Mount Fagradalsfjall near Reykjavik, Iceland, has been in the news the last several months. After lying dormant for about 800 years, the first fissure appeared in March 2021, and the volcano has been erupting ever since. It’s the longest volcanic eruption in Iceland in more than 50 years.

Photographer Mike Mezeul II specializes in volcanos and headed to Iceland last spring to record the spectacle of Fagradalsfjall. “I documented the eruption via ground and air,” Mezeul tells us, “to show the beauty of this historic eruption as it creates the newest land in Iceland.” He used drones to capture the aerial footage that you see in his incredible short film, “Fagradalsfjall–The Birth of a Volcano.”

Fagradalsfjall is a “tuya” type volcano, an uncommon subglacial volcano formed by eruptions underneath glaciers. The lava is trapped under the ice and cools quickly, forming layers that grow into a steep hill that eventually breaks through the glacial ice.

The variety of shot types that Mezeul used in the film, from grand vistas to close-up details of the lava, transport us to Fagradalsfjall and give us a sense of witnessing this natural wonder in person. They also lend the short film a cinematic refinement, enhanced by the accompanying soundtrack.

See more of Mike Mezeul II’s work at mikemezphotography.com and on Vimeo.

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I got into photography back in the film days. The frame per second rate was much slower and the cost per picture was much higher. With regards to slide film, I still remember pressing the shutter and saying “50 cents” with each click. When motor drives were introduced, my mind worked like a calculator converting each burst into dollars. Thankfully, the frame rate was slow. While many great action shots were created and became treasures, what was also cherished was a great headshot in early or late light. They were so prized, they were once known as the trophy shot. To simply get close to a wild animal at sunrise or sunset and fill the frame with a portrait was revered.

Game farms were introduced and the trophy shot became easier to acquire. Because so many photographers flocked to these locations, the animals became recognizable. This made getting the headshot of a wild animal all the more motivating. With the advent of digital photography and fast lenses, the wildlife portrait in good light image has become more ordinary. They still pack drama, but they’re common. In order to market your wildlife shots or successfully compete in photography competitions, you need wildlife images that show action, a new twist, dramatic lighting or rarely seen behavior.

Wildlife Portrait With Action

The shot of the male lion with the floppy tongue goes beyond the standard wildlife portrait on two counts. For one, the background harmonizes with the subject because it’s out of focus and the colors work in harmony. Secondly, the action is peak and the color of the mouth and tongue are vivid. The viewer’s attention goes right to the tongue, which has a texture that’s unique to the rest of the photo.

Wildlife Portrait With Interaction

In the portrait of the giraffe with two oxpeckers, the background is clean, it doesn’t compete for attention with the main subjects, the oxpeckers are in different wing positions and it clearly shows the symbiotic relationship that exists. The light falls on the birds and giraffe’s face but not the neck. This is good as the eye always goes to the brighter areas, so the neck becomes a secondary subject in the photo and doesn’t compete with the face.

Portrait With Behavior

It was still early morning when this reddish egret morph was hunting in the lagoon. Since I’ve photographed him a number of times in the past, I wanted to concentrate on getting a very tight headshot of the eye and beak. When he hunted and came up with a fish, I zoomed to a wider setting to capture the action. The icing on the cake came when he flared his primary head and neck feathers and dangled the fish all within seconds.

Portrait With Humor

A photo captures a slice of time. When that exact moment has the subject make a funny face, turn an awkward glance or interact in a humorous way, it brings a smile to the viewer’s face. Set your drive to high-speed continuous and let it rip. You never know what you’ll capture, but when you look down at the LCD and a huge smile crosses your face, you’ll know it was worth it.

Portrait With Tight Crop

In the photo of the elephant, I took the title of this week’s tip to the extreme and brought it to the literal. The very tight crop moves past the wildlife portrait and gets into the abstract. I placed the eye in the rule of thirds and played up the texture of the face to fill the rest of the frame. If the standard headshot these days has become cliched, get in very close to bring it to the extreme. Concentrate on the details, but still incorporate all other photographic guidelines of composition and light.

To learn more about this subject, join me on a photo safari to Tanzania. Visit www.russburdenphotography.com to get more information.

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Photo By Kristen Ryan

Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Morning Glow” by Kristen Ryan. Location: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

“The morning sunlight hits the Tetons at my favorite iconic spot in Grand Teton National Park,” says Ryan. “Nowhere better to spend a morning!”

Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments, Galleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.

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