On Computers and Photography
From time to time travelers had to make a choice. From the outside, from the surface, it may look like simply taking the bright path or the dark path. But in reality one rarely chooses between two possibilities. And even in darkness, one’s inner Sun may shine or it could fade in blinding light.
The Choice
Photographed with the Canon EOS 5DS R and my custom modified Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/15. The camera was controlled with Kuuvik Capture.
Sandur – the plain at the foot of a glacier built from sediments interwoven with thousands of meltwater river branches. Endless forms and variations. One of my favorite (if not the favorite) feature of the Icelandic landscape.
We arrived at this place in the middle of a great sunset, and first had a color image in my mind. But ended up with black and white as it conveys a cleaner message this way. This is an occasion when color distracts and confuses.
Chaos of a Sandur
Taken with the Canon 5DS R and Zeiss Otus 1.4/55. The wind was strong, so I used ISO 400 to shorten shutter speed as much as possible, weighed the tripod down and used my body as a wind breaker in front of the camera and tripod.
Cave-dwelling bacteria decorate the walls of lava tubes in the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
Living in a Cave
Since we went there with a regular tour, there was no possibility to bring a tripod and set up shots as I normally would. So the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II together with the great little Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM lens, a 600EX flash (was not used for the shot above) and the mighty Nitecore SRT7 flashlight came with me.
The flashlight was used to light this shot. The 35mm is a very sharp lens, and you can handhold it at ridiculously slow shutter speeds. Plus the 1D X II is very good at high ISOs, so they made the perfect combination for this adventure.
It’s eye-opening to experience how my relation to Iceland evolves over time. I’m here for the fifth time, now spending the entire summer in the country, but haven’t seen the island for a decade. And it has changed a lot. And I also changed a lot.
It was hard to forget the Iceland I had in my fond memories and let myself see what’s in front of me. But once I began to free myself from the past, image making started to get rewarding again.
And the island is still capable of delivering great scenery, just in slightly different ways. Just like the one below.
Layers
This image was captured at a nice geothermal area – well, it was much better ten years ago, before an explosion wiped most of the features. But this time we went there chasing the reddish glow on the horizon, not the geothermal stuff.
Taken with the Canon 5DS R and Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 2/135.
It’s not over until it’s over – this is a golden truth in photography. We were driving the whole afternoon for nothing. It rained, and the waterfall at our original destination wasn’t in its top shape. But on the way home we literally ran into this majestic scene. Took roughly 50 frames, exploring different compositions, and couldn’t be happier with the results.
Dark Mountains
Captured with the Canon 5DS R with the Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 2/135 lens. Yes, one must bring a telephoto to Iceland.
Sometimes great photographic opportunities present themselves in unexpected situations. But as the saying goes, luck favors the prepared.
We were driving back to Reykjavík a few days ago when a colorful sunset started to unfold in front of us. We stopped at the first gas station, pulled out my iPhone with the Mark II Artist’s Viewfinder to look for an image. A few minutes later I stepped out of the car with a big smile – knowing that the image I’m going to shoot will work. Just had to take it properly.
Roadside Sunset
Out came the tripod, the Canon 5DS R, the magnificent Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 2/135, as well as the 11″ MacBook Air. With 50 megapixels it’s essential to check for distractions on the image – in this case I had to exclude the fence that ran across the lower border which escaped my attention when I set up the shot through the camera’s viewfinder. But once I fired up Kuuvik Capture and took a test shot, it became clearly visible on the notebook screen. A quick framing adjustment, and just had to wait for the best colors.
