Mathews had been monitoring the situation since February. And it wasn’t an accident that he was there to capture the perfect image of Aurora Borealis above an erupting volcano.
Setting up the perfect photo
Based on the earthquake activity, Mathews suspected an eruption was on its way. He was scouting out locations that would give him the perfect vantage point. But he was still uncertain if and the volcano would blow.
“The volcano is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, close to the international airport and not far from where I live,” Mathews said. “I’d been waiting a while for an eruption there.”
Then, on March 19, he finally got the call that an eruption was underway.
There was a reddish tint in the sky. That was the glow of flowing lava reflected in the clouds. Mathews headed towards it.
The photographer was hoping for images of the eruption and the Northern Lights together. The first few nights of the eruption were too overcast. He was looking for a place to photograph that offered a good view away from the local city lights.
