Heavenly Fire

The first time you approach a live volcano is something you probably won’t forget. If you do the trip at night, first you see the glow in the distance (or the smoke if it’s in daytime). That by itself can be impressive, because you know that’s where you’re going. Once you’re there, you know the volcano is roaring underneath you, then you see the crater, the glowing lava, right in front of you. Under a starry sky, you’re just overpowered by everything around you, above and below. Either you just crafted a lifelong memory or you’re made of dead wood. Now, I don’t know about others, but during the 7 months I was living on the Big island I drove to Kilauea tons of times, and the feeling never changed. Every single time was as overwhelming (in a great way!) as the first. I captured this image back in summer 2015 during one of my many visits to this very special place on Earth.