Author: Michael Scandling

Lagoon, Simplified

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Impressionism / Inspiration / Landscape / Monochrome / Photo Log / Photography

January 26, 2020 — The Thórbergur Center, Hali Country Hotel, South Coast, Iceland Same scene as the last post, but simplified and in other ways edited to bring out something closer to the essence of what I saw. The changes are in most ways not huge — but in one way, sweeping. It’s more than just a crop. Stay tuned… (Canon G5X II. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

Lugubrious Lagoon

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Impressionism / Inspiration / Landscape / Monochrome / Photo Log / Photography

January 26, 2020 — The Thórbergur Center, Hali Country Hotel, South Coast, Iceland Shot a few minutes after the image in the last post. Looking a bit further east. Unlike the last image, not a lot of post-processing work here. Despite its monochromatic appearance, this is a color photograph. Stay tuned… (Canon G5X II. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

White, Gray, and Black Lagoon

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Iceland / Impressionism / Inspiration / Landscape / Monochrome / Photo Log / Photography

January 26, 2020 — The Thórbergur Center, Hali Country Hotel, South Coast, Iceland As we returned to our hotel and eatery after a morning shoot, she and I gaped gasping at the gray glory of the sky. While the others ducked into their warm and dry rooms, we got as close as we could to the edge of a sharp slope that ended at the edge of a partially frozen lagoon. Not wanting to take […]

Skógafoss: Base of the Waterfall — A Wider View

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Impressionism / Inspiration / Landscape / Monochrome / Photo Log / Photography / Waterfall

January 30, 2019 — Skógafoss, South Coast, Iceland Here’s the original frame from which the last post’s image was cropped. My Muse and I have had quite a discussion as to which we prefer. We invite you to weigh in. (Nikon D850, Nikon 24-120mm f/4G VR. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

Ice Pup

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Iceland / Impressionism / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography

January 29, 2020 —Fjallsárlón Glacial Lake, Iceland A sole iceberg puppy floating on the near mirror surface of this lake at the south end of the glacier Vatnajökull. Pretty small for an iceberg but pretty big for a pup. About the size of a Saint Bernard and I’m sure a lot heavier. (Nikon D850, Tamron 100–400mm f/4.5–6.3 Di VC USD. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

Act Two. Center Stage.

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Inspiration / Landscape / Photo Log / Photography

January 28, 2020, 11:29 p.m. — Jökulsárlón, South Coast, Iceland As the plot thickened, the action moved to center stage. ISO sensitivity now down to 400. This was Kp index 3.3. I can’t imagine how bright the top of the scale — 9 — is. Maybe you really do need sunglasses. (Nikon D850, Tamron SP 15–30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD. f/2.8, 10 sec, ISO 400. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

Let the Show Begin. Act One.

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Landscape / Photo Log / Photography

January 28, 2020, 11:26 p.m. — Jökulsárlón, South Coast, Iceland Things remained as they were for a while. Taking advantage of the lull, I walked about fifty meters off from the rest of the group for a quiet moment, and as I gazed off the east, Thor hit the light switch. It wasn’t a fade up. It was snap and full-on. I was transfixed by the slow weaving of the sheets of light. Riveted. Mesmerized. […]

Overture

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Iceland / Landscape / Photo Log / Photography

January 28, 2020, 11:11 p.m. — Jökulsárlón, South Coast, Iceland The later it got, the colder it got. But somehow no one minded. The mood had shifted from “is anything really going to happen?” to “what’s going to happen next?” ISO sensitivity bumped down from 4000 to 2500. (Nikon D850, Tamron SP 15–30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD. f/2.8, 10 sec, ISO 2500. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

Tease

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Iceland / Inspiration / Landscape / Photo Log / Photography

January 28, 2020, 10:48 p.m. — Jökulsárlón, South Coast, Iceland When we returned from Vestrahorn, Óli, our Icelandic guide, checked the Kp index, which was heading toward three. He called a number of his contacts to see what things were like in other locations, and then announced at dinner that we were going to try for the Northern Lights. We returned to Jökulsárlón at about 9 p.m., put on our crampons, and ventured into the […]

Vestrahorn Blue Hour

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Iceland / Landscape / Monochrome / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

January 28, 2020 — Vestrahorn, South Coast, Iceland One of the iconic vistas in a land full of iconic vistas. Ignoring advice, I didn’t put on my wellies, preferring my waterproof insulated boots. The wellies, being higher, would’ve allowed me to go further into the water, which would’ve changed the angle, which would’ve afforded better reflections. My solution was to go out as far as I could and try more shots. I stayed long after […]

Obscured by Clouds

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Iceland / Impressionism / Inspiration / Landscape / Photo Log / Photography

January 27, 2020 — Jökulsárlón, South Coast, Iceland What was the photographer ruminating on while creating such an image — made of two different treatments of one shot combined with part of another shot? What might he think? It could be a question of two ages: Would JMW Turner have liked Pink Floyd? Discuss. I’m verklempt. PS: Not looking good for Northern Lights tonight. Kp Index is 1. (Nikon D850, Nikon 24-120mm f/4G VR. RAW processing […]