Hvaines
I was going through some pictures taken in Iceland over the weekend. I’m still catching up on processing the many pictures I’ve taken there now. Looking at some pictures taken near Hvaines in East Iceland, I was very much struck by how the character of the scene changed over the course of about an hour.
The kind of conditions encountered that day were absolutely my favourite for landscape photography, sunshine and showers. These very dynamic conditions create the opportunities for variety of light, demonstrated in the photographs below. They really highlight why, as landscape photographers, we should wait for the light, waiting is good especially on days like this one. I’d be hard pushed to choose a favourite amongst these pictures which is why I guess, I’ve posted them all as a sort of demonstration. Talking of which, the photographs also demonstrate quite nicely the difference between using an ultra wide angle, wide angle and standard 35mm lens when taking shots of the same scene. My Nikkor 14-24mm really is an exceptional lens.
Incidentally, I’m really quite pleased to report that the photograph I took on the beach at Reynisfjara that I posted a little while back here, has been published on the 1x gallery website. 1x is a curated gallery of quite exceptional photography and that’s a first for me so I’m feeling really quite pleased. If you’re not familiar with the site, it’s well worth a visit. :-)
09.29 am 24mm f/11 1/160 ISO-50
09.34 am 24mm f/11 1/160 sec ISO-50
09.54 am 14mm f/11 1/160 sec. ISO-50
10.29 am 35mm f/11 1/320 sec. ISO-100
Cornwall Photographic 
Absolutely stunning photos! Cher xo
August 10, 2015 at 4:04 pm
Thank you very much Cher! I’m glad you enjoyed them.
August 10, 2015 at 4:09 pm
Great photos…Iceland have great landscapes…
August 10, 2015 at 4:37 pm
Iceland certainly does have great landscapes, thank you! :-)
August 10, 2015 at 5:04 pm
These are all really spectacular, Adrian. Congrats on having your photo published. I’ll pop over and take a look. :)
August 10, 2015 at 4:52 pm
Thank you Sylvia, really appreciate that! :-)
August 10, 2015 at 5:04 pm
Yes, I found you there. You’re in very good company. There are some landscape photos there. :)
August 10, 2015 at 4:58 pm
Thank you again Sylvia. 1x really does exhibit some fantastic photographs. I feel quite honoured to be there. :-)
August 10, 2015 at 5:06 pm
Sublime. This backs the assertion that Iceland is a destination of choice for the landscape photographer.
August 10, 2015 at 4:59 pm
Thank you very much Mike. The landscapes and light really do conspire to give landscape photographers plenty to work with.
August 10, 2015 at 5:07 pm
Fascinating series of a fascinating landscape!
August 10, 2015 at 6:07 pm
Thank you very much Bente! Iceland does have a fascinating landscape and the light is wonderful!
August 10, 2015 at 6:15 pm
Marvellous images, Adrian! You are certainly inspired by Iceland, and I love the emotion you put into your landscapes…. Just off to take a look at 1x
August 10, 2015 at 6:15 pm
Thank you very much Sue. I don’t think you can help but be inspired visiting Iceland. I’m certainly hooked! :-)
August 10, 2015 at 7:35 pm
Another trip planned?
August 10, 2015 at 7:39 pm
Ah yes.. :-)
August 10, 2015 at 8:03 pm
Great set and really shows how the changing light impacts the landscape and the mood of the shot
August 10, 2015 at 8:55 pm
Thank you Mark. This was such an expansive landscape and with the weather the way it was, I just had to fine myself a comfortable rock to sit on and with my remote in one hand, I was free to just watch, see, absorb, enjoy, compose, swap a lens here and there, and press the shutter every now and then. A great way to spend an hour or two.
August 10, 2015 at 9:12 pm
Congratulations. Your images are stunning. I just purchased niks 14-24mm ultra wide zoom lens and although I haven’t had a chance to use it properly on landscapes yet, I love it, it really is a fantastic lens.
