Asterix goes to Iceland

[Blackgoddess]

Wow your Aurora Borealis is superb! :thumbsup: May i ask how did you capture it? Long exposure? Lovely series BTW!

 

[asterixsg]

Wow your Aurora Borealis is superb! :thumbsup: May i ask how did you capture it? Long exposure? Lovely series BTW!

Thanks for your comments.

The photograph of Aurora Borealis was captured with a 14mm lens at f2.8, 30s, ISO 800. Most of the photos that you see on the internet of the Aurora are photoshopped or some special techniques employed to expose the foreground. In total darkness, its impossible to expose the Aurora and the foreground simultaneously. Either you have to use the black card technique OR use a very strong flashlight to "paint" the foreground OR shoot multiple exposures and blend them. I was happy to merely capture the experience. Was way too excited to simply witness this wonderful phenomenon...

This is the website that has best information on how to shoot Aurora Borealis. Have included the same in Post #2 of this thread.
http://www.alaskaphotographyblog.com/how-to-photograph-the-northern-lights-with-a-digital-camera/

 

[asterixsg]

Ok, some comments:

#1 - love the sky, but a pity about the foreground composition... But I guess being there is enough!

#2 - I'm not sure about this one. The sky is beautiful, that structure is nice, but it doesn't fall into place. I have no other suggestion how to shoot this one though...

#3 - Beautiful! I prefer to crop off some of the left to make this a centered composition with the mountain just right in the middle. Right now it's just a tad right heavy.

#4 - A bit too much space for me here. I would have chosen to use a longer focal length to hit that section with the curve only... After the yellow poles to the left of the 2 road signs...

The waterfall shots are great - the one with the tourist/guy there... I would just shove him in the corner for once, and crop the rest away (right/bottom).

I think #8 is great, though I might cheat by smoothening out the snow, or cloning it in post if that couldn't be done.

Would choose to crop the bottom off #9 slightly to ensure that leading line of the pattern starts from a corner.

These are all very beautiful, just nitpicking really.

[EDIT] - I've left some notes in Flickr which tie in to these comments...

Thanks a LOT for sharing your feedback here and in flickr. Really appreciate the fact that you took so much time out to do so...

I have some thoughts that I would like to pen down...

1. Before I went to Iceland, I had researched websites on how to photograph the Aurora. I had seen several hundred photographs too. I had reached a conclusion that as long as I was able to witness the Aurora and capture it in a photograph, I would consider myself blessed. I chose that location because I wanted to capture the reflection of the Aurora in the glacier lagoon (of course it was still dependent on my luck with weather and for Mother Nature to turn on the lights :bsmilie.
The Aurora appears around the North, so you have to have a clear horizon from NorthWest to SouthEast, and still have something of foreground interest. I had a black card with me and I could've used it too to probably expose the foreground for a minute or two, but I didn't want to get too carried away with getting a perfect photograph and forgetting to enjoy the experience. Now that I've seen it once, I want more :bsmilie: and I will be better prepared to shoot if I get an opportunity. Will pay more attention to composition next time around.

#2. I too shot several dozen photos of Hallgrímskirkja full on, from the side, in cloudy conditions, at night and was fortunate enough to get perfect light in the evening for say 15 mins. As miraculously as the clouds cleared and blue skies appeared, the clouds came back after 15 mins or so. It was just to give me that glimpse of perfect weather. I ran to the front of the church, lied down on the ground and shot this frame. I loved the swirling clouds and since I am a sucker for symmetry, I thought of this view. Don't think there are too many photos of this view around - not with blue skies and swirling clouds.

#3 and #4. Thats the problem with me. I shoot a dozen frames in portrait orientation, landscape orientation at different focal lengths and play around with different compositions. Most of the time, at that instant, I can't make up my mind which works best for me. I figure that when I get back home, I will pick the one that works best and post that one. And when I am sitting in front of a dozen photos on my computer, I can't make up my mind which one to post. That's why I am so slow to post, not that I am busy post processing them...

Point taken. I do have a few photos shot with the Kirkjufell bang centre and at a slightly different location in portrait orientation. Will post them later.

For #6, I could've shoved the guy to a corner even when shooting this frame. I had a 70-200mm lens on my 7D and I checked that I shot this one at 70mm. So, I had the possibility of zooming in. But I wanted to place him at a third, so that explains this composition.

You know how good my photoshop skills are. First of all, I wouldn't clone the snow (against my principles) but even if I wanted to, I wouldn't know how to do it.

Thanks, once again. Should go out shooting with you sometime and I know I have loads to learn...

