18 Photographers Share Their Incredible Stories on Nature and Wildlife Photography

Photograph/Denis Budkov

Denis Budkov
As far as he can remember, Denis has always been interested and involved in the tourism industry, in his hometown in Russia. This was also what got him into photography. According to him, he couldn’t remain indifferent to the beautiful environment around him and so, started using his camera to show people this beauty.

“It is interesting to see how docile the volcano appears in the photograph. Two days before the image was shot, it was an angry magma-spewing machine.”

I shot this photograph back in 2010, when I had conducted a photo tour at the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. The peninsula is also home to the Klyuchevskaya Sopka mountain, the highest active volcano in Eurasia. The group that I was with was aware of the active nature of the volcano, but we were not prepared for the spectacular sight that we would encounter. The volcano announced its arrival with a massive roar that emerged from its depth, followed by a massive spurt of magma. I still cannot believe that I witnessed it.

Camera: Canon EOS 500D
Lens: Canon EF-S 18–55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
Exposure: 20sec at f/8, ISO 100

Tip
Being Mindful of Haze
If you’re in close vicinity to an active volcano, the amount of cloudy air generated by the eruption causes haze. Similar haze may be seen in forested areas and near foggy landscapes. The haze may affect sharpness in some of the frames, so remember to take a lot of photos and keep the lens as clean as possible.