Howdy, Donal Boyd here. I’m a photographer and filmmaker living in Iceland and this article is all about how to approach photographing the active volcanic eruption in Iceland. Important details about safety, my personal recommendations for gear, and some general photographic tips for how to photograph flowing lava in the land of fire and ice (cliché, I know, but so true right now).
What’s happening with the volcano in Iceland?
On March 19th, the earth split open, and the first of several fissures appeared on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Southwest Iceland. New lava emerged and cascaded across fields of old lava. Since it began, thousands of people have been able to witness the wonder of planetary creation that is a volcanic eruption — all with an intimacy of closeness like never before in our collective human history. Countless immersive visuals – both film and photos – have been captured at the eruption site, which is less than an hour outside of the capital region of Reykjavik.
And at the moment, it doesn’t look like it’s letting up. This could just be the beginning, as indicated by the current trend in activity. At first there was one fissure and now there are four (at the time of writing). And experts here in Iceland have even indicated that this eruption might go on for months, years, or perhaps even decades or longer.
That being said, you might actually have a chance to see it for yourself once tourism opens back up here in the coming weeks and months. So, if you’re going to travel to Iceland to photograph the volcano, how should you prepare and what gear is ideal?
Since the start of the eruption, and at the time of writing this article, I’ve visited the volcano seven times on the ground and flown over it once in a small plane. In these multiple outings, one underlying consistency about the eruption site has been that it has been unpredictable. Each encounter is different from the last in terms of weather, safety, and ease of viewing.
Photographing a volcano: Safety
Before we even get into the specific photographic gear that I personally recommend, I want to mention the most important aspect of visiting the eruption site: safety, first and foremost.
A volcanic eruption is quite obviously an unpredictable and immensely dangerous force of nature. In general, viewing such a spectacle up close is prohibited by poisonous gas, risk of exposure to scorching hot lava, and other various hazards. And as such, although the access to the volcanic eruption is quite good at the moment, this could change at any point and it is important to keep this in mind. Utilization of technical equipment, including gas masks, and gas detectors to monitor poisonous gases is essential.
Thus, it is crucial to follow official updates and advice from the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) when planning and the Icelandic Search and Rescue Team when on the ground at the eruption site. You can find up to date information about the conditions, the safest hiking routes, and the status about the eruption site being open or closed through the official updates page via RUV (local news broadcast).
It’s also imperative to follow the weather and gas reports closely on vedur.is. Inherently, there is always a certain degree of uncertainty when visiting an active volcano and it is your own responsibility to keep updated on the conditions at the eruption site.
Photographing a volcano: Personal gear recommendations
Although I’ve been to the eruption site seven times, I have not grown tired of the location at all because it’s different on every occasion. Photography-wise, this is quite exciting because each return visit is almost an entirely new landscape and experience. There’s always something different to focus on. And because the weather changes so frequently in Iceland, this presents a whole other layer of photographic variety.
In terms of specific gear, for portraits of the landscape from the ground, I’ve been using a Sony a7R IV as my main body. Usually, I have the grip attached, but because of weight, I’ve actually trimmed it down to just the body itself for the hikes. I still keep at least three batteries fully charged with me at all times.
For lenses, at first, I was using my Canon 300mm F2.8 Version I lens on a tripod, but I found it was actually almost too close. And I ended up mostly using the Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM lens for most of the close ups of the volcano itself. Because the primary caldera is located in a valley, there’s plenty of great vantage points around and the 135 focal length was quite ideal to get close on the lava spitting out of the main craters. I found that the 300 was really too narrow of a view for my own taste. I quickly also found that any position far enough away from the main caldera with the 300 would result in blurry images due to heatwave distortion from the cooling lava. This is just my own experience so far, though.
Of course, you could focus on detail shots using a 300mm or 400mm prime lens, but it might really weigh you down. This brings me to a good point about packing. Although the area is quite accessible, the hike each way is at minimum one to two hours and could be longer in the future depending on the safety conditions at the eruption site. Keep this in mind when you’re packing your bag. The terrain isn’t the most forgiving and although the inclines on the hiking trails are manageable, but they can be quite steep at times and slippery with loose rocks and sand.
