Beyond the 49...

Land Ho'

Lava Entering Pacific Ocean Kalapana, Big Island, Hawaii When I first visited the Big Island to see the lava spewing into the ocean I was in for a real treat! I watched lava pour beautifully into the ocean for almost an hour. Despite having to wait a few seconds for the wind to blow the steam away from the scene, I came home with a ton of amazing photos. However, one thing I didn't witness were the lava bombs! The lava bombs occur when the pressure from the lava tube builds up so much that the lava explodes to the surface. Using a long shutter length you can capture the explosion as if it's silky and on a string. One our second day on the Big Island we got to the lava flow early and just as the sun began to come up, the tube began to explode! For almost 15 minutes we watched this lava bomb go off over and over. We snapped away, hoping we got all the settings right in our cameras and sure enough, I did! Nikon D800 w/Sigma 150-600mm: 150mm, f/6.3, 2.0 sec, ISO 500

Aaron Meyers PhotographyBig IslandD800HawaiiNikonNikon D800Sunrisehot lavalavalava flownature