I had never thought of going there before, but as the volcanic situation unfolded, the Algarve photographer Bruno Gonçalves, when he saw that the trip did not involve any dangers, took the risk and set out on his way to La Palma, in the Canary Islands, accompanied by a friend, to photograph the eruption of the volcano Cumbre Vieja, having stayed on the island from the 23rd to the 26th of October.
«I have been photographing storms and everything that involves that theme, but now the opportunity has arisen to have an erupting volcano, here relatively close to us. I considered the phenomenon as a unique opportunity and decided to take a risk», begins by telling Bruno Gonçalves, the young algarvian tornado hunter, in an interview with Sul Informação.
The Algarve photographer «had no idea of going» but, when he realized that the volcano was not giving in in its eruptive activity, that «the situation was not so dangerous that it would prevent the trip» and that «startling images began to appear » of the lava running down the mountain, «I started to get more interested in photographing the Cumbre Vieja».
However, in a conversation with his friend Henrique Santos, who also ended up going, Bruno Gonçalves decided to «risk in something that is outside my comfort zone». Not knowing if he had a flight to the island of La Palma, “because things were complicated due to the ash in the air”, he ended up going and spending “three days capturing all the moments in photography and video”.
Of the 19 thousand photographs taken in sequences time lapse, «a small part was selected that resulted in the video with about three minutes», that the Extreme Atmosphere, organization of which he is a founder, launched in his page from Youtube. The remaining photos will be part of a second video that will come out later and that is still in production.
In addition to the photographs in sequences of timelapse, the photographer took around three thousand photos, one of which will be exhibited in an exhibition with some of his best works.
Bruno Gonçalves also told the Sul Informação that this trip resulted in «the opportunity to be there to record something unique and to photograph, live, these same events», recording «the birth of a new mountain and the growth of the island's area, with the solidification of the lava that is to be expelled by the volcano».
This phenomenon “provides truly incredible images, with lava being expelled down the mountain or with pyroclasts being thrown into the air”. These are images that «end up having a great associated beauty, but we have the negative side, with the many houses that were destroyed, the businesses that ended and the lives of those people, who were a few thousand, being affected».
«The same situation happens when I photograph storms: they always have their beautiful part, but they are also a potential for destruction», exclaims Bruno Gonçalves.
In this work about the Cumbre Vieja volcano, a subject that is still on the agenda, the Algarve photographer intends to «address a new aspect, beyond the storms», with images of volcanism that I didn't have yet, «thus increasing my Portfolio with new material'.
“It was a new experience, a different theme, so we were completely out of our comfort zone and went on the adventure without knowing it. This trip was something completely impressive and indescribable», concludes Bruno Gonçalves.
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