The Lonely Man..
I was on the beach at Reynisfjara at the very southern-most tip of Iceland in a blizzard back in February. I was taking pictures despite the snow when a figure seemed to materialise out of nowhere, way up the beach, walking towards me. As he came close I saw that he was a fellow photographer. As he passed we exchanged greetings, surreptitiously checking out each other’s equipment (like you do) while we talked. Satisfied and content in that camera brand camaraderie one finds amongst Nikon and Canon shooters alike, we said goodbye and he moved off.
A piece of music came unbidden to mind, a lovely piece of music by the great Joe Harnell, The lonely Man. The piece of music, one I used to play myself, accompanied the closing credits to the Incredible Hulk TV series as David Bannerman, still afflicted by the hulk curse after another adventure, set off once more in his lonely search for a cure.
This is a link to the music if you’re unfamiliar with it. It was used in the recent Hulk movie too – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4_5c1OJXc4 It just seemed to just fit the image somehow.. Enjoy!
27mm f/11 1/30 sec. ISO-50
Cornwall Photographic 
A most magnificent shot!
August 27, 2015 at 6:06 pm
Thank you Patti! :-)
August 27, 2015 at 6:10 pm
Like ++++ :-)
August 27, 2015 at 6:19 pm
Thank you Arret! :-)
August 27, 2015 at 7:06 pm
Speechless.
August 27, 2015 at 6:34 pm
:-)
August 27, 2015 at 7:07 pm
I’ve never watched the Incredible Hulk, but love the piano music.It really does fit beautifully with your incredible image and your description of the meeting between the two of you. :)
August 27, 2015 at 7:03 pm
Thank you Sylvia. I always thought the music so unlikely somehow for a Marvel Comic production but there it is, one of my favourites. :-)
August 27, 2015 at 7:08 pm
Wow, what a shot! Iceland, you say? *note to self: Must-see-Iceland-before-I-die*
August 27, 2015 at 7:32 pm
Thank you very much. Iceland is a wonderful place to visit. I can heartily recommend it!
August 27, 2015 at 7:57 pm
Wow! Incredible shot! It reminds me of a painting by Caspar David Friedrich…
August 27, 2015 at 9:48 pm
Thank you very much!
August 28, 2015 at 6:59 am
This shot is absolutely MAGNIFICENT!
August 28, 2015 at 1:44 am
Thank you so much Joanne!
August 28, 2015 at 6:59 am
Those moments when you’re glad to have a camera in hand.
August 28, 2015 at 2:32 am
Indeed! Thank you Lynne! :-)
August 28, 2015 at 7:00 am
👍🏻😊
April 26, 2016 at 9:56 pm
Thank you Hanne! :-)
April 28, 2016 at 8:18 pm
I can see that on a book cover by the same name, Adrian…so very beautiful…stunning, actually.
August 28, 2015 at 3:17 am
Thank you Scott! :-)
August 28, 2015 at 7:01 am
Great image and a wonderful piece of music to match.
August 28, 2015 at 6:32 am
Thank you very much Alan!
August 28, 2015 at 7:01 am
Almost haunting, a wonderful image,thank you.
August 28, 2015 at 7:14 am
Thank you! :)
August 28, 2015 at 7:53 am
Wow! Wonderful!
August 28, 2015 at 7:26 am
Thank you very much! :)
August 28, 2015 at 7:54 am
I too was going to say my first impression was …looks like an awesome surreal painting. A fantastic work of “art”. It must be bliss to work surrounded by such vast solitude…but no doubt much preparation in the making.
August 28, 2015 at 9:30 am
Thank you very much. Iceland is a wonderful place to take photographs. The vast solitude is something that attracts me hugely living as I do in such an overcrowded country now. :-)
August 28, 2015 at 6:03 pm
Wonderful, dramatic shot! That’s a great story to go with it too – so special when a photo can conjure up a moment that may have been forgotte.
August 28, 2015 at 1:01 pm
Thank you Carol. :-)
August 28, 2015 at 6:03 pm
Great image! …. I see you’ve had a problem on Twitter. Which is your correct @name now?
