Photo
Jun, 2021Views
682
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Awards
Chatter Award
Contest Finalist in The Ultimate Travel Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in World Wonderer Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Love You Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Remote And Isolated Photo Contest
Peer Award
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
All Star
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Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 30 rank
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on top of Mount Nyiragongo, located in the town of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a long hiking.Time
This is one of my favourite images ever, for all that involved. After some hard long 5 hours under heavy rain and probably the hardest hiking I have ever done we reached the top of Mount Nyiragongo to be greeted by this magnificent active lava lake. The first hours were to get dry from all the rain, eat something and contemplate the hypnotic lava in constant movement, after what I grabbed my camera as the sun set to capture this night spectacle. In the next morning, we woke up quite early and I took this shot on December 12th 2019, at 6:30am when the sun was still under the horizon.Lighting
I had a particular idea for this image, trying to combine the warm red colour of the lava lake and streams with the cold blue shades of the sky and the surroundings. I took this image during the blue hour, so I used a lower shutter speed to compensate the fact that the sun was still not rise.Equipment
I used a Canon 6D markII, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS II USM, Benro carbon fiber tripodInspiration
Well, everything inspired me to take this photo. Was one of those rare moments when one feels that everything in the universe is aligned. You are with the perfect company, in a perfect place of the Earth and at the perfect time with the perfect conditions. The constant flow of clouds had given us a break and I immediately pictured the moment I wanted to capture. I was in the centre of the Earth where the planet was showing us its true power and our insignificant presence in it, but at the same time our influence on how things evolve. This was a moment in time.Editing
I didn't do much post-processing in this picture. My style is not to retouch much the moments I capture as I try to show what I am seeing in the moment I take a photo. I just made some contrast adjustments.In my camera bag
Because I love to shoot everything my bag usually is quite heavy and includes a large variety of equipment. The essential is my Canon 6D Mark II and some of my favourite lenses to cover a a wide range of subjects. I always carry a Canon L 100mm f/2.8 for macro subjects, a all terrain lenses Canon L 24-105mm f/4 II USM and a Tamron SP 150-600mm G2 for wildlife. Another item that is always in my bag is my Benro carbon fibre tripod. There is one lenses that I always carry in my bag lately for wildlife and birding photography, my Canon L 600mm f/4 IS USM.Feedback
Nyiragongo is a unique place and phenomenon, so to capture something similar one needs to go to DRC and climb Nyiragongo. Unfortunately, the volcano erupted last May 2021. Nonetheless, if you are in any other magnificent pace on Earth don't waste it and take the first moments to enjoy the beauty in front of you without worrying about the photos you want to take. Only this way you can embrace the place and reflect its awe feeling in your photos.
