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Adventure photographer captures supermoon at Volcán de Fuego
- UNPLUG. Magazine
- Jan 13
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Volcán de Fuego is not a backdrop. It is an active, unpredictable system in constant motion, and working near it demands preparation, tolerance for failure and a willingness to return empty-handed. For photographer and explorer Anton Werner, that uncertainty is not a drawback. It is the reason he keeps coming back.
Werner first encountered Fuego while traveling on a tight budget through Central America, searching for volunteer opportunities. He arrived in Antigua, Guatemala, with no particular interest in volcanoes. That changed when he saw images of Fuego erupting.
“This feeling of being up close to one of nature’s greatest powers just had a stranglehold on me,” Werner said. “I got a little bit obsessed with volcanoes. It’s a very humbling experience to be standing on a volcano while it erupts in front of you. In a way, it’s grounding — a sensation I think many people seek in the outdoors.”
The scale and frequency of Fuego’s activity made it clear this was not a rare event but an ongoing process. Werner wanted to see it firsthand, and to photograph it on his own terms.
Learning the Terrain
Werner’s first close exposure came not from Fuego but from nearby Pacaya, which at the time was active enough to allow close access to surface lava. The experience reshaped how he approached landscape photography.
To me, it feels like a campfire, you're just drawn towards it and can sit next to it for hours... That times a hundred is what an active volcano feels like to me. Like nature's version of a cinema.
After that trip, Werner began organizing returns to Central America, volunteering in Nicaragua and Guatemala, repeatedly positioning himself near active volcanic systems. Fuego stood out quickly. Its eruptions are forceful, regular and visually complex.
For Werner, it became a working site rather than a one-time destination. He has returned often enough that the terrain, approach routes and sightlines are now familiar. That familiarity allows him to plan shots that rely on precise positioning rather than luck alone.
The Climb
Reaching Fuego requires climbing neighboring Acatenango, where most overnight shoots are staged. Base camp sits at roughly 3,550 meters, with Acatenango’s summit near 4,000 meters. There is no gradual approach. The terrain is steep, loose and physically demanding in both directions.
Hiking a volcano can be a lot less fun than it might seem. It’s not like hiking in the mountains. It’s either very steep uphill or very steep downhill
Werner carries significant weight. Camera bodies, lenses, drone systems, food, water and batteries add up quickly. With a heavy kit like this, footwear is nonnegotiable. He wears boots that extend above the ankle to reduce injury risk and keep volcanic gravel out.
“Another small thing I’ve come to enjoy is fingerless gloves,” he said. “Flying a drone with gloves doesn’t work, but keeping your hands warm is incredibly important for smooth shots.”
Working in Volcanic Conditions
Conditions on Fuego shift rapidly. During the dry season, fine dust infiltrates equipment. In the wet season, rain can arrive without warning.
Werner relies on OX Expeditions, a company he first worked with in 2018, to handle logistics such as transport, food and accommodations. For equipment, he uses rain covers when leaving cameras exposed overnight and cleans gear frequently but accepts that long-term wear is part of the cost. Several lenses have been permanently affected by repeated exposure.
Sun exposure at altitude is intense. Werner covers his face and neck to reduce burns and filter dust. He keeps his gear minimal but refuses to compromise on power, carrying up to 15 batteries across camera and drone systems, along with a large power bank. Water is entirely self-supported, and he typically carries four to four and a half liters for an overnight trip.
At night, batteries are stored inside his sleeping bag to prevent cold-related drain. To Werner, comfort is secondary to reliability, knowing there is no resupply on the mountain.
Planning the Shot
After years of repeated trips, Werner said he no longer needs to scout the terrain.
“By now I know this volcano by heart,” he said. “I have many shots in mind that have formed just from being out there and getting inspired by the terrain... The main factor here is timing.”
Shot ideas develop overtime through repetition and observation. Some frames require minimal setup, while others depend on variables that must align precisely. Weather and eruptions cannot be controlled. Celestial timing, however, can. Werner uses planning tools such as Photo pills to track the position of the sun, moon and stars.
“With this I can plan certain shots ahead and just hope the weather and eruptions play along,” he said. “This uncertainty is the fun part. It makes things exciting.”
If conditions fail to align, plans are abandoned quickly. Cloud cover, wind, fatigue or altitude sickness can all force changes. Werner approaches these moments pragmatically. If a primary shot becomes impossible, he pivots to lower-effort options or documents conditions instead. There have been many trips where no usable images were captured.
You never know if you’ll get the shot you had in mind. There have been plenty of times I've come back from an overnight trip without having taken a single photo or video.
Werner says sleep deprivation is often harder than the climb itself. Lava is visible at night, which means working late and waking early in cold, high-altitude conditions.
"To see lava, you have to wait for nightfall, so you end up spending a lot of time shooting in the late and early hours of the day. This doesn't leave much time for sleep and the sleep you get isn't necessarily the best."
He paces himself deliberately during the ascent, prioritizing long-term energy over speed. Arriving exhausted limits what can be done once conditions improve. Managing output over the full duration of the trip matters more than reaching camp quickly.
Chasing the Supermoon
The image that motivated Werner’s most recent series was highly specific: a full moon rising behind Fuego during an active eruption, captured with a compressed perspective using a telephoto lens on a DJI Mavic 4 Pro drone. The window was limited. During his stay, only two full moons were viable. Weather volatility and unpredictable eruption timing made both attempts uncertain.
“I try to involve natural conditions as much into my planning as I can... But, obviously, you’re out in nature, so a lot of times things don’t necessarily go as you had planned.”
Werner committed an entire overnight trip to the shot. Contrary to experience, conditions aligned. The eruption occurred on schedule. Wind allowed stable flight. Visibility held.
"I was honestly more surprised than anything by how smooth it went. I guess I was expecting the clouds to roll in, to crash the drone, the volcano stay silent... When it did end up aligning, I was just surprised."
A second attempt during the following full moon produced an even larger eruption — minutes before sunrise erased visible lava. The timing margin was narrow. A delay of just a few minutes would have ended the opportunity.
The Obsession
Even with that in mind, Werner said he is drawn to shots that are difficult to obtain. The possibility of failure is part of the appeal. He describes the process as addictive, not because of the final image, but because of the sustained focus required to pursue it. Werner also acknowledges that outcomes are often secondary. The effort, planning, and execution are the primary motivation.
In video production there’s a joke that the director says, ‘We’ll fix it in post," That’s every editor’s nightmare. It’s usually easier to fix things on location than in postproduction
Success is not guaranteed, and he accepts that fully—many images and clips remain archived and unseen. Documentation, for Werner, is not always about publication but about the process of creating itself.
“Sometimes it makes me a bit sad to feel like I’ve only seen some things through a screen. But in the end, I love being out there with a camera... If it wasn’t for my camera, I probably wouldn’t be out there in nature all that much.”
Werner sees obsession as a functional tool — one that drives return trips, new approaches and creative problem-solving.
Obsession and inspiration go hand in hand. If it weren't for the obsession of wanting to capture a specific moment, I wouldn't keep coming back.
