Allow me to be clear from the get-go: 500px does not advocate that any photographer go camping near an active volcano. It’s probably not what we’d consider safe…
That said, 500pxer Marco Calandra and his cousin never asked us before they went on a little camping trip of their own in 2013, and the photo they captured while camping next to Etna as it began to erupt is definitely worth sharing.
Was it dangerous? Probably. Would I do it? Maybe… assuming I wasn’t breaking any laws to make it happen. Did it make for an awesome shot and unforgettable story? You bet your a** it did! Scroll down and enjoy:
Camping by Etna the Night It Erupted
A few weeks before the eruption of October 26 2013, the south-east crater of Etna had already manifested phenomena of explosive activity.
On the evening of October 25, I made an arrangement with my cousin for camping on the volcano so we could take some photographs.
Later that day we started to walk down the path that would have taken us to the Valle del Bove. Once there, we put up the tent and spent the night taking several photographs.
During the first hours of the night we started to hear some roars coming from the crater, so we looked out of the tent and saw that it had started to erupt, resuming its explosive activity which had stopped a few weeks before.
It was a great sensation to see a spectacle of nature like that and be one of the firsts to see it so closely. So we caught the opportunity to film and photograph in order to keep it as a memory, not just a mental one, but also visual one.
Thanks to Marco for reaching out and offering to share this story! There’s no doubt he captured something incredible for his trouble. To see more of Marco’s work, follow him on 500px, visit his website, or give him a Like on Facebook.
And if this wasn’t quite enough erupting volcano story for you, we have another one waiting for you right here! Go ahead… you know you wanna click that link…
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