All this considered, now that I’ve been so often, I actually recommend bringing a 70-200 focal length lens with a 2x teleconverter for maximizing your photographic capabilities and minimizing weight. If you do want to capture more of a close up, then you’ll have the option to do so at 400mm, but with much less weight in your pack.
One other lens that I think is essential on location is a low aperture wide lens. Primes are great, but most often I ended up using a Canon 24-70 F2.8L lens, which I’ve found advantageous because of the flexibility with focal length. I’m personally using the Canon version with a Sigma MC-11 Adapter and I’ve found the autofocus works really great still, despite it not being a native lens. The 24-70mm is a great focal length no matter what system because again in this case it helps to minimize the weight issues that would result from brining multiple prime lenses for different focal lengths.
Almost every time I went to the volcano, I brought along my Sigma 20mm F1.4 ART lens, which was great for low light situations, but I almost never used it because 20mm felt a bit too wide for my own style. Also, an F1.4 lens might be better suited, of course, in the fall and winter months when there is a greater degree of darkness. In the summer there is plenty of light here in Iceland with almost 24 hours of daylight in mid-June. So, that’s one thing to keep in mind.
The next major (and my favorite) photographic tool is the drone. Personally, I’m using a DJI Mavic Air 2 with the Smart Controller along with a set of PolarPro ND filters. Since the eruption site is quite a grand and vast area, in order to get the best vantage points, the drone is essential. The ND filters really come in handy because if there is no cloud cover, the lava itself is very bright using an ND can be essential to capture the proper exposure in the middle of the day.
Having the ability to hover above the calderas, lava, and surrounding scenery is essential for anyone who wants to showcase the scale of the landscape. It’s also just amazing to witness the area through the eye of the drone.
As a tip, if you intend to capture landscape shots during twilight, dusk, blue hour, or during the day with cloud cover, I recommend putting the drone into tripod mode when you’re ready to click the shutter. Generally, I’ve found that when I shoot at lower shutter speeds to keep the ISO low, if I’m in tripod mode, the drone is a bit more stable, especially in slightly windy conditions, or when above lava with an updraft.
Generally, flying at the eruption is safe, but it all depends on how close you fly to the hot lava and the weather conditions. My advice is to, of course, be very cautious and don’t fly too close to the open fissures themselves, because they can be hundreds of degrees. I know a few people who have melted their drones. The sensors start to go haywire first and then the drones lose control.
It’s also important that you consider the updraft from the heat rising above the lava also when you fly above it. Another potential hazard. In general, it’s a risk you have to weigh yourself, but don’t expect to try and retrieve your drone if it lands itself somewhere out on the lava field. Seriously, never venture out onto the lava field even though it might appear to be solidified. You could fall through into a pit or worse, into hot lava hidden underneath.
Better yet, just keep a distance from the lava and the interface of the volcanic activity and you’ll lower your danger level considerably.
All this being said, the footage and visuals you can capture from the air are incomparable and I highly recommend either the Mavic Air 2 or the Mavic Air PRO.
Final thoughts & short film
Of course, there is so much more I could say about the volcanic eruption, but I’ll leave that for a future article for now. All in all, it’s been a personally powerful and transformative experience for me and so many others who have visited the volcano in person. In fact, this entire ordeal inspired me to try and capture a totally new angle on the event. And with support from Adorama, I had the opportunity to create a short film about the volcanic eruption titled “Volcano for the People”. As most people focused on the eruption itself, this short film turns the camera around on the people and explores what it really means to connect with nature through a collective experience.
You can view the film on YouTube via Adorama TV and a behind the scenes video as well via the links below.
Anyway, I hope this article helps you in some way if you do make it to Iceland to photograph the volcanic eruption. If you make it out here, feel free to get in contact via social media, which you can see in my bio below.
My full gear list for photographing the volcano in Iceland:
Gear that I use personally:
Other Recommendations:
Feature photo by Donal Boyd
