Amazing images show volcanoes erupting after drones capture ash-tonishing bird's-eye snaps

 

Smokin': This dramatic shot shows Mutnovsky Volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula

Glowing lava spews from a crater, ash spits from fiery depths and smoke rises thousands of feet - these dramatic pictures show volcanoes at their most explosive.
And daredevil photographers didn't even have to risk their lives to get them.
In fact, the spectacular, panoramic shots of volcanic eruptions were captured by drones, sent out by Russian non-profit group AirPano, all over the world.
Included in the set - which spans four continents - are images from across the United States, Iceland, Russia, Ethiopia and Indonesia.

 

Spewing: Lava pours out of Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, US

To capture the 360-degree images, AirPano photographers spend around two hours in a helicopter, sending out drones to capture the action below.
By travelling to such a wide variety of places, the 12-person team are able to capture a range of different volcanos including acid lakes and empty craters.

 

Hot stuff: Smoke rises from Volcano Plosky Tolbachik in Kamchatcka, Russia

Sergey Semenov, technical director of AirPano, said: "Several times we've been just meters away from the lava, and many times get a birds-eye view of the smoking craters.
"Because our main goal is to create 360 panoramas, it's very important to get to the volcano as close as possible - but not many eruptions allow you to do that.

 

Explosive: An orange glow comes from Volcano Klyuchevskaya in Sopka, Russia

"Every flight has its own difficulties. We had one flight earlier this year where the helicopter struggled to get to the altitude of the crater.
"Visibility can sometimes be less than perfect, but when the ash clouds are illuminated by the sun it can be very beautiful.

 

Too hot to handle: A drone captured this snap of Volcano Bromo in Indonesia

"We're always waiting for a new eruption, but nobody can tell us when and where it will happen, and nobody knows if it will be possible to get close enough.
"But I'm sure we will create more new thrilling images and panoramas of such magnificent natural phenomena."