Recommended Read: How to Photograph an Active Volcano (Without Getting Vaporized)
A personal recommendation for a fascinating interview with photographer Peter Fisher on the physical and mental process of shooting Guatemala's Volcán de Fuego.
I’m a sucker for a good "how it's made" story, especially when the process involves significant risk and intense physical endurance. This interview with photographer Peter Fisher about shooting Guatemala’s active Volcán de Fuego is exactly that. It starts with a simple, almost absurd question: "You can just… camp across from an active volcano?"
The answer is a fascinating look at the brutal, ash-filled hike, the technical challenges, and the pure "moth-to-flame energy" that drives someone to get that close to something that could vaporize them. It's a great, quick read on process, photography, and the allure of calculated risk.
The terrain is mostly volcanic ash, so every step forward means you slide you half a step back. You’re crumbling with the mountain, breathing in dust the whole time.
You feel it in your chest—a deep rumble, then an explosion that makes your ears ring. It’s dangerous and completely mesmerizing. Everyone edges closer even though your brain’s screaming don’t. It’s pure moth-to-flame energy.
Shona Sanzgiri
