Fagradalsfjall

The name ‘Fagradalsfjall’ will forever evoke a special feeling in me. At that specific place I experienced a week that can only be described as the fulfilment of a life-long dream. I have always had a fascination for both volcanic activity and Iceland. Naturally, photographing an active volcano on Iceland was at the top of my list. I missed out on the opportunities in 2010 (Eyjafjallajökull) and 2014 (Bárðarbunga) and for a moment it seemed like I would also miss out on this 2021 eruption at Fagradalsfjall. Fortunately, when I did have the chance, the volcano was still active.

And I was lucky. From the first week of May, the Fagrdalsfjall volcano turned into a lava geyser. Every five to ten minutes the lava was pushed hundreds of meters into the air. My visit from May 7th till May 14th coincided with the brief period it exhibited this spectacular behaviour. I went up to the crater every single day, both during the day and at night. It was an indescribable experience to watch the 300-400 meter high eruptions from a distance of no more than 250 metres. The visual spectacle, the radiant heat, the ash showers and the deafening roar of falling rocks; there was never a dull moment.

This collection of photographs I took of the Fagradalsfjall eruption became a body of work that I am extremely proud of. In a week’s time I managed to capture more aspects and scenes of the volcano than I could ever have imagined. Most of these pictures were taken from the flanks of the surrounding hills and some shots were made with a drone.