In the era of drones and other fantastic machines available in the hands of people, the challenge of filming the activity of a volcano becomes almost an obsession. So, as we have seen, incredible images of the volcano in southwest Iceland, on the Reykjanes Peninsula, have been achieved. A photographer wanted to accomplish something never done and flew his drone into the volcano capturing the moment when the lava melts the machine.
Garðar Ólafs wanted to capture as close as the conditions allowed and the images are really impressive.
Filming the volcano's entrails with a drone
A drone pilot recently captured some extraordinary images when looking directly at an erupting volcano in Iceland. As we can see, photographer Garðar Ólafs flew his camera so close to the heat that the lava when it was expelled caused damage to the drone. However, it was only when the drone reached its starting point that the photographer noticed that the machine was partially melted.
The video below features some of the impressive images and audio of an eruption that is occurring near a flat-top mountain called Fagradalsfjall, about 24 kilometers southwest of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik. The sound that the volcano makes is breathtaking.
Ólafs was lucky not to lose his DJI drone completely and the footage he made made the risky flight worthwhile.
I was flying my drone around the eruption and decided it would be great to see it from above. I slowly lowered the drone until all I could see was erupting lava, and when I looked up, I didn't see the drone anymore. Basically, I was inside the volcano's crater.
Explicou Ólafs à PetaPixel.
Close to lost the drone
Realizing that the drone might not last much longer if he stayed in that position, Ólafs quickly flew out of harm's way and back to his launching point.
As the images show, when inspecting the machine after the flight, the Icelandic resident, who sells his drone footage and footage through his own website, said the heat from the volcano melted the light at the bottom of the drone and also damaged it its obstacle prevention sensors.
With these damages, the drone has stopped flying in good condition, the sensors are damaged and the navigation system constantly gives error alerts during flights.
Ólafs, who lives near the volcano in the Reykjanes region, felt compelled to fly his drone over the eruption to capture some dramatic images of the extraordinary natural wonder.
It is a special feeling to have a volcano erupting 15 minutes from my home.
Reykjanes has always been an underestimated part of Iceland, but today it is probably the best known part, funny how things can change overnight.
He wrote Ólafs in a message on his Instagram account.
So, with the ease that we capture images today, there is a little bit of everything about this event, from smartphones, professional cameras and drones. Therefore, surely nothing will be left undocumented.
Fantastic images of the volcano
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