Articles & Interviews

Interview with Outdoor Photographer Magazine

FIRE DOWN BELOW

This interview with G. Brad Lewis by Mark Harris appeared in the November 1999 issue of Outdoor Photographer magazine.

G. Brad Lewis finds his photographs in the molten tempers of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano.

"Located on the southeastern coast of the Big Island of Hawaii is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home of the Kilauea volcano. Established in 1916, the park offers visitors access to witness from a safe distance one of the greatest visual spectacles of the natural world. But beyond the "restricted area" sign traverses G. Brad Lewis with his camera equipment and a desire to capture the beauty of this natural phenomenon on film.

Outdoor Photographer: Excuse the pun, but what "sparked" your interest in volcanoes?

G. Brad Lewis: I find volcanoes, in general, to be an incredible subject, and Kilauea, among the most active volcanoes on the planet, is in my backyard. Molten lava is liquid light - that's really exciting to me as a photographer. The lava flows seven miles down the mountain and into the sea. The interaction is spectacular. The movement of the ocean with the hot lava is exciting. I'm fortunate that I ended up living so close to the most user-friendly, active volcano in the world.

O.P.: Why call it "user-friendly"?

Lewis: It's not the explosive type like a St. Helens, so it's very approachable. Kilauea is a shield volcano. It's called that because of its shape - it looks like a shield. It has been in a state of continuous eruption since 1983.I think currently 900,000 cubic meters of lava flow each day from the volcano, and yet you can walk right up to it.

O.P.: So there's little chance of a big eruption to put you in mortal danger?

Lewis: The nature of it is such that it can't explode as we've seen with other volcanoes. There are times when big vents will fill up and Kilauea becomes explosive in its own way with fountains of lava, but they're easy to avoid. As far as safety is concerned, I feel very, very safe. There are times when I'm at risk, but I move carefully to minimize the danger as much as I can. I definitely operate on experience and instinct out there.

Volcanoes in most other parts of the world are pretty dangerous in terms of getting close to the "hot," so I'm very fond of Kilauea for it's relative accessibility. I like to get right into the heart of things, and it would be hard for me to stay at what would be a safe distance with other volcanoes.

O.P.: What situations are potentially dangerous on Kilauea, and how do you deal with them?

Lewis: There are times when the vents will overflow. For instance, a couple of years ago, I was on the main vent and the fumes were so bad that I called a helicopter that I had at my disposal to move me out of the area. I like to stay near the vent, but on this occasion, I had to put some distance between the fumes and myself. That night, Kilauea had massive overflows. I was forced to move my camp twice because of the lava flows and I didn't sleep very well watching big flows come down.

O.P.: Do you wear any special equipment, such as special shoes?

Lewis: A lot of the time, I'm on lava flows that have been liquid a couple of hours before, so conditions are very hot. I wear boots with thick soles that are sewn on. If they are not sewn on, they can actually melt off. It gets so hot that the sole will double in size like a marshmallow at a campfire. So I go through quite a few pairs of boots, tripod legs, and cameras out there, but that's just part of the deal. One piece of essential safety equipment is a respirator. I always carry one to filter the air, and I wear it most of the time, especially when I'm at the edge of a vent or lava tubes. Situations that call for a respirator are usually very destructive to cameras, mostly from the acid steam. There's all types of toxic substances in the gas. I try to stay upwind of these gases, but that's not always possible.

O.P.: What types of photographic equipment do you use?

Lewis: I carry a full line of 35mm Nikon gear including an N90s and lenses from 16mm to 500mm. For medium format work, I use a Pentax 67ll and a Fuji 6x17. The Pentax has less electronics to be adversely affected by the conditions. As for film, I tend to use Fujichrome Velvia.

O.P.: Do you work alone or with an assistant?

Lewis: I like to be alone at the flow because if anything dangerous comes up, I know I can react quickly and get out fast. I'd just as soon not have to be concerned about somebody else up at the vent when the volcano gets going.

O.P.: How many days at a time do you go in for?

Lewis: I like to be in for four or five days at a time when there's enough activity to warrant that. Much of the time, though, the activity is all underground or isn't that visually exciting.

O.P.: Did you grow up in Hawaii?

Lewis: Actually, I grew up in Utah and was living in Alaska when I first came to Hawaii on vacation. In a sense, I never left. Hawaii is my main location, though I also maintain homes in Utah and Alaska.

O.P.: What do you do technically to capture the magic of the volcano?

Lewis: I try to shoot in the "golden hours" - morning and evening - and generally I don't use my in-camera meter because it gets fooled by the hot lava. It measures a little bit of molten lava and thinks the scene is way brighter than it is. Just from shooting thousands of rolls out there, I've got a pretty good handle on my exposures.

O.P.: How are you able to be so close to the action? Aren't there restrictions?

Lewis: I've made my images available for many years to the scientists at the Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory, part of the U.S.G.S., so I've been able to obtain permission to access the flows. That was a big score for me because without that, I wouldn't be able to fly in on the helicopter that I hire and spend five days on the edge of the vent.

O.P.: What kind of emotion does the volcano stir in you?

Lewis: Kilauea has a powerful presence, and it's an awesome feeling being in the heart of creation like that. It's indeed a spiritual experience. The beauty here is supreme. Sometimes bad things happen - homes may burn, for example. But the people walk away and live another day. I view it not as destruction, but as the epitome of creation. Kilauea is the ultimate teacher of detachment. It's an honor and privilege to witness, learn from and photograph this great mountain of fire.