It was simply meant to be a risky yet artsy photo shared among friends — a way to get a few extra "likes" on his Facebook page.

But after Kailua-Kona resident Kawika Singson posted a photo of himself atop a Puu Oo lava flow while peering through a camera lens — flames leaping from the camera tripod and the soles of his shoes — the July 4 image swiftly went viral on the Internet.

Singson, an amateur photographer, said he’s been taking photos of the Big Island lava flows at "extremely dangerous" vantages for the past year.

"You play with fire, you get burned. It’s a calculated risk," he said in a phone interview Tuesday. "I did not do this for fame or money. Maybe that’s my type of personality. Not a lot of people will take these shots."

The image has captured viewers’ imagination around the globe (Singson said he’s been told it’s been viewed 3 million times across 30 websites and garnered 40,000 shares across Facebook).

The image was not doctored or Photoshopped — but it was orchestrated. Singson put lighter fluid on the bottom of his shoe soles and the tripod to produce the flames, which only lasted about 10 seconds, he said. His friend Chris Hirata then snapped the photo. It wasn’t meant to deceive — "my whole intention for this was to get a cool photo for my Facebook pic. That’s it," Singson said.

And it doesn’t make those flows any less hot or menacing. "When you stand on the lava, it’s extremely hot, by the way," he added. "My shoes are toast, gone." The aluminum tripod is OK but its rubber tips melted.

Singson had been planning the shot for about two months. After all the feedback, he said he aims to take another striking image that would top it, but he’s not sure what he’ll do yet. "It’s dicey down there," Singson said.