Some of nature’s most beautiful creations can become instruments of great destruction.
A gentle breeze caressing a field of bluebonnets can grow into a powerful tornado, destroying everything in its path. The peaceful surf on a beach at sunset can transform into a life-threatening hurricane. And the breathtaking peak of a mountain can mutate into a volcano with destructive force beyond compare.
This is an image of one of the more storied volcanoes – Mount Vesuvius – near Naples, Italy. This image of Vesuvius, with snow on its summit, introduced me to night photography. I’ll be forever grateful as I love capturing the unique city lights after the sun has set, as shown in my other after hour images such as Concrete and Lightning Strikes Twice.
I took this from the balcony of my hotel room in Sorrento, across the Gulf of Naples from the city of Naples. It was a little like having the photo opportunity delivered to me on a silver platter. And then, on the second night, the silver platter became one of gold as snow appeared on the summit of Vesuvius – something that, to my understanding, is a fairly rare occurrence.
It is difficult for me to look at this image of the beautiful yet imposing dome of Vesuvius, surrounded by the lights of Naples, and not think about the events that destroyed the Roman city of Pompeii. How can something standing so proudly and beautifully over southern Italy cause so much death and destruction.
But in its quiescent forum, especially when wearing a veil of snow, Mount Vesuvius is one of nature’s beautiful gifts, a thing of raw beauty.
I suppose that is one of the goals of a photographer, to create an image that catches a viewer’s eye and encourages the viewer to escape into thought, contemplating the picture’s story.