When a volcano erupts, most people want to get as far away as possible, as quickly as they can! German engineer Martin Rietze, on the other hand, grabs his camera and tries to get as close as he can and stay alive at the same time! He’s so close that he can feel the heat burning his face even through his gas mask. The lava flow is about a metre away and it’s getting closer every second. The ground beneath his feet is shaking and there is a deafening roar like a plane taking off. He can’t stay this close for too long because the gases and acids will destroy his camera, but Martin Rietze waits just long enough to see flaming hot lava and ash explode out of the nearby crater - and gets the perfect shot. Martin is a freelance photographer whose stunning photographs of volcanic eruptions are in high demand with newspapers and magazines all over the world. He is one of a small but dedicated group of volcano chasers. When a dormant volcano becomes active, they book the first flight to be as near as possible to it, set up camp and wait, sometimes for as long as two weeks. It takes a lot of patience as a volcano can erupt at any time, night or day and clouds, fog and steam often block the view. The final results though, like Martin’s shots of volcanic lightning - a phenomenon that still mystifies scientists - are definitely worth it! When the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland erupted in 2010 and ash clouds closed airspace over Northern Europe, Martin was already on the scene for some of his most spectacular shots. After spending three sleepless nights in freezing temperatures, Martin got within three feet of the lava flow and even took photos of lava fountains - jets of lava that shoot up as high as a thirty-storey building! He didn’t get any sleep because the volcano was throwing out rocks the size of cars, so for most of the time he was sheltering behind a large boulder! Martin says that he’s had more accidents when mountain climbing than volcano chasing, but that doesn’t stop him from taking precautions because this is a job where safety is a priority. Goggles and a gas mask provide protection from poisonous gases, but gloves are just as important because fresh lava can be as sharp as a knife. Volcano chasing is quite risky. As Martin admits, “One has to know when it is safe to come near and when it is a matter of survival to stay away - sometimes many kilometres away!

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