more images and footage from the site on Kolbeinsson’s Behance and Instagram. You also can find a larger collection of his shots from around Iceland on his site, and check out available prints in his shop. (via WE AND THE COLOR)

Photography

A Serendipitous Shot Frames a Meteor Soaring Over Russia’s Klyuchevskaya Sopka as It Erupts

Image © Daniel Kordan, shared with permission

In a single, fortuitous photograph, Daniel Kordan proves his astute eye as he documents two of nature’s rarely seen phenomena: the brilliant trail of a meteor streaking through the sky and Klyuchevskaya Sopka as it spews a mass of glowing lava. Striking and similarly explosive, the pair even reflect in the small body of water in the foreground.

Raised near Moscow, the now-itinerant photographer took the unexpected shot while leading a 2016 workshop at the Kamchatka Peninsula, which sits at the northeast corner of Russia facing the Pacific Ocean. The group was in the area hoping to capture the dramatic eruptions from Klyuchevskaya Sopka, which is the tallest active volcano in Eurasia—records show it’s been live since 1697—and the highest in the region scaling 15,580 feet. “We stayed with my group at camp close to a small pond,” Kordan says. “We caught reflections of volcanoes, and accidentally, I also caught a shooting star during a long exposure (of) 25 seconds.”

Kordan is known for his stunning landscape and outdoor photography, including shots of the jagged icicles on Lake Baikal, Namibia’s rippled sand dunes, and Lofoten, a fairytale-like town in Norway, to name a few. Follow his travels on Instagram, and pick up a print in his shop. (via PetaPixel)