Adventure photographer Mike Mezeul II captured something truly extraordinary a couple of weeks ago. While hiking around Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii one night in September, he managed to capture the moon, the milky way, a meteor, and flowing lava in a single frame.
It’s one of those photos that comes around once in a lifetime, something that Mezeul recognized as soon as he pressed the shutter. “I was literally in shock. It was my third frame to shoot after the sun had set, and after I saw the meteor, I knew I couldn’t beat that image, so I packed it up and headed back.â€
Mike Mezeul
Capturing this shot was not without its dangers, of course. Every few seconds he had to move away from the lava flow or risk getting burned. Mezeul hiked through some seriously strenuous terrain to capture the shot in the first place, “some of the most extreme landscape I’ve ever been in”… which is saying something coming from someone of his stature.
Mike Mezeul
Still, all the danger and strain was more than worth it.
“[It was] an incredible moment, one that I will never forget,”Mezeul wrote on his Facebook page. “Lava from the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii crawling down towards the ocean as the Milky Way, a meteor, and moon shine above.â€
Nature is truly amazing. Share this breathtaking photo today!
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