The Circle of Confusion, Episode 21
In this special leap-year episode of the Circle of Confusion photography podcast, Neil, Roger and I discuss things from fool’s gold to the relevance of photographic awards (when you haven’t submitted) and Cate Blanchett.
Confused? Then join the Circle and listen to the podcast today!
Day Six in Iceland
Today was our last full day of photography. We spent the morning at Hvítserkur, a dramatic sea stack on the north coast. Later on, a pair of waterfalls, the upper of which is shown here.
We’ll do a little shooting tomorrow and then it’s time to get ready to return home. Over the next week or so I’ll be processing these images properly and some of them will end up on the site – along with a few you haven’t seen yet.
Day Five in Iceland
Today we visited two iconic locations – Go∂afoss and Kálfshamarsvík. Due to the lateness of the hour, I’ve done an initial process on the Kálfshamarsvík lighthouse. This is not the final image, but will give you an idea of the fantastic locations you can find if you’re willing to leave the beaten track.
Last full day of shooting tomorrow. Bed now!
Day Four in Iceland
As I poised, hands over the keyboard searching for something to say, Daníel dictated the following: “We drove a bit. Our fearless leader told us it was to escape the weather, but I believe it was to escape himself. But, he soon found out that wherever you are, you take yourself with you.” I think the stress of traveling with me may be getting to him….
The weather closed in on us and to escape it, we drove north to Lake Mývatn through some impressively arctic conditions. Luckily Daníel’s truck is well capable of handling icy roads and strong winds – a daunting combination!
As such, there was no photography done yesterday. However, here’s a photograph from the previous day, Öræfi
What does JCB stand for in this context? Answers in a comment, please…. =)
Day Three in Iceland
Iceland rewarded us today with some beautiful weather. There was a lot of walking over glacial moraines today. Photographing the leading edge of glaciers in Iceland is challenging as the terminal moraine is a very messy place with a lot of crushed rock and mud.
However, perseverance is rewarded and the image below was made standing on the very tip of the glacier itself to get past the worst of the mess.
More to come tomorrow!
Ice Caving in Iceland
Today was a real treat for me, the first time I’ve visited an ice cave in a glacier. After an exceptionally bumpy ride down a 4×4 track and then a short walk we ended up at the foot of one of Vatnajökull’s outlet glaciers.
Inside the cave we were treated to magnificent blue light filtering through the ice from above, as well as a small waterfall. A place you could easily spend days photographing, the five hours we spent there went by in a blink.
Here are two of my favourite images from the day.
Here’s a short iPhone 4S video showing the approach and the cave itself.
We’ve just returned from our first attempt on the aurora – it was definitely visible this evening but we were beset by fog which meant we could only make out tantalizing glimpses. Tomorrow night is supposed to be more clear and have stronger activity, so we’re very hopeful.
If you’d like to join me to travel in this amazing country, there are still a couple of spots open on the Iceland: Aurora and Autumn Landscapes trip.
Scouting in Iceland
I’m in Iceland at the moment doing scouting and finalizing planning for the two workshops I’m running there this year.
Here’s an image from the first night – this is the “Ice Beach” near the Jökulsarlón glacial lagoon where bits of icebergs get washed up on the black sand beach. Hoping we get as lucky with the weather for the rest of the week!
If you’d like to join me to travel in this amazing country, there are still a couple of spots open on the Iceland: Aurora and Autumn Landscapes trip.
New Gallery Opening Hours
Until May 1st, the gallery will be open five days a week from 10.30am until 5pm. Opening days will be Tuesday – Saturday.
After May 1st, we’ll go back to summer hours which will be 10am until 10pm, seven days a week.
Want to protect the Internet?
SOPA is new legislation which is being considered in the US at the moment. If successful it would mean effective censorship of the Internet. Sites can be shut down summarily with no due process if copyright infringement is suspected.
As a creative content owner myself, copyright protection is important. However, this goes too far and would turn the Internet into a shadow of its former self. Creativity and self-expression would be at serious risk.
f-stop Sponsorship
I’m delighted to announce that f-stop, makers of high-end camera bags and backpacks have added me to their Staff Pro “Rogue” programme.
As a result of this I’ve received a one of their packs, a Satori EXP with an XL ICU. This is an internal frame, “proper” backpack, and the ICU is a semi-rigid container which houses the camera gear itself. The ICU then slides into the pack and is easily accessible by opening a flap.
Previously I was using a LowePro bag for my medium format gear and had been frustrated by it when walking any distance. Since receiving the new pack, I’m absolutely delighted with it and I can honestly say that if I had received it only as an evaluation unit, I’d definitely be buying it now.
In fact, it’s my plan to order other ICUs to hold my Canon system and my Phase One SLR and lenses as well. That way I can slip whichever it is I’m using into the Satori when I need to hike, and if I need to carry two systems a short distance, it’s much easier to have the bag with one ICU on my back and carry another ICU by its handle. That way I’m not carrying another backpack with associated straps and dangly bits, plus unnecessary weight.
If you haven’t seen these products, I do recommend checking them out, especially if you do any sort of hiking or trekking with your camera.
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