A photographer from Britain, James Appleton, has captured breath-taking pictures from Iceland, reports The Huffington Post. He captured both magma and northern lights in one shot. He stood just a few yards from an erupting volcano in order to take the pictures and they just might be one of nature’s most amazing sights.
James was willing to go within a few hundred feet of an erupting volcano after working alongside vulcanologists in Iceland, and found out about Fimmvörðuháls who from his Icelandic friend.
He explained, “She informed me of the eruption, and I knew immediately I had to try and get out to see it.”
Not only did James have to deal with the harsh flames of the volcano, but he also had to face the frozen temperatures of a harsh Icelandic winter in order to take his remarkable pictures.
“The closest I got was probably only a few hundred meters away,” said James.
James talks about he maneuvered himself in order to obtain the shots of the erupting volcano, “I was trying to be as responsible as possible, but the temptation to get in for closer images was too much. It was simply a case of trying to stay on ridges and high ground to avoid possible gas pockets or caves under the snow formed by the heat of the lava.”
After he was able to capture these extreme pictures in nature, James has had an exceptional time in Iceland and looks forward to returning there.
“I love the country because of the raw, wild nature of the landscape there,” said James.
He continued, “It’s such a compelling place and it has a real sense of growing before your eyes – due to all the geothermal activity. The weather systems are very fast moving and dramatic. I look for powerful skies and the moments when the world is full of color and movement. Iceland is fantastic as producing moments such as these.”
