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Gardur Lighthouse, Iceland

Aug 232012

Arriving in Iceland at midnight, in the middle of June, immediately makes you realise you’re entering a surreal land. As the flight begins it’s descent you can see the vibrant colors of sunset around you. The colors continue long after you’ve left the airport. Long enough that you can travel 20 minutes to your accommodation, drop off your bags and wake up your sleeping travel mate, that got there a day earlier, and still be able to take photos of the unending light!

This beach was walking distance from our guesthouse in Gardur so we made our way straight there. I spent at least two hours taking photos that night, despite my total lack of sleep, and didn’t even begin to feel tired. The air was crisp with a slight scent of sulphur from nearby springs. We even managed to climb up the lighthouse pictured in the distance here. It afforded a great view back across the landscape, including the newer, still-functioning lighthouse nearby.

First photo from Italy

Europe, Italy 2 Responses »

Aug 142012

Failed trip into the Alps!

It seems like wherever I go, my first attempt to really strike out and take some photos failed. In Iceland it was trying to get to the most westerly point in Iceland, to photograph puffins, in one night. Today, it was an attempt to drive up a valley in the alps to see some snow-capped mountains. We set out too late, despite our careful sunset calculations and barely made it into the mountains as the sun began to drop. A great opportunity presented itself, a castle atop a hill lit beautifully by golden light but we couldn’t get off the highway to get down to it. By the time we came to an exit we decided we were too far along. By the next exit we decided to hop off and drive on the smaller roads so if any opportunities presented themselves we could actually stop. This meant guessing which roads to take. I guessed wrong and we began winding our way up a mountain with no easy way to turn around. Eventually, we got turned around and back down into the valley. By now the sun was on the verge of disappointing and panic had set in. We dashed back to the original castle. Trying to find a vantage point we parked in a town. Just as we were headed to a good view it was like a light switch had been flicked and the castle was blanketed by the shadows of the mountain. It was still a great drive, it’s just a bit disappointing coming back without a single photo!

Today’s Photo: Alice Bel Colle

My morning was much more successful. The hotel has a handy guide with a brief summary of all the surrounding towns. Alice Bel Colle caught my eye for its purpose built mound with a 360 degree view of the surrounding landscape. We rose early and made our way there. Once atop the mound we weren’t disappointed by the view, though the heavy cloud cover wasn’t ideal.

I spotted a rift in the clouds with a bit of pink light coming through and realized I could frame it up just behind this church. I shot 3 exposures at -2, 0 and +2 which was plenty to cover the range in the scene as the clouds dampened the light considerably.

Southland’s Sunrise, Bermuda

Bermuda, Travel 2 Responses »

Aug 122012

Escaping Genoa

Well, I’ve arrived in Italy. We’re staying in a really nice hotel in the Piemonte region. The flight arrived into Genoa airport after what must be one of the most spectacular landing approaches in the world. The plane flies along the coast, taking in little villages tucked into bays and then Genoa itself before landing on an a runway that seems to be surrounded on all sides by water.

Leaving Genoa to head North to our hotel, on the other hand, was not an easy task. We easily added a half hour onto our drive after missing a right hand turn and getting stuck going in the wrong direction on a toll road!

Today’s Photo: Southland’s Sunrise, Bermuda

Here is another photo from my morning down on the beach in Southlands. Should be posting a photo from Italy tomorrow night!

Rickety Bridge, Iceland

Europe, Iceland, Travel 3 Responses »

Aug 112012

I’ve been pretty bad about posting regularly lately. I’m blaming the fact that we’ve just come through Cupmatch in Bermuda. I’ll be getting back on track again now. Although, I’m flying out to Italy today and haven’t prepared any photos in advance! I’m counting on my hotel having a good internet connection. I’m headed up North to the Piedmont region. It’s within range of the Cinque Terre, Portofino and the Alps. So you can expect some Italy photos shortly.

For today, we’re back to Iceland. I spotted this bridge from the road and decided I had to find somewhere to pull over and stop. I found it about a half mile down the road and had to walk back. It was further back than I’d realized. I got here and shot a load of photos from the other side but wasn’t happy with them and couldn’t quite figure out why. Then it dawned on me that there was probably a better view from the other side. So, I had to walk across this bridge. It was a nerve racking experience. I set up and took a photo. In checking the results I noticed a strange black spot on the opposite side. I zoomed in and realized it was my camera bag! So, I had to walk across the bridge two more times than I should have as I had to move my bag!

