Pictures of the Year: A Picture and its Story
Lava is seen through the window of a kitchen following the eruption of a volcano in El Paso, La Palma, Spain, September 28, 2021. Reuters photographer Jon Nazca: "There is something astonishingly beautiful and hypnotising about seeing a volcano erupt. But it's a different thing entirely to spend day after day next to a volcano, listening to the incredible noise it makes, the shaking of the ground, the gases that make breathing so difficult, and the ash that falls constantly on your head. Four days after the eruption started, I landed on the Spanish island of La Palma. I was struggling to find somewhere to stay and at last I found a house on the outskirts of town. I was worried about my safety, the house felt too close to the exclusion zone. However, it had amazing views of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, the perfect place for a photojournalist. I wanted to capture an image showing what the inhabitants of La Palma were experiencing. I was able to access the house next door with my colleague Miguel Pereira. I went straight to the window in the kitchen and began to set up. Miguel had left a glass of water in the sink and I liked the human element this brought - the warmth of the home contrasting with the heat of the volcano outside. It's an everyday image, a kitchen the same as any of us might have, but while you are washing dishes, outside a volcano is erupting. The image is disturbing, even threatening. It could be your house, your kitchen." REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo SEARCH "POY STORIES 2021" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
