This was one of the first photo pursuits I ever ventured on. I had seen beautiful pictures of lava flowing into the ocean I thought to myself I have a new camera I can do this it will be amazing. It was the most amazing and incredibly frustrating photographic experience I have had.
The objective
I had seen photos of lava in Hawaii over the years, some mind blowing. I did not have a specific composition or goal for ideal photograph. This was going to be my first time experiencing a close up of lava. I was fully hoping to get one good photograph.
Journey to the lava
The day of the the shoot began at 2am, the boat was scheduled to leave at 5am on the other side of the island. The road to Isaac Hale Park was very dark with scattered rain showers making the drive slow, I was worried I would miss the boat. I had directions on my phone but as we got closer to the park it felt like the navigation was guessing it was just one dark turn after another. Until I finally reached a small parking lot with a few lights. When I finally arrived there was a giant boat on a trailer and a man escorting people aboard. I had no idea what to expect but I was in Hawaii so of course I was in a t-shirt and shorts. As I boarded I was asked if I wanted a poncho, as I hesitated he answered for me - you want a poncho. I found a seat and took a deep breathe. I made it.
Into the Darkness
The boat ride to the lava was surreal, people screaming over the wail of quad engines as the boat jumped over waves in complete darkness. As we approached the viewing area the captain pointed out the lights on the shore informing everyone they were not houses but lava and small fires caused by lava. As we approached the destination the engines died down and we slowed and everything went quiet. Hushed whispers could be heard over the sound of the waves crashing into the lava covered shore causing hissing and pops of lava explosions. This is when the challenge began. Trying to get enough light to get a photograph was the biggest challenge. Slow the shutter get blur, raise the iso get grain. In reality you would need both. That is just the light of the photograph. The entire time I was trying to shoot around people, while the boat was rocking against the waves and constantly turning so both sides could get equal viewing of the scene. Once the scene came into view, now is the inherent challenge of shooting lava entering water. Steam and smoke everywhere, lava exploding the only constant was change.
As the sun started to rise one of the challenges started to resolve itself. Now it was time to try to get a shoot I could be proud of. With most of the the other obstacles still present it was still a difficult shoot, only now it was not impossible.
The final frame
After I was able to get home and take a serious look at the photos I took I found one shot that stood out among the rest. It has more steam than I would have liked. But now I think it adds to the final photograph.
Fresh lava pours into the ocean below.
Originally I wanted a clean, crisp photo of the lava pouring into the ocean. I am not sure I like this result more but I am happy with it in the end.