Tag: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

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2025 – The Year in Pictures

2025 – The Year in Pictures. Continuing a tradition that began over ten years ago here is a selection of a few of my favorite images released in the past year. These are not necessarily my best or most popular, but each represents a special moment in time in which the beauty of this amazing world revealed itself before my lens.

Please share and enjoy!  I’d love to know your thoughts and if any images resonated with you or conjured up good memories. You can click on any image for a large high quality view, to learn more about it or purchase a fine art print.

I look forward to seeing your favorite images, and most of all I wish everyone a healthy and Happy New Year!

-Russ

2025 - The Year in Pictures. Cascade on the Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park, California USA
Cascade on the Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park, California USA
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Motmot bird (Momotidae) eating a praying mantas, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
Motmot bird (Momotidae), Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Sunset at Playa Matapalo, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
Sunset at Playa Matapalo, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Splendid Leaf Frog (Agalychnis calcarifer), La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Costa Rica
Splendid Leaf Frog (Agalychnis calcarifer), La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Costa Rica
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Rio Celeste, Tenorio Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
Rio Celeste, Tenorio Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Arenal Volcano, Arenal Volcano National Park, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica
Arenal Volcano, Arenal Volcano National Park, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Rio Celeste Waterfall, Tenorio Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
Rio Celeste Waterfall, Tenorio Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Morning light on Mount Cook, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand
Morning light on Mount Cook, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Rainbow Falls, Wailuku River State Park, Hawaii USA
Rainbow Falls, Wailuku River State Park, Hawaii USA
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Powerful surf on the Puna Coast, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii USA
Powerful surf on the Puna Coast, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii USA
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Jungle stream on the Hamakua Coast, The Big Island, Hawaii USA
Jungle stream on the Hamakua Coast, The Big Island, Hawaii USA
2025 - The Year in Pictures. Sunrise at Mather Point, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona USA
Sunrise at Mather Point, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona USA

 

©Russ Bishop/All Rights Reserved

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Pele’s Realm

Pele's Realm. Lava flow entering the ocean at dawn, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
Lava flow entering the ocean at dawn, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

Pele’s Realm. For more than a quarter century the lava on Hawaii’s Big Island has continued to flow. From the Pu’u O’o vent on the flanks of Kilauea down into the Pacific and lately a fountain filling the sky above Halema’uma’u crater. A mesmerizing river of molten earth that is equally beautiful and terrifying as it slowly devours everything in it’s path, while adding acres to Hawaii’s newest Island.

Since ancient times Pele, the Goddess of Fire, has been a central figure of Hawaiian lore. “She-Who-Shapes-The-Sacred-Land” is often recounted in ancient Hawaiian chants, and today is the most visible of the Hawaiian deities.

Pele is known to be a passionate goddess, yet volatile and capricious as evidenced by her destruction of the modern Waha’ula visitor center while completely avoiding an ancient heiau (Hawaiian temple) in her path.

I’ve been back many times over the past thirty years to pay homage to Pele, and I’m always in awe of her powerful hand in shaping these Islands. Will Rogers once said, “buy real estate, they don’t make it any more”. But clearly he had never been to this part of the world!

 

©Russ Bishop/All Rights Reserved

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The Fire Within

The Fire Within - Lava flow entering the ocean at dawn, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park,, Hawaii
Lava flow entering the ocean at dawn, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

The Fire Within. For more than a quarter century Madame Pele the goddess of fire has let her temperament be known on the Big Island of Hawaii. Often without warning she has re-awakened many times during a forty-year period sending a river of lava flowing into the sea and creating one of the most active volcanoes on earth.

This image made in the pre-dawn hours in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park shows the raw force of fire and water combining to form new land. It is an incredible spectacle to witness and one of the most challenging subjects I have ever photographed.

For many years walking across miles of a’a lava fields (the sharp brittle variety) in the dark and carefully setting up a tripod on a newly formed shelf above the sea was the only option. But when the lava began flowing into the sea an off-shore view provided a new perspective to this ever-changing landscape.

In stark contrast to shooting the lush forests and beautiful beaches on the windward side of this same island, this is a land of raw earth and fire – and beauty of a different kind. The experience is intoxicating, and once you’ve caught your first glimpse of Pele’s glow the desire to return again and again is hard to resist.

 

©Russ Bishop/All Rights Reserved