A few days in Iceland in October

[RichieTee]

Hi guys, not posted in here for a fair time now so thought it was about time to contribute.

Headed back to Iceland for 3 and a bit days to show a friend of mine around the usual south/east coast haunts. we bypasses a majority of the "honey pot" locations as they were ridiculously busy, heading more towards the east side where i knew it would be a touch quieter.

Spent most of our time at the Vestrahorn and in this time we witnessed some extremely differing weather conditions. Rain, sleet, snow, sun, rainbows, mist, the works!!!

Anyway, here are the few keepers i came away with........

Untitled by Richard Smith, on Flickr

DSC_1586-Edit by Richard Smith, on Flickr

Untitled by Richard Smith, on Flickr

Untitled by Richard Smith, on Flickr

Untitled by Richard Smith, on Flickr

Untitled by Richard Smith, on Flickr

Vestrahorn by Richard Smith, on Flickr

 

[SFTPhotography]

Holy crap that trips been productive.

Crit wise -1 and 2 - cannot suggest improvements.
3 - a little less space beneath the nice and a bit more room at the top to balance the composition.
4. I like - but my preference would be without the foreground rock which I appreciate is not everyones
5 is one of the best pictures ever taken there end of.
6 - yeah, not my thing but well done
7. It feels empty in the bottom left, I wonder if a 4x5 crop taking some of the bottom off would help.

 

[Scott Robertson]

Hi Richie.
Couldn't possibly begin to offer critique on pictures of this quality. Every single one of them are well crafted cleverly composed works of art. Probably the single best collection of Icelandic pictures I've seen from one person from one visit.

 

[TGphoto]

Lovely set - 5 is bloody brilliant!

 

[wooster]

Excellent pictures. Really beautiful.

 

[JasonPC]

Wonderful set, nothing to crit whatsoever. I think they’re all great but #4 is my favourite, it has a beautiful, cold stillness to it that is so appealing.

 

[blondie606]

Vestrahorn is the one location i'd revisit Iceland for .....& your images are making me wanna go back now !
All awesome Richee but nu 5 ......

 

[Danny-K]

As said on Flickr. Mate bloody brilliant.

 

[Stuart Mc]

Superb set Rich, I'd be hard pressed to pick a fave there although I'd edge towards 1or 7, top work

 

[RichieTee]

Holy crap that trips been productive.

Crit wise -1 and 2 - cannot suggest improvements.
3 - a little less space beneath the nice and a bit more room at the top to balance the composition.
4. I like - but my preference would be without the foreground rock which I appreciate is not everyones
5 is one of the best pictures ever taken there end of.
6 - yeah, not my thing but well done
7. It feels empty in the bottom left, I wonder if a 4x5 crop taking some of the bottom off would help.

Thank you Steve. Hugely appreciate the comment and the crit. No.7 is one I battled with on the bottom corner and if I raise the shadow there, it actually has some nice texture to the sand, I just liked the blackness and emptiness but tbh I was happy with it either way.

Hi Richie.
Couldn't possibly begin to offer critique on pictures of this quality. Every single one of them are well crafted cleverly composed works of art. Probably the single best collection of Icelandic pictures I've seen from one person from one visit.

Wow, thank you very much Scott. Massively appreciate your comment. Makes all the rushing about like an idiot and enduring the torrential rain for a shot worth while haha.

Lovely set - 5 is bloody brilliant!

Thanks very much Tom. Number 2 and number 5 were both taken hand held as we really did arrive just in time to jump out of the car, sprint across the sand and bang out a few shots before the drama stopped literally 1-2 minutes later!!

Excellent pictures. Really beautiful.

Thank you very much William

Wonderful set, nothing to crit whatsoever. I think they’re all great but #4 is my favourite, it has a beautiful, cold stillness to it that is so appealing.

Thank you Jason. It was one of my faves too. This was after the sun had set and the only time throughout the whole day the water flattened off for a matter of minutes

Vestrahorn is the one location i'd revisit Iceland for .....& your images are making me wanna go back now !
All awesome Richee but nu 5 ......