August 11, 2015 at 12:14 am
It is indeed Karen. I’m sure you’ll get a lot of use out of it and thank you, I really appreciate your comment! :-)
August 11, 2015 at 9:18 am
A lovely sequence. It does well to show off the effects of different light as well as giving us some gorgeous scenes to enjoy! Great work!
August 11, 2015 at 1:01 am
Thank you very much Gunta! Much appreciated! :-)
August 11, 2015 at 9:17 am
oh no! they look so different and dramatic in each of them :)
August 11, 2015 at 8:36 am
Thank you Joshi!
August 11, 2015 at 8:50 am
Oh I stopped there as well ! It was very windy but incredibly pretty ! Nice shot !
August 11, 2015 at 9:17 am
Thank you Gin. It was a really pleasant on the day I stopped. Really quite warm by Iceland standards but I can imagine, being so exposed, the wind could be really fierce.
August 11, 2015 at 9:23 am
I was really scared to open the door of the car that day ;-)
August 11, 2015 at 9:46 am
It can get like that can’t it. I got used to parking the car into the wind. It was then a struggle to open the door at all. Still better that way than the other.. :-)
August 11, 2015 at 10:35 am
Gorgeous, Adrian…and all over the space of an hour? Fascinating how that happens….
August 11, 2015 at 1:40 pm
Thank you Scott! It’s wonderful to just sit and watch the light playing on the land.. and have to have a shutter remote in your hand too of course! :-)
August 11, 2015 at 2:48 pm
Congrats and these pictures with great colors are realy beautyful
August 11, 2015 at 2:34 pm
Thank you Ellen! :-)
August 11, 2015 at 2:48 pm
You have indeed captured some dramatic changes in the landscape. And beautifully so. Congratulations with being exhibited on 1x gallery’s website!
August 12, 2015 at 12:03 am
Thank you Otto!
August 12, 2015 at 7:20 am
Wow, great captured!
August 12, 2015 at 6:02 pm
Thank you Franz!
August 12, 2015 at 8:13 pm
Couldn’t agree more. The change of conditions, often the beauty of living near or on the coast such as you do, can be a photographer’s paradise and you have captured it well with this series of photos. While I shoot Canon, I’ve heard such good things of the Nikkor 14-24mm lens (was shooting in Arches National Park last week and this was the lens of choice (or wish) for most Nikon users). Wonderful work Adrian!
August 15, 2015 at 9:03 pm
Thank you Randall. The 14-24mm is an incredible lens. It’s razor sharp and the depth of field is superb, no compromise from a few feet to infinity at 14mm, f/11.
August 16, 2015 at 6:13 pm
Lens envy right now ;-)
August 17, 2015 at 3:50 am
:-)
August 17, 2015 at 7:54 am
Enjoyed viewing these. Great to see the contrast in conditions and focal lengths.
August 16, 2015 at 12:34 pm
Thank you Simon, glad you enjoyed the images. I certainly enjoyed taking them! :-)
August 16, 2015 at 6:13 pm
Stunning photos, as always! :) And congratulations being on 1x!!
August 16, 2015 at 3:42 pm
Thank you very much Camilla. The 1x thing was a nice surprise. I’ve had a quite a few photos rejected. :-)
August 16, 2015 at 6:14 pm
Congratulations, Adrian, it’s lovely to see you on the 1x gallery amongst very good photographers.👍 :-)
I have no words to describe your photos of the landscape, they are all outstanding and self-expressing, each and every one. Each deserving a frame.
Now I’m studying them all carefully and trying to learn how to use my Nikkor 14-24. You have the setting at ISO -50, I’ll have to try this as I have never gone below ISO 100.
Absolutely gorgeous catches of light, I’m impressed.
