Jeff Zausch is a specialist in his field, we do not encourage you to get close to a volcanic eruption.
8 minute read
Where Danger and Beauty Collide
As lava flowed on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula, Jeff Zausch brought his trusty FUJIFILM X-T4 to the scene to capture striking images of the natural wonder.
On March 19, 2021, just 25 miles outside the capital city of Reykjavik, the Fagradalsfjall volcano erupted, launching a lava flow that went on for six months — the island country’s longest-recorded flow in half a century.
For avid outdoorsman, wilderness survival expert and nature photographer, Jeff Zausch, a last-minute decision to book a flight to Reykjavik turned into an adventure he’ll never forget.
With degrees in geology and earth and environmental systems from Idaho State University, Zausch had both the background in volcanic systems and the expertise to navigate the situation with care. Thanks to a partnership with Fujifilm, he also had camera gear tough enough to capture and withstand the extreme conditions.
Just a year earlier during the summer of 2020, Zausch had partnered with Fujifilm to photograph the U.S. national parks in a series called “A Man & His Camera.”
“I had all the experience necessary to be in these situations and keep myself safe, and then, of course, Fujifilm provides the other element, so I felt like I had everything I needed to go and tackle this adventure,” he said.
Photo 2021 © Jeff Zausch | FUJIFILM X-T4 camera and XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR, 1/250 sec at F4.0, ISO 640
But staying safe would prove no small task in a situation like this.
Just getting to the volcano involved significant risk because of the mountainous terrain, loose volcanic soil layered with slippery moss, ocean mist and thick, low-hanging fog.
“The hike is actually one of the most dangerous parts of going to the volcano,” Zausch said.
“There were search and rescue operations nearly every single day because people were seeing the volcano on TV and in the news, and they thought they could do it. You had to go up and over three different small mountain ranges to get there, and it was very treacherous.”
Still, Zausch made his way to the volcano straight from the airport, not even stopping to check in at his hotel.
“I landed on the ground at 8 a.m., and I rented a car and drove straight to the parking area after flying all night on the red eye. I figured I just wanted to get there, I didn’t even want to sleep,” he said.
In near-freezing temperatures, he made the trek by himself for the first time.
Photo 2021 © Jeff Zausch | FUJIFILM X-T4 camera and XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR, 1/180 sec at F4.0, ISO 160
“It was like walking into a frozen hurricane, and I’d never been there before, so I was just following the GPS on my phone. But when I got there, nobody else was at the volcano. It was one of the best moments of my life, cresting that final mountaintop.”
It was that moment when he saw the lava for the first time, its vibrant, flaming orange-red hue unlike any color he’s seen before.
“You don’t see anything until you crest the final peak, and then bam, there’s magma just being blown into the air. You can hear the sound of the lava erupting from the volcano. It’s magnificent. The hair stands up on your arms because you’re seeing this thing that can cause so much danger and destruction, and it’s literally in your face.”
In the warmer days that followed, Zausch says there were dozens of people at the site, creating a fair-like atmosphere.
“Everybody was sitting side by side, lined up along the edge, with the lava just flowing at our feet. Everyone was happy, there wasn’t a grumpy person in the whole crowd. There were people roasting hot dogs over the lava with their sticks, I saw people cooking tacos on the lava in tinfoil, people were playing music and, of course, there were other photographers there, too,” he said.
“The look on the people’s faces was one of my most favorite parts. There were the old folks that finally made it there — the people in their seventies who just went through absolute hell getting to the volcano — and they finally got there, and their eyes lit up the exact same way that the seven year old’s’ eyes lit up. It was really an event that broke all barriers, from age, sex, race, whatever it was, everybody had the exact same experience which made it really special.”
Photo 2021 © Jeff Zausch | FUJIFILM X-T4 camera and XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR, 1/30 sec at F4.0, ISO 640
Tackling extreme conditions with the X-T4
The challenges didn’t end with the hike though. From the threat of toxic gas, to stray “lava bombs” and shards of volcanic glass, photographing in these conditions was extreme, to say the least. Thankfully, Zausch had a camera body that was up to the task.
“The danger was real, for sure. These were the most difficult conditions that I had ever shot in before. The conditions at the volcano were unlike anything else,” he said.
Zausch returned to make the three-and-a-half hour hike each morning, often staying until the park closed at 11 p.m. to capture the lava flow from various shifting vantage points and with different lighting.
