Photographer Page

Chris Burkard

Truth be told, photographing Mount Fagradalsfjall’s eruption in Iceland was my first time photographing lava. I realized very quickly that some of the most unique perspectives come from moving slowly and exploring the freshly cooled rock along the base of the flow. The shapes, textures, and cooling patterns create a million different ways to photograph this new earth being formed. Even the color of the rock can change pending the air temperature, sun exposure, and cooling time. Much of this rock is broken up into a million pieces as the surges of new magma and lava push through it and against it in almost a tidal wave effect, making these art forms finite. They do sometimes last forever but often only hours.

crowds of tourists walking around the flow of the erupted volcano

crowds of tourists walking around the flow of the erupted volcano

Icelandic Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR) team members monitor the surrounding area for leftover visitors. The legendary ICE-SAR teams are called upon for anything rescue related, from car crashes to avalanches, and for the last the latest eruption of Mount Fagradalsfjall. So far, the volcanic eruption site has created numerous rescue scenarios due to the volatile weather, uneven terrain, and overall unpreparedness of many visitors. ICE-SAR have been on site 24 hours taking gas readings to ensure the safety of the public since most visitors do not have the proper masks to protect them from the fumes.

Icelandic Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR) team members monitor the surrounding area for leftover visitors. The legendary ICE-SAR teams are called upon for anything rescue related, from car crashes to avalanches, and for the last the latest eruption of Mount Fagradalsfjall. So far, the volcanic eruption site has created numerous rescue scenarios due to the volatile weather, uneven terrain, and overall unpreparedness of many visitors. ICE-SAR have been on site 24 hours taking gas readings to ensure the safety of the public since most visitors do not have the proper masks to protect them from the fumes.

The Fagradalsfjall eruption in Iceland is truly a spectacle. It’s calculated that on high visitation days over 10,000 people a day have flocked to witness this slow-moving silica volcano. Even during a year with limited travel and relatively no outside tourism, it has drawn human interest on a scale we are only able to fully grasp from the sky.

A tourist took a cell phone photo at the volcano in March 2021.

Thousands of visitors hiked out to the Fagradalsfjall volcano to witness the aftermath of its March 2021 eruption.

Like city lights from above, the evening glow cast by the lava flow creates a literal river of patterns and shapes before moving toward the weaknesses and low points of the surrounding landscape. Using a drone to capture Mount Fagradalsfjall’s eruption gives us an intimate perspective that we haven’t had the chance to see very often in years past.