Cheers Lynne . Vestrahorn has to be my single favourite place to shoot so far just for shear variety. You can just aimlessly walk about all day and you will forever find interesting things to point the camera at. It helps if the weather plays ball and in typical Icelandic style, it does every now and then

As said on Flickr. Mate bloody brilliant.

Cheers Danny . Surely you are due a trip out there soon?

Superb set Rich, I'd be hard pressed to pick a fave there although I'd edge towards 1or 7, top work

Many thanks Stuart. Hugely appreciate the comment. I have to admit, after taking number 7, I did have a bit of a fist pump which was a nice feeling. Been a pretty dyer year tbh so needed a few reasonable shots to set me up for the impending winter months

 

[chuckles]

Awesome!

I get to Iceland a bit for work... and there's the rub. I don't get enough time to visit the 'special' places

 

[SFTPhotography]

Awesome!

I get to Iceland a bit for work... and there's the rub. I don't get enough time to visit the 'special' places

Part of me would love to go - but a few things put me off

1. Popularity - not that I mind venturing where others have been before but when such a place has world wide popularity you are likely to encounter people getting in your way etc
2. Driving. I do not and absolutely will not fly. There is no UK ferry crossing to take my car. This is the only way I will travel. Anything else is not an option. I do not do public transport.
3. Weather - Richard has had some great conditions but my fear is go for 2 weeks and get 2 good days that give the conditions I like.

 

[chuckles]

Part of me would love to go - but a few things put me off

1. Popularity - not that I mind venturing where others have been before but when such a place has world wide popularity you are likely to encounter people getting in your way etc
2. Driving. I do not and absolutely will not fly. There is no UK ferry crossing to take my car. This is the only way I will travel. Anything else is not an option. I do not do public transport.
3. Weather - Richard has had some great conditions but my fear is go for 2 weeks and get 2 good days that give the conditions I like.

Yep - all the above (apart from the flying I suppose, but I know what you mean)

My trips are 'paid for' so easy for me - you never mentioned how really expensive it is!

 

[SFTPhotography]

Yep - all the above (apart from the flying I suppose, but I know what you mean)

My trips are 'paid for' so easy for me - you never mentioned how really expensive it is!

That does worry me as such but by taking your own car - (I don't drink Alcohol and have reasonably basic culinary requirements - I like food but I am not massively motivated by expensive food and eating out like I used to be) I reckon for me it would be cheaper than for most.

 

[alfbranch]

Stunning set of images Rich

 

[Danny-K]

Always fancied it, never fancied the crowds. im off to Assynt next week

 

[RichieTee]

That does worry me as such but by taking your own car - (I don't drink Alcohol and have reasonably basic culinary requirements - I like food but I am not massively motivated by expensive food and eating out like I used to be) I reckon for me it would be cheaper than for most.

We took portable cookers, bought a coupe of small gas cans at the first patrol station we visited and lived off anything that required hot water to make most of the week lol.

With regards to popularity. From Reykjavík to Jokursalon it was very busy. Once last there it thinner out a lot and vestrahorn was quite quiet. Gets even quieter if you go further east or north!!

 

[RichieTee]

Stunning set of images Rich

Cheers Alf

Always fancied it, never fancied the crowds. im off to Assynt next week

Extremely jealous. Now I have my T5 camper I had planned to do a week there about now, unfortunately work has put pay to that so doesn’t look like I will be getting away properly until after the new year now. Best of luck and looking forward to seeing some top images

 

[snerkler]

Stunning shots, I particularly like 3,4 and 5

 

[RichieTee]

Stunning shots, I particularly like 3,4 and 5

Cheers buddy

 

[wookie6262]

Hard to pick a favourite there, what a great set. I probably looked at 1 longer than the rest as the seaweed lead in is very special. Reflection in 5 is about as good as it gets and I love the really contrasty number 6 where you have nailed the composition. What an amazing trip.

 

[gremlin16]

These are absolutely amazing images. They make me want to go to Iceland even more now!

 

[RichieTee]

Hard to pick a favourite there, what a great set. I probably looked at 1 longer than the rest as the seaweed lead in is very special. Reflection in 5 is about as good as it gets and I love the really contrasty number 6 where you have nailed the composition. What an amazing trip.

