Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, Iceland
Oct, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, in southern Iceland (I just realized mislabeled the image - oops!). I was there with a group of nine other professional and amateur photographers from my home town in September of 2017.Time
I don't recall exactly what time of day it was. We had stopped at the foot of the canyon for a picnic lunch before the long uphill climb to the top, so it must have been early afternoon.Lighting
The light in Iceland is very tricky and changes rather quickly. We were lucky that day to have scattered clouds, allowing the sun to break through and create some interesting shadows.Equipment
Camera: NIKON D7100 Aperture: f/16 ISO: 1000 Shutter Speed: 1/100 Nikon 18-105mm 1:3.5 - 5.6 lens Focal Length: 180/10 HandheldInspiration
The inspiration for this photo came simply from the breathtaking landscape. I was taken with the play of light and shadow, the reflections on the rushing water and the rich green moss covering the rocks. To me this photo works because of the many contrasts, jagged grey cliffs, soft green moss and the movement of the river.Editing
Lightroom is great for editing landscapes. Because the light can be tricky shooting outdoors - dark shadow and bright highlights - I lexpose for the highlights. In Lightroom you can then open up the shadows to reveal as much or as little detail you like and get the overall desired balance and contrast. And I always shoot RAW. RAW files contain much more information then JPEG files.In my camera bag
I have very limited equipement, a Nikon D7100 (my first DSLR), a 18-105mm 1:3.5 Nikon lens which I used for this shot, a 50mm 1:1.8 Nikon lens and a Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro lens. I also have a variable ND and a polarizing filter. A remote trigger and a Manfroto 290 tripod with a ball head, which is great for travelling as I can pack it in my luggage.Feedback
The weather in Iceland changes throughout the day. I experienced hot sun, cold winds, heavy rain and hail all in the same day, depending on the location. So, being prepared for anything is key. I waited for a maybe an hour for the light to be right for this shot, taking shots from different angles, horizontal and vertical, changing my settings, etc. I don't know if I will ever be back to that location, so I wanted to be sure I captured a good image there and then.