 

[lohkam]

Finally a thread that has great photos and info about Iceland, haha. I had this place on my mind few days ago and what can I say, CS sure had loads of sources to be found.
Thanks asterixsg for sharing with us your lovely work and experiences. It certainly is a dream come true for photographers who wants to capture a superb geographical landscapes that consist of all seasons.Keep the photos coming man. I can't wait to see more and so share with us more info like the air fares, events, or precautions that needs to be known. Cheers

 

[asterixsg]

Finally a thread that has great photos and info about Iceland, haha. I had this place on my mind few days ago and what can I say, CS sure had loads of sources to be found.
Thanks asterixsg for sharing with us your lovely work and experiences. It certainly is a dream come true for photographers who wants to capture a superb geographical landscapes that consist of all seasons.Keep the photos coming man. I can't wait to see more and so share with us more info like the air fares, events, or precautions that needs to be known. Cheers

Thanks for your kind words. I've benefited a lot from ClubSNAP, met some phenomenal people, seen some amazing photos and this is my little way of giving something back to the community.

I went to Iceland hoping to capture the beautiful landscape, but what I realized is that more than the landscapes, its the people that make it so beautiful. Everyone is genuinely helpful, everyone genuinely cares for the environment (no off road driving as they are aware of the fragile ecosystem), no indiscriminate tourism. I found that the people are generally very contented, greed hasn't cropped up as much as it has in the rest of the world.

Sure, in the coming days, I will look at some of my notes and will share more information that I gathered during my research.

 

[asterixsg]

11. Freezing lake

Went for a walkabout in Reykjavik before picking up the rental 4WD.

Found this almost frozen lake with lots of ducks and swans. There were a few people with little children feeding bread crumbs to the ducks and swans that had flocked around them. Oblivious to all that commotion, these 4 ducks had tucked themselves in to keep warm

12. Svínafellsjökull

One of the things we had wanted to do in Iceland was to go on a Glacier. Booked a Glacier Walk through this company called Mountain Guides : http://www.mountainguides.is/

The meeting point is at Skaftafell Visitors Centre. This is a record shot of the glacier Svínafellsjökull from the Visitors Centre...

13. Svínafellsjökull

A closer look when walking on the glacier...

 

[Zeromax]

Hi Asterixsg,
This is a really nice thread and it really bring back my memories when I am at Iceland for 5 days.

I also experience hell alot of breathtaking experience ( as well as heart-stopping ones too)

Just wanna check if u mind me sharing my experiences here too?

 

[asterixsg]

Hi Asterixsg,
This is a really nice thread and it really bring back my memories when I am at Iceland for 5 days.

I also experience hell alot of breathtaking experience ( as well as heart-stopping ones too)

Just wanna check if u mind me sharing my experiences here too?

Hi Zeromax,
Glad to hear that you had visited Iceland too and had a great time. Sure, please do share your experiences here.
Cheers

 

[asterixsg]

14. Þingvellir

Site of the Iceland Parliament from 930 to 1789.

5 photos stitched and cropped to a 17X6 pano. Completely overcast conditions. Would love to revisit in summer.

You may read all about Þingvellir on wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Þingvellir

Just noticed that wiki also has a pano, shot in winter as well, but in better light and from a ridge away from where I shot this one...

 

[asterixsg]

15. Jökulsárlón

I could live my whole life in Jökulsárlón. I seriously wish I had much more time to spend there. Being there is simply out of this world. No words or photographs can depict the beauty of Jökulsárlón.

Please read all about it on wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jökulsárlón

I had a lot of fun shooting this photo below and several others...

 

[soulFLY]

5. Skógafoss

6. Skógafoss

15. Jökulsárlón

Beautiful work in Iceland....

loving these 3 in particular..

Looking forward for more work done in Jökulsárlón..

 

[unmeshullas]

Great snaps!!!!

 

[sweeper]

i dunno wat to say , except :thumbsup:
my fav are #5 and #15
more please

and thanks for sharing the logistics information :thumbsup:

 

[Zeromax]

Hi Zeromax,
Glad to hear that you had visited Iceland too and had a great time. Sure, please do share your experiences here.
Cheers

Thanks Asterix!

Well, my experience in Iceland was during last year winter. Together with 2 nature loving friends, we decided to embark on a 5 days nature trail in Iceland.

I would say that the most unforgettable experience I had in Iceland happened on the first night.

Same as Asterix, we rent a 4WD and decided to drive around Iceland. The weather during first few hours after we touched down at the airport was STILL manageable but bitterly cold. Worst had yet to come.

As we drove towards our destination up north, the weather get more and more merciless. The windscreen and windows of our car got iced up and we could not see anything beyond the windscreen. IT IS THAT BAD!

Therefore, we drove inch by inch, cm by cm forward. One of us will be the driver looking forward, and the other two being the wind man on respective sides. Despite that, we did not managed to reach our destination. Our car fell off the road and we got struck in the snow.

The 8hr struck in the car was no joke but fortunately, we managed to contact the Icelandic Rescue Team and they rescued us.

I know alot of us would say that we are very foolish to drive in that condition. But we did not know it was THAT bad! I am really blessed to be alive now, seriously.
The rescue team personnel told us that for that night, there was a blizzard and the wind was blowing at 35m/s. We were really shocked.

