Volcano-chaser travels the globe and braves terrifying eruptions to capture stunning pictures of mother nature at her most destructive

Martin Rietze has been to countries inclu ding Chile, Tanzania, Italy, Iceland and Antarctica to photograph volcanoes

The 49-year-old's fascination with volcanoes began as a child when he witnessed Sicily's Mount Etna erupting




Getting caught anywhere remotely close to the site of a natural disaster would be a nightmare for most people.

But getting up close and personal with mother nature at her destructive worst is a dream for one avid photographer.

Martin Rietze has spent the last decade travelling the length and breadth of the earth to take these incredible pictures of some of the world's fiercest volcanoes violently erupting.

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Fireworks: Sakurajima Volcano captured by Martin Rietze in January this year. He has spent a decade travelling the globe trying to snap the most dramatic pictures of violent volcanic eruptions

Violent: The Sakurajima Volcano in Japan, pictured here, is a notoriously unpredictable volcano. One of his pictures of the volcano was a Nasa picture of the day earlier this year

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

Daredevil: Martin Rietze pictured taking photographs at Krakatoa volcano, Indonesia

The 49-year-old has risked life and limb to get as close as he can to erupting volcanoes in places like Chile, Tanzania, Italy, Iceland and Antarctica.

He takes time out of his day job as an engineer to travel thousands of miles at the drop of a hat and has got so close to the action that he has burnt his skin with hot lava in the past and even passed out because of their poisonous gases.

Mr Rietze said: '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.'

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.

Feeling hot: Streaks of lava are pictured on Mount Nyiragongo, Congo. It last seriously erupted in 2002 though it is still active

Nature's show: The avid photographer captured this stunning image of lava spewing from the Stromboli Volcano, in Italy

Dangerous: A river of lava flows down the Ol Doinyo Lengai, in Tanzania. To capture distant volcanoes, Martin needs to set aside two weeks

Live wire: Lava spills from the top of mount Stromboli in Italy. The volcano has been in almost continuous eruption for the last 2,000 years Incredible: This impressive shot of Stromboli looks more like a firework than an act of nature Hot stuff: A lava pool bubbles over violently at Mount Etna in Sicily. Martin's fascination with volcanoes began when he saw Etna erupt as a child Bright: An amazing image of the Sakurajima Volcano, in Japan. 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

He has to put aside a fortnight if he hopes to get some good shots of volcanoes further afield.

The German photographer 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.

These flows are currents of hot gas and rock that reach temperatures of 1,000C and travel up to 500MPH. Such a deadly surge destroyed Pompeii in 79AD.

Globe-trotter: Streams of lava are pictured pouring out of the Stromboli volcano. Martin has trekked to volcanoes all around the world including ones in Chile, Tanzania, Italy, Iceland, and Antarctica

Drama: The Eyjafjallajkull volcano, in Iceland, pictured erupting in 2010, when it caused travel chaos with flights grounded by a resultant giant ash cloud

Eruption: This picture of the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano, in Tanzania, looks almost like a work of art rather than a dramatic picture of a volcanic eruption Fiery: Smoke billows from boiling hot lava at the top of Mount Nyiragongo, Congo Natural light: A stunning picture of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupting at dusk back in 2010

However, 'red volcanoes' create meandering lava flows and pyrotechnic displays that can be viewed from relatively nearby. The magma wells up to form new land in the sea, such as Kilauea on Hawaii.

His fascination with volcanoes began as a young boy when he witnessed Mount Etna erupt in Sicily.

'I feel like I'm watching Earth's natural fireworks,' he said.

Active: A plume of smoke billows from the Sakurajima volcano in Japan which has been erupting almost constantly since 1955 Beautiful: 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

Cautious: The 49-year-old photographer says that each volcano requires a different approach with some of the more violent eruptions needing a wider berth than some others

Patience: Martin Rietze pictured waiting at a safe vantage point for some action at Santiaguito Volcano in Guatemala