SHERIDAN, WYOMING – December 2, 2025 – Standing just metres from a glowing lava lake, clipped into a rope 600 metres inside an active volcano, most people would be thinking about getting out as fast as possible – but for German adventure photographer and filmmaker Ulla Lohmann, that’s exactly where she feels most alive. For more than 25 years, she has chased eruptions, lava flows and extreme landscapes around the world, turning a childhood fascination with volcanoes into a dream career that blends travel, storytelling and science.
From childhood volcano fan to National Geographic storyteller
Ulla’s path into adventure photography started young. At eight years old, her father took her to Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Pompeii, where she fell in love with what she calls “the breath of the earth”. That mix of danger, history and raw power never left her.
At 18, she won a national youth science competition in Germany and invested the €1,500 prize in a year-and-a-half trip around the world. On that journey she began taking her first pictures and sending travel reports back home to a local magazine. In Vanuatu, while visiting volcanoes, she met a National Geographic team. By convincing them she could cook, she joined as their expedition cook and discovered a new kind of career: “Meeting them made me realise there are people who work as journalists who are storytellers with a science background, and this was the moment when I said 'I'm going to do the same thing'.”
That decision eventually led to her first published National Geographic story – but only after years of persistence, rejection and going back to reshoot until the images truly captured the atmosphere and emotion of her subjects.
Inside Italy’s ‘Mountains of Fire’
One of Ulla’s recent highlights is Italy’s Mountains of Fire: Europe’s most active volcanoes, a 47-minute documentary for Red Bull Bergwelten. It follows her to Etna, Stromboli, Campi Flegrei and Vulcano, mixing lava and crater shots with the lives of people who call these slopes home.
Snowboarders carving down Mount Etna, scuba divers exploring ruins near Campi Flegrei, fishermen off Stromboli who can sense eruptions before instruments do – Ulla’s images show how closely people and volcanoes are intertwined. “The volcano felt so big and powerful and it made me realise that we humans are so small," she says, "but at the same time it really made me feel alive."
Why storytelling matters more than the perfect shot
Despite the extreme conditions, Ulla insists that gear is only a tool in service of a bigger mission. “For her, Ulla says, ‘it's all about the story’” – which often means switching constantly between stills and video on her Canon EOS R System cameras to match what the moment demands.
Volcano photography demands high dynamic range and low-light performance to show both glowing lava and deep shadows, as well as reliable autofocus when goggles, heat and ash make manual focusing almost impossible. But the true magic happens when technique meets emotion. Early in her career, a picture editor told her to “photograph the atmosphere and the feeling of a situation and not the object” – advice she has carried ever since.
She also challenges photographers not to be overly precious with their gear. “People are always way too careful with their cameras,” she says. “They are not meant to be in your pack, but they're meant to take pictures and capture memories.”
Quick-start guide: 3 ways to grow as an adventure photographer
If you’re dreaming of following in Ulla’s footsteps – whether on volcanoes, in caves or simply on your next hiking trip – you don’t have to start with extreme expeditions. Try these three mindset shifts from her career:
- Think in stories, not single images. Don’t just chase one epic shot. Ask yourself: who are the people here, what’s changing, and how can I show beginning, middle and end?
- Carve out your own niche. Ulla focused on indigenous cultures around active volcanoes – a very narrow field, but uniquely hers. Choose a topic you truly love and go deep.
- Invest in skills, not only gear. Fitness, rope work, ice climbing, or simply being able to hike long distances with your pack – these “expedition skills” often matter more than having one more lens.
The mindset that keeps you going when things get tough
Adventure photography isn’t glamorous all the time. On volcano shoots, Ulla and her team have slept as little as one or two hours a night, endured acidic rain that eats climbing ropes and watched tripods start to melt on still-hot lava. Yet the cameras kept working – and so did the crew, thanks to trust, teamwork and a shared goal.
Planning and risk management are constant companions: thinking through where lava might flow, when to move, and how to stay calm when plans change. Ulla packs light, knows every pocket of her bag and operates her camera by feel so she never misses a moment, even in darkness, ash or strong winds. Over time, her equipment has become an extension of her body – and her stories an extension of her voice.
Most of all, she never stops learning from others and sharing her own experience, whether guiding training expeditions or inspiring audiences at talks and festivals. “I get as much of a thrill as I had in the very beginning,” Ulla says, “because I realise how powerful stories are, and how I can really change people's lives.”
Learn more about Canon cameras, lenses and adventure photography inspiration at https://www.canon-europe.com.