When adventure photographer John Beatty travelled to Iceland last week on an assignment for leading outdoor brand Rohan, he hadn’t expected such a spectacular backdrop for his photo-shoot.

Witnessing the ferocious volcanic eruption at Eyjafjallajokull, John took the opportunity to capture the incredible seismic events on camera. Camping near the volcano, John and his guide, Jon Magnussen, explored the volcanic basin for two days, leaving on the third day as the volcano seemed to burn itself out.

As he boarded one of the last planes out of Iceland, little did he know that less than 24 hours later, the volcano would reawaken expelling a gigantic cloud of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, and closing European air space completely.

John describes the experience in his own words:

"As a professional photographer of wild places across the world, I knew this adventure was going to be both unique and arduous....so what could be more elemental...more spectacular than this....witnessing the birth of a mountain. And here it was again, a chance to experience the wild again...in all her powerful and most dangerous majesty.

The next few days would be very challenging.....The conditions at first would be extremely cold on the ice cap...then increasingly hot as we approach the molten lava fields. Driving across the Eyjafjallajokull Ice Cap, freezing temperatures sent billowing steam high into the heavens. The glistening ice belied the stirring powerful forces at work beneath me.

After two hours crashing and slithering across this icy terrain, the ominous black volcanic cone appeared above the ice. We approached with great caution, the night sky already aflame with unearthly red and yellow light glowing overhead. 

Before me now was a wonder of the natural world...in the darkness of this sub polar night towering plumes of erupting lava exploded into the sky...showering fiery rocks across the surrounding ash and ice. Brand new landforms were being created before my eyes....and I would make the first human footsteps on this wild and virgin place."

John Beatty will be on tour with us again in Winter/Spring 2010.  Sign up to our newsletter on the home page to keep updated.