Thanks buddy. Really great to hear that you enjoyed them. It certainly was a great trip. It’s sort of misleading in the fact that a high percentage of the time it rained whilst we were there but the few windows of opportunity that presented themselve, we were not to far away to rush and get to a decent position

These are absolutely amazing images. They make me want to go to Iceland even more now!

Thank you

I deffo recommend taking the time to visit. Regardless of the fact if gets very busy there now, it’s still an unbelievable place to see

 

[jerry12953]

No 5 is AMAZING! and No 6 is very powerful.

I have reservations about the others. It is a real shame you weren't on the open beach when the rainbow appeared over the mountains.

The "rock in the foreground of a portrait format landscape" is a little bit over-done, in my opinion; and I'm not sure if the amount of movement in the waves in some of the others is particularly flattering to the photographs.

But they are minor points really. I doubt I'll ever get to Iceland now, It must be an amazing experience.

 

[Craig_85]

Great trip Richie, I long to return and seeing these doesn't help!

Well done on finding your own take with the first shot, and B & W suits it.

The fourth I love, because it is not how I remember that savage, wind beaten, north atlantic hammered place. It is the serenity of Vestrahorn that almost seems a contradiction to me and feels special for it.

The fifth is amazing and I hope you print it.

The final shot is also excellent. I would offer a small critique though and that is to selectively desaturate the blue line in the foreground where the white wave is breaking against the black beach. I guess it is reflected skylight that has been increased in saturation, but it looks un natural.

 

[Tobers]

#4 is the quality image of the set in my opinion. Absolutely fantastic. Clean, crisp, and wonderfully subtle tones. Really really good.

 

[RichieTee]

No 5 is AMAZING! and No 6 is very powerful.

I have reservations about the others. It is a real shame you weren't on the open beach when the rainbow appeared over the mountains.

The "rock in the foreground of a portrait format landscape" is a little bit over-done, in my opinion; and I'm not sure if the amount of movement in the waves in some of the others is particularly flattering to the photographs.

But they are minor points really. I doubt I'll ever get to Iceland now, It must be an amazing experience.

Thanks for the comments Jeremy. Appreciate your view on them.

I wish i was on the beach when the rainbow popped out but unfortunately (as with pic 5) it was hand held and pretty much straight from the car as it was already visible when we arrived and was gone within 2-3 minutes.

Great trip Richie, I long to return and seeing these doesn't help!

Well done on finding your own take with the first shot, and B & W suits it.

The fourth I love, because it is not how I remember that savage, wind beaten, north atlantic hammered place. It is the serenity of Vestrahorn that almost seems a contradiction to me and feels special for it.

The fifth is amazing and I hope you print it.

The final shot is also excellent. I would offer a small critique though and that is to selectively desaturate the blue line in the foreground where the white wave is breaking against the black beach. I guess it is reflected skylight that has been increased in saturation, but it looks un natural.

Thank you very much Craig. I think i possibly agree regarding the blue line, not something i had immediately picked up or can explain where it has come from, but i will certainly look to rectify it so cheers for the observation

#4 is the quality image of the set in my opinion. Absolutely fantastic. Clean, crisp, and wonderfully subtle tones. Really really good.

Thanks very much Andy, hugely appreciate the kind comments

 

[JakeT1992]

Brilliant set of images mate. 7 is my favourite.

 

[Neil Burnell]

3 and 7 are superb! I feel as though I should love 4 the most as its also lovely, but there's something irking me about the comp, tonally its absolutely beautiful tho.

 

[RichieTee]

Brilliant set of images mate. 7 is my favourite.

Cheers Jake. Thank you for the kind comment

3 and 7 are superb! I feel as though I should love 4 the most as its also lovely, but there's something irking me about the comp, tonally its absolutely beautiful tho.

Cheers Neil. Thanks also for the nice comments

I see what you are saying. Wish I had had the time to play around with a few more angles but the stillness lasted minutes from the wind and every time I moved I had to wait a minute for the water to settle again