Besides this experience, the interaction with the locals was fascinating! If I will to give the most friendly local award to anyone, I would definitely give it to an Icelander!

I would just like to share one picture over here, that I took in Iceland, after the blizzard. I would see if Asterix allows me to "use" his thread to post more pictures.

I also post a youtube link that shows how the scene looks like when we are trap in the car for 8 hrs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8OpUf8PWRg

 

[AnsQ]

Nice write up and great photos!

 

[AnsQ]

Nice write up and great photos!

 

[asterixsg]

Beautiful work in Iceland....

loving these 3 in particular..

Looking forward for more work done in Jökulsárlón..

Thanks for visiting this thread and glad that you enjoyed those 3 photos. Each of these photos that I've posted has a story associated and I go nostalgic whenever I look at them...
As an aside, I enjoy your minimalist work and loads to learn from your thread.

Great snaps!!!!

Glad that you enjoyed the snaps

 

[asterixsg]

i dunno wat to say , except :thumbsup:
my fav are #5 and #15
more please

and thanks for sharing the logistics information :thumbsup:

Thanks sweeper. Glad to note that some photos caught your attention
I do have some maps, brochures and other stuff from my research that I brought back - just in case you or anyone else needs them, please feel free to reach out. Cheers...

Nice write up and great photos!

Thank you. Glad that you enjoyed the write up and the photos...

 

[asterixsg]

Thanks Asterix!

Well, my experience in Iceland was during last year winter. Together with 2 nature loving friends, we decided to embark on a 5 days nature trail in Iceland.

I would say that the most unforgettable experience I had in Iceland happened on the first night.

Same as Asterix, we rent a 4WD and decided to drive around Iceland. The weather during first few hours after we touched down at the airport was STILL manageable but bitterly cold. Worst had yet to come.

As we drove towards our destination up north, the weather get more and more merciless. The windscreen and windows of our car got iced up and we could not see anything beyond the windscreen. IT IS THAT BAD!

Therefore, we drove inch by inch, cm by cm forward. One of us will be the driver looking forward, and the other two being the wind man on respective sides. Despite that, we did not managed to reach our destination. Our car fell off the road and we got struck in the snow.

The 8hr struck in the car was no joke but fortunately, we managed to contact the Icelandic Rescue Team and they rescued us.

I know alot of us would say that we are very foolish to drive in that condition. But we did not know it was THAT bad! I am really blessed to be alive now, seriously.
The rescue team personnel told us that for that night, there was a blizzard and the wind was blowing at 35m/s. We were really shocked.

Besides this experience, the interaction with the locals was fascinating! If I will to give the most friendly local award to anyone, I would definitely give it to an Icelander!

I would just like to share one picture over here, that I took in Iceland, after the blizzard. I would see if Asterix allows me to "use" his thread to post more pictures.

I also post a youtube link that shows how the scene looks like when we are trap in the car for 8 hrs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8OpUf8PWRg

WOW man. Thats quite an experience. Getting stuck in snow for 8 hours must have been quite an experience...

Yeah, Iceland is not a place to take lightly. The weather changes within a matter of minutes and its always good to check the road conditions before embarking on a drive. They have a comprehensive website with colour coded roads that indicate which roads are clear, which are slippery and which are unpassable.

I've had more than my share of thrills which I will write sometime. Right now, I just want to enjoy the photos. Each photo that I open reminds of something and I start browsing photos back and forth and time flies...

BTW, that's a great photo that you have posted. In my 9 days and 8 nights in Iceland, I didn't get to see a single sunrise or a sunset, everytime there was a thick cloud cover or it was snowing... I am a sucker for sunrises and sunsets and it was a big huge lesson for me...

I am quite happy if you wish to post your photos in this thread...

Cheers

 

[asterixsg]

16. Panoramic view of Jökulsárlón

From the parking lot at Jökulsárlón, I descended to the shore of the lagoon and must've walked couple of kms to the left over 2 hours. If you've read the Wiki link that I posted above, you would've found out that this lagoon is filled with small 'icebergs' that would've broken off from the glacier and really really slowly, they make their way to the Atlantic ocean a km or so away...

There was pure silence, which would get broken at times by the cracking sound of two floating icebergs colliding against each other. It was AMAZING to just be there.

On the way back, I went up the ridge behind the lagoon and soaked in the view. There was no way I could've captured the huge expanse of the lagoon with the floating icebergs. I decided to shoot photos in portrait orientation, with the intention to stitch them into a pano. It took me 10 frames to create this panorama.

For some reason, my pano images are not showing up in the correct size. Hope this one below works in larger size...

I wonder what's going on. In Preview, the 2nd image is larger than the 1st, but when I save it, both images get displayed the same way... Must be some settings in the forum software ... :think: