Volcano-chaser braves some of Earth's most dangerous situations to capture amazing photos of violent eruptions



Most people would think themselves unlucky if they passed a volcano as it erupted, but this counts as a good day at the office for one photographer.

Martin Rietze is part of a select group of volcano-chasers who seek out the exploding phenomena, and braves huge electric storms and boiling lava to get the perfect shots.



The 45-year-old travels around the world's volcano hotspots, from Costa Rica to Italy, in his pursuit of Earth's greatest fiery spectacle.



This picture was taken in January 2010, of Sakurajima volcano near Kagoshima town in south Japan. The volcano ejected lava bombs and created forks of lightning - possibly due to electrically charged ash

This photo from December 2009, shows a glowing lava pond inside the summit crater of the Villarica volcano in Southern Chile. The full moon can be seen behind in the early morning dawn

But Mr Rietze is undaunted by the challenges of his profession likening it to an extreme sport. In fact he says he has had had fewer mishaps chasing eruptions than when mountain climbing.



Mr Rietze relishes the dramatic encounters despite the danger.



He told the Mail Online: 'I will never ever forget those moments surrounded by poisonous gas, feeling the heat of the flowing and bubbling lava and hearing noises louder than a plane taking off.



'Sometimes your body can feel the shockwaves and the ground is shaking.'

However, he said: 'There is a big difference between a tourist and a long-term experienced observer.



'One has to know when it is safe to come near and when it is a matter of survival to stay away, sometimes many miles away.'



'Nature's fireworks': Stromboli volcano in Italy, Sicily erupts in May 2009. This volcano erupts more or less constantly

Kawah Ijen volcano in Indonesia in June 2008. This volcano has a extremely acid crater lake and possibly the strongest sulphur vent in the world. It is so hot that the sulphur ignites leading to burning rivers

Mr Rietze used his vast pool of experience to capture a dramatic shot of volcanic lightning at Sakurajima volcano in Japan last month.



Scientists are still uncertain as to why lightning occurs during some eruptions. One theory is that it is caused by charge-inducing collisions in volcanic dust.



A great deal of planning goes into Mr Rietze's expeditions. He tries to catch volcanoes when they are their highest levels of activity, but calculating the ups and downs of the eruptions can take days to complete.

'For long distance destinations I have to invest a fortnight to give myself a good chance of getting some decent shots,' he said.

'In principle a volcano can erupt at any time, day and night. This means you have to wait as long as you can for something spectacular, including whole nights.

'So if the weather is good I must be patient and wait for it to erupt, whether it is lunchtime or two in the morning.'

The Soufriere Hills Lava Dome on Monserrat Island in the Caribbean violently erupts in February 2010. The southern cross star constellation can be seen behind

The photographer, from Germany, said each volcano requires a different approach.



He gives active stratovolcanos a wider berth as they can throw out lava bombs that travel several miles and create pyroclastic flows.