August 28, 2015 at 1:13 pm
Hello Rhys, thank you.. Yes, issues with Twitter claiming I deleted my account and somehow all my work was suddenly being attributed to this new “Chillbrook”. Twitter are not helping resolve the issue other than to say I’m welcome to open a new account, which I’ve done but I think my twitter days are over to be honest. They can’t admit to a computer glitch allowing someone else to register with my username, locking me out of the account and as with all these social media companies, they won’t engage in dialogue so there’s nothing I can do.
August 28, 2015 at 6:08 pm
Truly epic scene with strong abstract influence. Well done, Adrian. :-)
August 28, 2015 at 1:16 pm
Thank you Frank, much appreciated as always!
August 28, 2015 at 6:08 pm
Fabulous image, full of moody, brooding atmosphere. It would make a great book cover or film poster for a Cold War spy thriller…….and it looks like a still image from the set of Fortitude.
August 29, 2015 at 7:07 am
Thank you Mark! I’ll submit it to my agency. I don’t think I was partiucularly surprised it was another photographer. Only photographers would be mad enough to be out on the beach in these conditions.
August 29, 2015 at 7:30 am
that is superb and lonely man really stands out :)
August 31, 2015 at 5:12 am
Thank you Joshi!
August 31, 2015 at 11:47 am
First of all….Love the picture of YOU! Second love the picture you’ve posted. I don’t think it would have the same impact without the man. The vastness and emptiness of the space is consuming.
August 31, 2015 at 1:03 pm
Aww, thank you Edith. It’s something that always captivates me about Iceland is the space and I’m glad I’ve been able to capture some of that. The lone figure was definietly a bonus. As for the picture of Chillbrook, that was taken on top of a volcano in Iceland back in June. It was a good day! :-)
August 31, 2015 at 5:37 pm
The mystery, the vast solitude-fantastic!
September 3, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Thank you so much Elena! :-)
September 3, 2015 at 4:04 pm
Wow, so cool – perfect framing leaving us with a great sense of solitude…which is very comforting.
September 4, 2015 at 11:27 pm
Thank you Randall. The beach scene was so vast I was worried about being able to capture the mood, the space and then this lone figure appeared out of the snow and I knew I now had a shot worth taking.
September 5, 2015 at 4:25 pm
Very fitting indeed. What a phenomenal scene! Exquisite! Best wishes,
Autumn Jade
September 15, 2015 at 11:24 am
Thank you so much Autumn! :-)
September 15, 2015 at 10:23 pm
Stunning Adrian. Love it.
September 24, 2015 at 1:56 pm
Thank you John!
September 24, 2015 at 3:29 pm
Wow – an iconic capture, Adrian. Just wonderful.
September 29, 2015 at 2:51 pm
Thank you again Dina, it was cold, the conditions were very difficult, but the photographs were worth it! :-)
September 29, 2015 at 4:26 pm
Such a vast space. The dark tones of the sky and the whiteness of the snow makes for an almost eerie mood. No need to say that the lonely figure makes the difference between a great photo and an excellent one. :-)
October 1, 2015 at 1:52 pm
Thank you very much Otto. That’s quite a compliment! It was quite a surprise to see this figure appear in the distance. It really was a gift and of course, I kept clicking the shutter. I guess it was no surprise however that the figure turned out to be a fellow photographer. Who else would be mad enough to be out in such conditions! :-)
October 1, 2015 at 4:42 pm
It takes one to know one. :-)
October 1, 2015 at 5:35 pm
:-)
October 1, 2015 at 6:16 pm
Every little detail of this image is wonderful. I like your music choice too!
October 13, 2015 at 6:14 pm
That lone figure materialising out of the snow was such a gift! Thank you again Karen. :-)
October 20, 2015 at 5:59 pm
a peach
December 18, 2015 at 2:40 pm
Wonderful piece of music and a picture I never forget
February 13, 2016 at 10:59 am
Thank you Lou!
February 15, 2016 at 6:25 pm