Greetings from the Alps,
Dina x
August 16, 2015 at 3:48 pm
Thank you so much Dina! ISO 50 cuts down the noise. I pretty much leave it there the whole time. I’m always using a tripod so I don’t necessarily need to raise the ISO to get a shot in low light. I just increase the exposure time. What I love so much about the !4-24mm is it’s so forgiving on depth of field and focus. Forget the hyperfocal distance charts, focus roughly a third into your scene, that old rule of thumb, and the results are superb. With a bit of experimentation you can find the sweet spot for all focal lengths. With my lens at 14mm, if I set the focus to the right tip of the infinity symbol, I get sharp images front to back at f/11. It’s a really useful exercise to find this point on your lens if ever you want to photograph the Milky Way for example. You can set your lens in the dark and be assured of a good result. :-)x
August 16, 2015 at 6:32 pm
Du bist ein Schatz, Adrian! :-) This is the most interesting information I have read. I don’t have a tripod with me here in the Alps, but I’m now very eager to try it out and I sure will as soon as I’m home again.
Thank you so much, have a wonderful weekend – phew it’s getting hot in the mountains, :-
Dina x
August 21, 2015 at 12:53 pm
You’re very welcome Dina. I just spent an hour or so experimenting, overriding autofocus and manually setting the focus at different points and taking shots, I was then able to find the point at which my images were sharpest. It’s an exercise I’d recommend to anyone. The results can be surprising and not what you expect necessarily. Enjoy the mountains, I’m envious! :-)x
August 21, 2015 at 1:12 pm
That sounds like a great exercise, I’ll play along. :-) It’d be fun to see the mountains next to you Adrian. For me it would … I’d probably bomb you with my questions, so be happy you are back home.;-)
Take care! Here comes sunshine :-)
Dina x
August 21, 2015 at 2:10 pm
It would be my pleasure to answer your questions and a pleasure to be in the mountains Dina. That would be fun! You take care too! :-)x
August 21, 2015 at 2:22 pm
Wow Adrian – quite the landscape!! Congrats on your 1x publishing!
August 17, 2015 at 2:31 am
Thank you very much Tina! :-)
August 17, 2015 at 7:54 am
Congrats on the publication! But ALL the photos in this series are magnificent!
August 18, 2015 at 11:50 am
Thank you Elena! I enjoyed taking these landscapes very much. The publication was a nice bonus!
August 19, 2015 at 8:52 am
This is beautiful, now i’m even more desperate to visit Iceland!
August 19, 2015 at 12:03 am
It is a beattuiful place Lucy! I hope you make it soon!
August 19, 2015 at 8:52 am
How on earth did you know my name?!
August 21, 2015 at 10:57 pm
Hi Lucy, When you leave a comment on WordPress your email address is displayed. Sorry if my reply alarmed you..
August 21, 2015 at 11:20 pm
don’t worry you did’t alarm me! I just thought it said ‘will not be displayed’ below my email on my profile. Thanks
August 22, 2015 at 10:21 pm
Wow. You’re amazing and so talented. I love all the different colours in each photo.
August 19, 2015 at 7:26 am
You’re too kind Jane, thank you!
August 19, 2015 at 8:53 am
Exciting photos.
August 20, 2015 at 10:06 pm
Thank you Lou! :-)
August 21, 2015 at 7:30 am
Stunning coastal shots! Great information and congratulations on your successes…a rather sizzling summer for you :-)
August 25, 2015 at 8:26 pm
It’s been a good few months Randall, thank you! :)
August 25, 2015 at 9:11 pm
the time slot shows perfectly how light is fleeting but if you are prepared to wait some more great light will come along
December 18, 2015 at 2:38 pm
It will indeed although I’ve been waiting an awful long time of late in Cornwall and I’m still waiting.. perhaps come the spring we’ll get a break in the weather.. :-)
December 25, 2015 at 5:45 pm
I’m so glad I found your blog….stunning work, very inspiring. And of course go Iceland at Euro 2016…can they possibly beat France? Best Mark
July 1, 2016 at 5:25 pm
Thank you very much Mark and absolutely, I’ll be rooting for Iceland in the next match!
July 2, 2016 at 4:41 pm