Icelandic authorities on alert for volcano eruption 0:22
(CNN) -
Taking off a few layers of clothing when the temperature rises may be the most natural thing in the world.
Yet few of us would attempt it in front of a crowd of hundreds of people while standing in front of a lava-spitting volcano.
Tour guide Sveinn Snorri Sighvatsson went viral for doing just that while visiting Geldingadalur on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula.
Sveinn Snorri Sighvatsson went viral for her photoshoot next to a volcano in Iceland.
Their
impromptu
striptease
took place as people gathered at the site of the erupting volcano to watch the extraordinary show, which began last Friday.
Sighvatsson, who works for the I Am Iceland travel company, was asked to model the Pit Viper glasses as a favor and decided to take things to a higher level to ensure maximum exposure.
"My friends and I were making jokes about nude photos in the lava field," he tells CNN Travel.
“One of my friends is a photographer and he was talking to me about these sunglasses.
So I told him: 'get your camera ready, I'm going to take off my clothes,' "he says.
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The photographer who captured the moment was Norris Niman, who says he knew Sighvatsson was "the perfect man for a shot in the newly formed lava field."
"A festival is not a real festival if someone does not get naked," adds Niman.
And this, of course, was no exception.
But doing an impromptu photoshoot next to an erupting site was no easy feat, and definitely not recommended.
In fact, visitors are instructed not to get too close to the lava fountains.
"It was like being too close to a big bonfire," says Niman.
"So we had about a minute to photograph this collection as we rotated so we didn't over-broil either side and with a large crowd watching," he recalls.
Although his experience as an adventure guide allowed him to assess danger and "get in and out" quickly, Sighvatsson stresses that anyone who "doesn't know what they are doing" should stay on high ground and avoid approaching lava fields.
Image courtesy of Norris Niman.
"People are not aware of the gases that are there," he says.
“It is okay to stay above (the volcano) on the highest ground, you are completely safe there.
But going down can be very, very dangerous, "he explains.
“On Sunday a strong wind was blowing, so the gases were in the opposite direction and we were fine staying close to the lava field.
But if there is no wind, you don't go down there, "he added.
Although the session lasted less than a few minutes, hundreds of people were and witnessed it, and the moment ended on the internet.
An extraordinary eruption in a volcano in Iceland
Sighvatsson and Niman seem to be enjoying the attention their photoshoot has garnered, and while commenters haven't focused too much on sunglasses, their anonymous friend is also quite happy with how things turned out.
"He actually sent a message saying that was the image he was waiting for," says Sighvatsson, who has seen the volcano again a couple of times in recent days.
"I have seen all the eruptions here on the island since 1991, but this is something else," he says.
(Credit: Jeremie Richard / AFP / Getty Images)
As crowds continued to gather at Geldingadalur, which continues to spew lava, authorities set up a hiking trail to regulate the large number of visitors to this Icelandic volcano.
The area is patrolled on a regular basis to ensure everyone's safety.
"It's a perfect tourist eruption," Thorvaldur Thordarson, a professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, told Reuters earlier this week.
"With the warning, however, not to get too close," he added.