Honorable Mention / 2023 / Nature / Earth

• Photographer
  Jan Erik Waider, Germany
• Studio
  Northlandscapes Photography

In March 2021, a volcanic eruption began at Fagradalsfjall Mountain in Iceland and I was really interested in getting as close as possible to the action and using a 500mm prime lens to capture those bizarre and beautiful details. This kind of simultaneously beautiful but also brutal transience was the charm for me. And I was absolutely blown away by how quickly the lava field changed. Apparently cooled lava broke open and thick, fresh lava flowed out and formed new shapes and sculptures, which were then destroyed again by new lava a few minutes later.