While many assume the eruption came from just one volcano, Zausch explains that there were actually four or five vents erupting simultaneously at the bottom of a valley. As time went on, the lava slowly filled the valley, which, at one time, was approximately 200 feet deep. By the time he arrived, almost a month after the eruption, the lava had filled the valley and was just beginning to spill over the edge.
“When I got there, I was able to easily walk around the entire perimeter of the volcano because the lava was just filling up the bowl. I could get really close to the erupting vents — so close, in fact, that you would almost worry that a piece of lava might fly out and hit you.”
Just four days later, however, the lava had escaped the valley and traveled a mile from the vents. And it just kept flowing.
Photo 2021 © Jeff Zausch | FUJIFILM X-T4 camera and XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR, 1/350 sec at F5.6, ISO 160
The constantly-changing conditions pushed Zausch’s camera gear to its limits. He brought along the X-T4 and the XF100-400mm lens, shooting both video and stills.
At times, the wind speeds made his tripod unusable.
“The winds were blowing 65 miles an hour, so I even attached my backpack to the bottom of the tripod to weigh it down. My pack weighed 70 pounds — I had water, food, camera equipment, extra weather gear, batteries, you know, I had everything in there, and even that weight on the tripod couldn’t hold it down in the wind.”
Clouds of smoke and ash would blow in his direction, containing lethal amounts of sulfur dioxide gas. He often had to wear a gas mask as protection. Small particulate pieces of volcanic glass that hung in the clouds would stick to the camera lens, requiring constant cleaning.
“The things I put that camera through … from the three-hour hike, to slipping and falling on the ice, carrying five different lenses, two X-T4 camera bodies and a tripod. I carried everything with me, and I was able to do it over the difficult terrain. So, not only did it perform well in the conditions, but it’s also manageable, it’s mobile,” he said.
From difficult terrain to harsh weather conditions, the X-T4 withstood it all.
“I had it out in the downpours of rain, snow, sleet and ice, and I fully expected that I may lose at least one camera body doing the shoot. They say that there are 23 different words for snow in Icelandic, and I think I saw all 23 of them when I was there.”
Photo 2021 © Jeff Zausch | FUJIFILM X-T4 camera and XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR, 1/25 sec at F4.0, ISO 160
And, of course, the heat from the lava presented a different hazard altogether.
“It was unbelievable. There were times that I would run up to the lava flow and get within four or five feet of it, set my X-T4 down on a rock, turn the video on, hit ‘record,’ and I’d run out and leave the camera sitting there in heat that would blister my face if I stayed any longer than 10 or 15 seconds,” he said.
To offset some of the danger, Zausch used the XF100-400mm lens to keep his distance when necessary. And even when he couldn’t resist coming terrifyingly close to the lava, the zoom lens allowed him to capture incredible details and textures.
“I was actually able to take photos of what they call ‘lava bombs,’ which are just pieces of molten lava flying through the air, changing shape, with steam and smoke coming off of each individual one. I was able to photograph as they hit the ground and splattered like pancake batter,” he said.
Photo 2021 © Jeff Zausch | FUJIFILM X-T4 camera and XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR, 1/30 sec at F4.0, ISO 3200
Jeff Zausch is a specialist in his field, we do not encourage you to get close to a volcanic eruption.
“Even at close distances, the zoom allowed me to get incredible detail of the texture and the evolution of this lava, if you will, watching all these lava bombs erupt and then pile up and just create layers and layers of lava. It allowed me to gain more of a story of the volcano.”
And at night, the colors truly came to life.
Photo 2021 © Jeff Zausch | FUJIFILM X-T4 camera and XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR, 1.9 sec at F4.0, ISO 800
Jeff Zausch is a specialist in his field, we do not encourage you to get close to a volcanic eruption.
“The brightness and color of the lava when it erupted were so difficult to pick up during the day. It was a vibrant red that I’ve never seen before anywhere in my life. I found out that at night it was much easier to pick up the true color of the lava because of the darkness, and it was easier to adjust the settings at night to pick up that true color,” he said.
Mesmerized by the sheer power of the lava flow, Zausch stayed for 10 days. When he returned, it was with images that will last a lifetime and an X-T4 ready for the next adventure.
For more about Jeff and his adventures, follow him on Instagram and Facebook.
Learn more about X Series here or contact your nearest FUJIFILM Authorized Dealer for more information.
