Elements
A lovely sunset at the black sand beach of Vik.
Iceland is bigger than your imagination..
Sep, 2015Views
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Awards
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Waterfront Cliffs Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 2
Contest Finalist in Surf And The Ocean Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Layers and Rule Of Thirds Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Wide Angle Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in Visual Poetry Photo Contest
Runner Up in Image of the Year Photo Contest by Snapfish
Contest Finalist in Image of the Year Photo Contest by Snapfish
Contest Finalist in Landscapes 101 Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Landscapes Of Iceland Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
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Magnificent Capture
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Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Iceland near the iconic town of Vik. This location is surreal as the beach as you can see is completely black. This is due to the fact that the sand is made of volcanic ash.Time
I was waiting for the sunset time but unfortunately the weather was so bad as rain and wind was the only thing I was able to see since morning. I decided to reach to sunset spot anyway, hoping for a change. Suddenly, a miracle: the huge storm disappeared suddenly and the beautiful beach was in front of me with the clods colored by the sun that was setting behind meLighting
I'm a long exposure addicted, but here finding the correct exposure was a nighttime: the beach was so black, and so the reading of the exposimeter was not reliable. Then the clouds where moving so fast and the risk was to miss the lovely warm light on the top. At the end I found that just a 30 second exposure was the perfect balance also with the waves crushing on the beach.Equipment
This is the last shot I made with my beloved Canon 5D mkIII, so I consider this shot a sort of last memory. The sharpness was obtained using an incredible Zeiss Distagon 18mm lens, and the light was perfectly managed (without any color cast) by my NiSi Filters: I used a 6 stop ND to extend the shutter speed and a 3 stop Graduated ND Hard edge to balance the exposure of the sky with the rest of the scene. A sturdy tripod was essential in order not to have any vibration that could affect the overall sharpness.Inspiration
For me, Iceland is a sort of promise land. It was not the first time I visited this place, so the spot was not a last minute finding. But for the first time, I found that every natural element in the composition was perfectly in balance: the fast moving clouds, the drawings of the waves on the beach, the warm tone of the early march grass perfectly matching the clouds top.. I was simply in ecstasy for this marvelous symphony.Editing
I'm not a big fan of post production, and this is the reason that all my shot are made by a single exposure. I just use Adobe Lightroom for minimal actions like lens distortion, contrast and shadow recovering. I use filters as I really prefer spending time on field instead of in front of a monitor.In my camera bag
I love to travel really light. I just have one body (actually a Nikon D810) and two prime lenses: a Zeiss 18mm and a Zeiss 21mm. Using prime lenses let you not just to increase the image quality (sharpness, ..) but also improve drastically your composition skills as you are forced to consider just two focal lengths. Then, a filter bag with some ND and GND filters is mandatory for me. A sturdy tripod, a spare battery and the bag is done! If I'm going to visit a remote area, a first aid kit is always with me: safety first.Feedback
Try, try another time and then try again. Oh yes, photo shoots don’t always turn out fine all the time. Indeed, they are definitely more times that it goes wrong, but remember: it’s enjoining the moment that really matters, not the photos. If you planned a trip just for the sake of getting nice pictures, you’ll probably fail and waste your time. You cannot control nature, and you’re not taking pictures in your studio. If bad light smiles down at you, all you can do is smile back. Never give up. Never.
