Cited: USA Today

Most people have the common sense that when they see a volcano start erupting, they run the opposite direction. However, there is a small and somewhat obsessed band of photographers who run towards a new lava-spewing volcano anywhere in the world.

In early April, Martin Rietze spent three sleepless nights huddled next to a large boulder about 1,600 feet from the mouth of Iceland’s recently reawakened Eyjafjallajökull volcano, having the time of his life.

Sleepless because when a volcano is throwing car-sized pieces of rock into the air, you can’t close your eyes for a second. “It’s too dangerous to sleep, so you have to stay up,” he says from his home in Eichenau, Germany.

Rietze, an engineer who builds delicate electronics for planetariums, is part of a very small group of mostly men worldwide who spend vacations racing to be as near as possible to molten magma, choking ash clouds and poisonous gases, not to mention a rain of smoking-hot boulders.

Volcanophiles exist all over the world, though there are at best only a couple hundred of them, they estimate. There are groups and individuals in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, France, the USA and Japan.

They seem to include a high percentage of engineers, computer, electrical, chemical and mechanical. Though it once was a solitary pursuit, the Internet has allowed them to share their work — and tips.

It’s a labor of love, because they all know they can’t make a living at it, says Richard Roscoe, an Englishman who works as a patent examiner in the European Patent Office. He’s spending this week in Vanuatu to shoot the Yasur volcano.

“One always hopes that one will get the really big shot and get that contract with National Geographic, but the likelihood is very minimal,” he says.

But professionals urge a large dose of caution. Volcanoes are astoundingly alluring; far too many people take far too many chances around them, say Donna and Steve O’Meara, a husband-and-wife team who shoot for National Geographic. “They put fire in people’s eyes and their brain is left behind,” Donna says.

Off-Topic Breach: The largest driver training school in the metropolitan area founded on the principal of safety in 1968. They train on all types of vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks, tractor trailers and forklifts. That means you can get learn to drive lessons on almost any vehicle. You might check out their motorcycle driving course NY just to see how it’s done.

Even the most experienced can lose their lives. Volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft from France and Harry Glicken from the USA died in an eruption on Mount Unzen in Japan on June 3, 1991, along with 41 journalists.

Seeing an eruption in progress is “very humbling to experience, frightening and awe-inspiring,” says Jim Stimac. A geothermal engineer, he lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, and belongs to Java Lava, a local group that hikes to volcanoes. But he says they strive to be as cautious as possible.

Professional geologists and volcanologists “think we’re mad, basically,” Roscoe says.

Though not all in the academic community disdain them. Richard Wunderman, who edits the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., says he often relies on amateurs for reports and photos of eruptions that would otherwise go unrecorded. “They’re an amazing resource,” he says.

The hardest part about capturing the raw power of a volcano in a photo isn’t getting close enough, but getting a clear view, says Arnold Binas, a computer scientist in Sydney. Clouds, fog and steam often block the view, he says. “Patience is the key.”

Safety gear is also critical, says Patrick Koster, 41, of Spijkenisse in the Netherlands. A chemical engineer, he wears a climbing helmet, goggles, a gas mask to filter ash and neutralize chemicals in the gases emitted by the volcanoes and gloves. They’re “very important because fresh lava can be razor-sharp, so if you put your hand down, you can get cut badly,” he says.

Eyjafjallajökull was “awesome” because it was accessible without being overrun with tourists, says Sean Stiegemeier, 26, a Los Angeles cinematographer.

“The one good day of weather we were there, there were probably 10 cars out next to the volcano, most of them photographers with gigantic lenses,” he says. “It was so loud, every now and again it felt like it was rumbling its stomach at us and then it would spit out lava.”

There are many volcanoes around the world and most volcanoes erupt in distant, difficult-to-access places.

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My Take: They have more guts than I do! No matter how fascinating it would be to watch a volcano erupt, I would be running in the opposite direction as fast as I could. I would grab the nearest wagon or rolling tool cart and start loading it up with my personalized water bottles and wall decals and anything else I could grab.

Of course, if I thought a safety cabinet would keep me safe from the lava, I would just jump in it. I would definitely try to save all my personalized custom gifts because they are one-of-a-kind. Then again, custom wall words are not the most of important thing my life, but I would try to save them. However, if I was near a volcano that blew, I probably would not have time to save anything but my own rear end.

I do admit that photographers to get beautiful pictures of erupting volcanoes. But risking your life to get a beautiful picture doesn’t seem right to me. I can understand risking my life to save a life, but not just to get a picture.

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Announce it to the World

Memories may fade with time, and photographs may lose their luster, but designer Vanessa Villagrana has created a stylish new way to relive every joyous family occasion in brilliant color and dynamic design. From the first birth announcements cards that she started from to preserve those first precious moments in the lives of her wee ones she has expanded to offer more. She assembled a first-rate design team and soon the trio of stay-at-home “mompreneurs” had included in their line of products baptism, baby shower, christening, marriage, engagement and first birthday invitations. They even offer bilingual services for Spanish-speaking families.

A friend of mine recently had her second baby shower and was telling me while she was getting her birth announcements ready to go about the first birth announcements she sent out. The main thing that she said was she did not want to do it alone again. This time around, she planned to get the family involved in making it a joyful event. This meant she was going to get her husband and her eldest involved in the process. She figured because it was a special event for the family that they should be involved in the process of notifying the rest of the family.

She told me that the baby announcements this time were going to be a collage of ideas. She was going to combine them with the thank you notes for the baby shower gifts that she had just received. She figured this way she would be able to let friends and family know how much she appreciated the gifts as well as informing them of the birth.

She was also considering one other idea that she was not sure would be appropriate. Her eldest child’s 1st birthday was also approaching and she was considering combining the 1st birthday invitations with the announcements. I, myself, thought this would be a little strange and suggested that she include in the envelope the announcements with the invitations for the birthday party. She agreed with me on this point and just added an additional item to the envelope.

The birth announcements were the most unique I had ever seen. She gave her young son a crayon and let him decorate the announcements. She then put these through her computer printer and printed the announcements and invitations herself. Her husband, who is a designer, designed and printed the envelopes. She ended up with something that every friend and family member could treasure as a keepsake. I cannot wait to see what she comes up for with for sweet sixteen invitations for either of her children.