Nature Photography How To

Hernando Rivera is a graphic designer and nature photographer living in Mexico, and he recently made a series of amazing photos of lightning striking lava that was spewing out of the Colima Volcano in Western Mexico near his home.

 

A photo posted by SPACE TIME (@space_time_official) on Jan 13, 2017 at 5:47am PST

The 12,631-foot volcano is one of the most active in North America, and potentially one of the most dangerous, having erupted more than 30 times since 1585.

 

A photo posted by Colima Antiguo (@colimantiguo) on Feb 1, 2017 at 4:18pm PST

Rivera camped out in freezing conditions last week about 7.5 miles from the volcano, hoping to capture some epic photographs of the latest eruptions. We think you’ll agree that his photos of lightning bolts striking the white-hot lava are about as epic as you can get.

 

A photo posted by Emily Howard (@emilyhowardofficial) on Feb 5, 2017 at 8:33pm PST

“When the volcano erupts,” explains Rivera, “it sounds like a big bomb. It can be dangerous being so close, but mainly I am excited rather than scared and I like to go alone.”

 

A photo posted by Colima Antiguo (@colimantiguo) on Feb 1, 2017 at 4:25pm PST

In an understatement, Rivera adds, “Of course, it is hard to capture such an image because you need to wait many hours and stay watching and ready all the time.”

 

A photo posted by Colima Antiguo (@colimantiguo) on Feb 1, 2017 at 4:28pm PST

You can see more images from this amazing shoot on an Instagram page devoted to Rivera’s work, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram at @ShutterbugPix where we’re sharing our favorite photos from our followers.