Lava Cascade

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
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Lava Cascade
Lava Cascade1600×1067 568 KB

I thought the timing was great on this challenge. I just got back from Iceland, making up a trip that was canceled last year. I’m actually glad it was because the volcano that’s been active there didn’t start until this March. There is not always lava visible, so we were very thankful to be able to see this. We didn’t get to stay long due to the gases. I had some issues photographing here, and one of them is that the heat and gases from the lava distort the image when you are pretty close like this which makes the lava and area beyond almost look like an oil painting. I didn’t think about this at all.

Specific Feedback Requested

It was overcast when we were in this location, but it was still midday which means that the daylight somewhat overpowers the light of the glowing lava. Also, there’s a cooler film or “skin” on the top which is gray. I darkened the image some to try and bring out the glow of the flowing lava under the surface (it was all moving fairly quickly). Is it too dark? Other tips?

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Sony A7C with a Tamron A-mount 70-300mm adapted lens at 200mm. ISO O640, 1/500s, f/11. It was pretty breezy and I’m not the most steady holding the big lens, so I wanted to make sure to keep my shutter speed up to try and avoid shake.

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Karla, getting this kind of close look at flowing, glowing lava is very challenging. This is a fine take with the glow, the darker skin and especially that splash. The clean, sharp rocks at the bottom make a good contrast to the new lava. The optical distortions from the heat waves cannot be avoided. I don’t think they detract from the view.

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@Mark_Seaver Thanks for your input. I’m glad it doesn’t detract. You can imagine when I loaded the images and saw that. I really hoped it wasn’t all operator error! :slight_smile:

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I never thought about the intensity of heat wave distortion from lava, but of course it’s an obvious problem. I think it adds to the drama of the image. Congratulations on getting close and getting the picture!

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@Diane_Miller Thanks for adding your perspective. I’m glad it doesn’t detract too much. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it until I was reviewing my images (and had a moment of panic that I’d messed them all up). I think part of it is that I’ve seen lots of very sharp and clear images of lava, so it didn’t occur to me.