Very happy to share that I won the categorie Man and nature at the 2022 edition of European wildlife photographer of the year with my image of a long line of people with headlights walking back from a visit to the Fagradalsfjall in Iceland. The image won the Audience Award as well.
I photographed the scene with a long shuttertime of 2 minutes, revealing the direction of the movements and making them fluid like lava. The eruption drew large numbers of visitors, who in the beginning were mainly from Iceland because the country was still hard to access for tourists. The image was taken on Good Friday, April 2nd, 2021, one of the busiest days at the eruption site last year.
I feel humbled that I won this category, because the category highlights many important and urgent issues in the relation between man and nature. This influence is usually not very positive, to put it mildly. For me this image shows that there are also hopeful signs. The fact that so many people took the long strenuous hike to see and experience the eruption and to connect with nature confirms that many people still care about nature and are actually even very proud on it. To me the flow of people looked like the flow of lava from the volcano; both people and lava choose the easiest way down. This also confirms that people and nature are connected and that we are part of nature.
The image is included in my new photo book Back to Iceland, among many other images from the Fagradalsfjall eruption. You can purchase the book in my webshop: https://www.theobosboom.nl/product/back-to-iceland/
If you prefer the Dutch edition, click here: https://www.theobosboom.nl/product/terug-naar-ijsland/