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.)
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.)
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 the time open my camera bag and put a lens on my DSLR, I’d reached into my packet and pulled out the MiniCam™. The sandbar delineating the edge of the North Atlantic was about a kilometer away. The low tide exposed a sweep of black sand. It was quiet.
We didn’t notice the light rain. We didn’t feel the insistent breeze. We ignored the growing hunger in our bellies. We were deep in the thrall of the ever-changing clouds.
It’s hard to pick out a favorite here. This is one. Despite its monochrome appearance, it’s a color photograph. Matter of fact, I increased both vibrance and saturation in post processing. There are subtle tones that would otherwise be lost.
Lunch was especially good that day.
(Canon G5X II. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
January 26, 2020 — The Thórbergur Center, South Coast, Iceland
Minimalist mountain, minimally.
(Canon G5X II. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
January 24, 2020 — Londrangar View Point, Snaefellsjökull Peninsula, Iceland
Minimalist horizon on a cold, cold day.
(Nikon D850, Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2. ISO 64, 20 sec at f/16; 6-stop neutral density filter. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
For more Seascape Horizons, see amagaphoto.com
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.)
January 30, 2019 — Skógafoss, South Coast, Iceland
This is a dramatic sixty-meter waterfall (foss), so naturally I show just a bit of the river and the bottom of the falls.
I did put on my wellies for this one.
(Nikon D850, Nikon 24-120mm f/4G VR. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
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.)
January 28, 2020, 11:32 p.m. — Jökulsárlón, South Coast, Iceland
As the forms resolved into a loose spiral, they slowed and remained stationary. We were rapt and remained stationary.
(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.)
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.)
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. Motionless.
Shaking myself out of my reverie, I went galumphing back to my camera as fast as the crampons on my feet would allow. Regaining my breath and composure, I recomposed my frame, dialed the ISO sensitivity down to 1250, clicked, and waited out the ten-second exposure, which took forever.
The first shot was a perfectly exposed glob of green blob blur. I’d been leaning on my tripod — obviously not having fully regained my composure — and it slipped. This is the second shot.
As a side note, here is an example of Mother Nature doing things her own way: In most dramatic productions, the curtain rises at the start of the show; with the Aurora Borealis, the curtain falls.
(Nikon D850, Tamron SP 15–30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD. f/2.8, 10 sec, ISO 1250. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
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.)
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 night. She and I and a few others followed Gary to try a location right next to the lagoon but it turned out to be less than satisfactory. Don was on the hill above us and called down that the view was great, so we trudged up to find him with the rest of our group and about thirty others. A very quiet party.
We set up our tripods, worked out compositions — fun in the dark — tried some test exposures, and waited.
The sky was a tease. Was that a bit of green on the horizon? A bit of red? Nope, it’s gone. Green again. Bah! Faded. Too many clouds! And those #@%# headlights! Well, the Milky Way is nice…
We waited.
There’s some green…
(Nikon D850, Tamron SP 15–30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD. f/2.8, 10 sec, ISO 4000. Raw processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
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 the others had gone to higher ground, leaving me alone on one of the most breathtaking beaches on the world. I kept shooting long after sunset — well into blue hour.
And for all that, I went away thinking the shoot was a wash. Once and twice through the frames in the selection process, it still seemed to be a wash. Blah reflections. Blue hour not blue enough. It was only upon going through a third time that this one showed potential. A starting point. It took a fair amount of work in post-processing to transform it from a potential to what I had been hoping to see in the first place.
Meanwhile, the Kp index had been messing with us. In the morning it was 1. Midday, 2. Now approaching 3, but as with weather forecasts, it’s no sure thing. And will the clouds go away?
(Nikon D850, Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2. processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
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 in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
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