HOW TO FLY A DRONE OVER A VOLCANO?

Flying over the volcano of La Palma, newly named Volcán Tajogaite, was not an easy task. As a local drone operator we realised that sunrises and sunsets were the best time to fly the drone and take aerial images of the La Palma volcano. The reason for this is the alignment of the Tajogaite Volcano with sunrise and sunset.

At sunrise, the area was protected by the Cumbre Vieja, so that all the gases emitted by the lava flows as well as the volcano did not cloud the atmosphere. Once the sun’s rays hit the gas particles, the whole atmosphere changed and imaging became more complicated. The same happens at sunset, although when night falls the images become spectacular and the volcano seems to become more active.

The main problem with night and sunsets is that the DJI drone camera had to capture a very bright element in the dark. Pushing the camera specifications to the limit. In this scenario it is advisable to focus on the luminous element and not overexpose the image.  In other words, the final decision was to expose the image to a point below the magma and not to push the ISO, as the most striking information would be the lava rivers seen from the air with the DJI drone.