Photographing volcanoes can be dangerous, but it’s certainly an experience to remember. Israel-based photographer Erez Marom traveled to Hawaii to try it for himself, and he captured the magnificent view of hot lava flows. But there was a price to pay – and he paid with his gear.
He used a drone to get some aerial shots. But at one point, he got too close and the hot lava melted the plastic. Fortunately, Erez still managed to save the photos, and he kindly shared them with DIYP. And although his drone is destroyed – it was definitely worth it.
As Erez writes, when he and his friend arrived in Hawaii they first came to the Big Island, where they shot the lava flows of Kilauea volcano. They hiked 8 kilometers to reach the red-hot flowing lava. They were lucky – it was just outside the national park, so Erez could use his drone and get some aerial shots of this magnificent sight.
After an hour of shooting, new lava rivers burst out of the mountainside. The red, hot flow was diverging and converging down the slopes, creating unique, abstract shapes. Erez says this truly mesmerized them, and they spent about 3 hours shooting. They managed to capture the sight in daytime, sunset and twilight.
Since he was so drawn in by the nature’s spectacle, it took him a while to realize something strange was going on. He started to notice that the right side of the drone images was getting darker. Still, he went on shooting. This spectacle wasn’t something you see every day. But when he got back to the apartment, he was surprised by the condition of his drone. The plastic inside it had melted while he was shooting close to the lava.
Despite the destroyed drone, Erez says it was worth it. Seeing his beautiful, abstract shots of the lava flows, I must say I definitely agree with him. Take a look at more photos below and see for yourself.
Now, in addition to taking aerial shots and melting the drone, Erez had a few more shooting alternatives. He shot the lava flows from a helicopter and from a boat, too, and shared the photos with DIYP. So if you enjoyed the drone photos, here are some more from other perspectives. You’ll love them, too.
Boat
Helicopter
About the Artist
Erez Marom is an Israel-born and based photographer, who has been traveling, taking photos and teaching all over the world. His first photographic passion was macro, but then he fell in love with landscape photography which changed his life forever. If you’d like to see more of his work, make sure to check out his website, Facebook, and Instagram.
