Contrasts
Iceland ... "land of contrasts" where the 4 elements: earth, water, air, fire perpetually clash in a perfect ... "harmony"!...
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Iceland ... "land of contrasts" where the 4 elements: earth, water, air, fire perpetually clash in a perfect ... "harmony"!
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Nov, 2016Views
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Awards
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Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 16
Contest Finalist in My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 1
Peer Award
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Magnificent Capture
All Star
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the beautiful beach of Jokulsarlon in Iceland : a beautiful country for who loves Nature and wonderful sceneries. This beach, located at the exit of the glacial lagoon, is well known because many blocks of ice come to run aground on the black sand and to undergo the repeated assault of the violent waves. A "must" for landscape photography !Time
That october day, having spent part of the night observing the Nothern Lights for the first time of my life (and what a spectacle !), I had risen in the hope of having extraordinary lights for sunrise. The sunrise was indeed very bright, but a few minutes later, at the moment of this photo, the sky had radically changed bringing many dark clouds, hail, rain and cold wind. It is also that : "Iceland" ! A magical moment in spite of everything.Lighting
Ultimately, this very dark sky married beautifully with this black sand beach to intensely contrast with the blocks of ice and the foam of the violent waves. A truly photogenic natural contrast !Equipment
For this shot, I used my Nikon D610 with the Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 (with Marumi polarizer and GND Lee Filters), a remote control for triggering and my Sirui tripod. Oh yes, of course, I also had a good pair of waders :)Inspiration
A lot of photos have been taken on this beautiful beach and each of them has its own story although many look very similar by the composition, the atmosphere, the style ... etc ... however, each of them is unique in emotion and in memory. I think for me, this picture represents everything I love in the photo : beautiful landscape, the Nature in its raw state and travels. Honestly, I could spend hours photographing this beach without bothering me for a second !Editing
Of course, although this photo was already well balanced by the dark sky and the use of a GND filter, I had to accentuate a little more the contrast between ice / foam and black sand / dark sky. The final touch was to add a vignetting to center the look on the ice block.In my camera bag
When I leave to make landscape photographies, I always carry my nikon D610 with the Nikkor 16-35 f/4 (+ Marumi polarizer) and my wonderful Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8. In addition, I always have a remote control, some ND and GND filters, some extra batteries, rags and protective plastic bags in case of bad weather. Sometimes, depending on what I have to photograph, I add my Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 or my Tokina 100mm Macro, a head lamp, a pair of gloves ... etc ... Of course, my tripod is almost always on the game too !Feedback
First, dress yourself according to the weather ... it is very important to be comfortable and relaxed to photograph. Therefore, for a country like Iceland, it is necessary to be impermeable, cut of the wind and warm ; Gore-Tex clothing is highly recommended, a pair of gloves and a hood also. If you go by the sea, boots can be very useful to be a little more relaxed in front of the waves. Then, when you arrive on a photo spot, take your time and familiarize yourself with it to find the best compositions, the best angles of view. If you're shooting at wide angle, move closer to your foreground to fill the frame, lower yourself and finally stabilize your tripod as much as possible. All you have to do now is set your depth of field (usually between f/8 and f/16) and have fun with the shutter speed by playing with the different settings of your camera to get a result that is more enjoyable to your eyes. But the most important thing is: "Take Pleasure"! ... and "don't forget to raise your head to enjoy the scenery in front of you" :)