The Rift, Iceland

Iceland, Travel 1 Response »

Aug 072012

Snorkeling the Rift, Iceland

On my last night in Iceland I left Reykjavík for the Pingvellir national park to go snorkeling between the North American and European Plates. Last year, we’d done a Manta Swim Kona in Hawaii, so it was only fitting that we went some other place this time. It’s a surreal experience as you descend the stairs into the 2 degree water, protected by a dry suit. The clarity of the water is stunning. Granted that through the mask, which I brought after carefully reading a water sports full face masks review, the water appears a little muddled, you still would feel like you can see down forever. It’s glacial melt that has taken a very long time to trickle through volcanic rock, making it incredibly pure and clear. It also tastes absolutely delicious. I spent a good deal of the trip guzzling the water… then sputtering a bit as I tried to roll over and get my head back above water.

We snorkeled for about 30 minutes and then our guide took us to something he called the brain freeze – a cliff jump into the freezing cold water. It wasn’t particularly high but the thought of the water rushing into my neoprene hood made me nervous. To get myself to jump I had to repeat, “it’s just like jumping off a cliff in Bermuda, just like Bermuda”.

Contacting the cold water was such a rush I decided I had to go again. By this point I’d taken off my best heated gloves. This gave me a real feel for just how cold 2 degree water is. As soon as I came up for a breath my hands were already throbbing. I got out pretty quickly.

Today’s Photo: The rift, Iceland

As we approached the rift I’d spotted a waterfall tumbling into one of the many cracks in the Earth’s surface in this area so we went back there straight after getting our dry-suits off. A wooden pathway guided us there. On the way back I noticed another path, worn into the grass, leading to the cliff running alongside. I decided I had to climb it, which wasn’t easy carrying all my gear. In hindsight I’m not sure it was best idea in the world, particularly as getting down was even more difficult. At the top I found the giant crack in he surface of the Earth featured below.

I tried shooting this with my usual 7 exposures for when I’m using a tripod. However, due to the particularly high dynamic range of the scene, when I reviewed the results, I realised that I hadn’t captured the full range. So, I tried again by bracketing at -4,-2, and 0 and then again at 0, +2, and +4. This did the trick. When it came to processing I used the better of the two regular exposures and achieved the result below.

Good Morning, Bermuda Sunrise

Bermuda, Travel 1 Response »

Aug 062012

Another photo from my recent morning down on Southlands beach. I’m not sure what the name of the beach is, but it’s on the Southlands property. I hate getting up for sunrise, but I love being up for them. Especially, when you get a clear view of the sun peaking up over the horizon as I did in this case.

Prehistoric Lake Myvatn

Europe, Iceland, Travel 3 Responses »

Aug 032012

Driving through the lava field surrounding Lake Myvatn really makes you feel as if you are in the land that time forgot. It’s really surreal. I spent ages at this spot, climbing lava stacks trying to get the image I was imagining. I never quite got it, but I like the patterns in the bottom of the pond captured here.

Bermuda Beach Sunrise

Bermuda, Travel 9 Responses »

Aug 012012

I was dragged out early this morning to visit a beach and take some sunrise photos. I’d been up late the night before and didn’t think I’d enjoy it. I’ve now remembered that I don’t need a lot of sleep. The morning actually yielded about 5 usable pictures. Pretty good really.

Water flowing over fallen tree, Ontario, Canada

Canada, Ontario, Travel No Responses »

Jul 302012

Today’s photo is a bit more abstract than my usual shots. I’d just finished getting soaked under a waterfall when I spotted the water rushing over this log that seemed to be almost glowing beneath the frothing foam. There wasn’t much in the background so I decided to zoom right in and get a closeup. I processed this differently to most. I had tried running my three photos through Photomatix but wasn’t happy with the results. In the end I decided that the scene didn’t actually have that high a light range so processed as is. I still used Topaz Adjust to boost up the details though.

Westfjord Mountain Sunrise, Iceland

Europe, Iceland, Travel 4 Responses »

Jul 272012

“Screw it, no more pictures let’s get our asses back to bed.”

I think I said that every single night in Iceland. I say night, it was typically more like very early morning. Inevitably though, as soon as I uttered those words we’d round the corner and this would happen. Iceland just will not let you go to sleep. In fact, I’d taken photos here and was making my way back to the car. I was finished. Once again, sleep was the only thing on my mind. Just as I got back to the car I foolishly looked over my shoulder and the sun had just begun to peak up over the mountain. Naturally, I had to walk back down the hill, set up again and take the exact same photo including the newly appeared sunburst.

What do you think of the electricity pylons? Do they ruin the photo or make it? I think they add some interest to the scene, but do you think it would be better if they weren’t there at all?

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