The Wonders of Awe

"The Wonders of Awe" | Godafoss Waterfall, Iceland

If a man forgets what beauty looks like, will an image ever be able bring him back?

Story:
I usually do not include human figures in my images, as my main quest lies in searching for the beauty of an untouched earth. This image is one of the exceptions, being an hommage both to the endless raw beauty of our planet, but also to the ones who constantly strive to share it with the world.

The Waterfall of the Gods in Iceland is not only symbolically important, but also a true masterpiece of Nature. Even though it´s located in the Northeast of Iceland, far from the much more visited South, tourists flock to this place everyday, searching for that unique feeling of awe that Iceland knows how to present so well. There are negative consequences when a natural and delicate place is overrun by tourists, but how could one judge the will to witness such a stunning display of beauty?

For a photographer, who not only wants to witness the raw power of these places, but also capture them using the best angles and light, such crowded places present a big challenge.When I shoot landscapes, I need to have a space of silence between me and the scene, a silence which needs time, a time which needs some solitude. When I arrived here in my latest Iceland trip in September 2017, I had never seen so many tourists in this place! The classical point of view in the west side of the waterfall was filled with tripods and photographers, moving frantically and aligning to capture the colors of the end of the day. Fortunately the sun was going to set precisely on the west side, so shooting it from the east would be best. Even though the wind was blowing the water spray to this side, I decided to once again endure the "torture" of trying to do long exposures while being battered by water spray. The top platform of the east side was also filled with photographers, so I went to the base of the waterfall, where things tend to get rough but even more beautiful.

Technical info: Sony a7R | Venus Laowa 12mm f2.8 | f11 | ISO 100 | 8 seconds | 4 stops full ND Nisi | 4 stops medium ND Grad Nisi | FLM CP30XL-Pro Tripod | Wireless remote shutter | Manual focus
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