January 26, 2020 — Reynisfjara (Black Sand) Beach, Iceland
It was a dark and stormy morning. The wind-whipped weather was a fierce opponent. The barely risen sun cowered behind the clouds. Photographer and camera were covered in sleet and snow. This emerged from the mist.
From this angle, most photographs of this scene appear to show two sea stacks. Actually, in those shots the one on the left (the one you see here) appears to be one, but is actually two — you can see the other one peeking from behind the right edge. In the interest of simplicity, I decided that three’s a crowd and cropped out the third sea stack that would be on the right.
(Nikon D850, Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2. Post processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
AMAGA Photography Blog 
These photographs are beyond words. They belong in a gallery. Not just any gallery. A very special gallery.
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Thank you, Karen. This makes me very happy.
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Fab, just FAB
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Thank you, Paula!
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I like the slightly curved band that moves slightly downward as it sweeps across the lower part of the image and separates the darkness below from the waves and everything else above.
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Thanks, Steve. That’s my favorite part of the shot. The black sand adds drama.
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Another beauty I see ✌️☺️ and lovely palette ~ smiles Hedy
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Thanks, Hedy. Iceland in winter provides a fascinating palette. Often it is quite limited, which I love. More coming.
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I agree with Steve’s comment above, I love the dramatic black band across the bottom. A wonderful shot.
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Thanks very much. It’s paradoxical. The black sand makes a strong statement, but at the same time has an element of soft subtlety.
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Love the drama in your Iceland images, Michael. Terrific!
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Thank you!
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One more enthusiastic thumb up for the black Icelandic sand. I also like the apparent banking on the left with the small sliver of water intruding. Although unseen, I think your crop was a good decision and the two, seen as one, stacks are enough to make a powerful image. The windblown surf spray is a nice addition too.
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Thank you on all counts. That crop was a rough decision but I do believe it was the correct one. You’ll see more shots emphasizing the black sand and the silver line.
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Extremely striking image, all the stronger for its limited colours; and almost getting over towards something purely graphic – less is often more! 🙂
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Thank you very much. I am thinking graphically more and more.
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That’s a very good direction to take.
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