Elemental Icelandic Passion, a photo from Isafjordhur, Vesturdir

Photographer's Note

True Passion is a matter of Clarity

This is the picture I was busy taking just before I snapped this shot. It is also the one that definitely anchored my Love for details, small things and worlds we usually don't pay any attention to.

We were on our way to the top of a hill above Bolungarvik as suggested by a local friend, even though the sign below clearly told us to keep away. As on so many other occasions in Iceland I spotted interesting colours along a completely bare road and then pleaded my companion for a little pause.

Here in particular you are looking at a little stream, no wider than 15 centimetres, created thanks to the water that was running down and through the entire hill, except on the road. The red colour you may see underneath is that strange soft rock-of-sorts that can be found in most of the West Fjord waterfalls. I haven't a clue as to what it is and wouldn't even know where to start to look for answers.

The intriguing part about this rock is that even though it is shaped as any other wherever, it literally melts as soon as you rub your fingers around/on it... and then to think it is one of the main components of what keeps some of the most majestic waterfalls in Iceland as high as they are...

Concerning the colours. This is truly and really how it was. I spent a little eternity on PS to get the save for web version to be true to the real colours of the picture. Unfortunately I had to compress the shot quite a bit, which means that the overall quality suffered somewhat.

A big Thank You in advance to those amongst You who take the time to comment and/or criticise!

Nikon D70
2005/07/23 16:35:13.1
Image Size: Large (2000 x 3008)
Focal Length: 70mm
Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern
1/250 sec - F/10
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV

jean11-3, luisafonso, capthaddock, JonteW, SchwebagMike, Paolo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

darsic (139) 2006-12-19 12:21

I like very much this picture all made of colors and textures. As a biologist, I would say that the red matter could be a biofilm of bacteria (maybe Archea) or algae.

cobraphil8 (84) 2006-12-19 12:24

En me jetant sur celle-ci, on en a plein les mirettes, les couleurs et surtout ses textures sont magnifiques... Pour la note, j'attendrai la VF, 蓷 me permettra de repasser la voir...
Par contre, il manque peut-皻re un sujet ou une ligne directrice dans cette composition, mais franchement vu la texture et les couleurs, on s'en passe :)
Bravo une nouvelle fois
� tr鋊 bient矌 :)
Philippe

jean11-3 (2799) 2006-12-19 12:30

I am not surprised that you wanted to photograph this,I think that I would have done the same.
I don't think your shot has suffered at all after processing.
Lovely colours, the light lifts it and makes it something special.
Well done.Best wishes Jean

AmiBe (6042) 2006-12-19 16:36

Hello Julia,
un beau tableau abstrait, des textures et des couleurs tr鋊 belles.
Aucun rep鋨e, on ne sait pas trop ce qu'on regarde mais c'est beau, alors 蓷 accroche l'𦤹l.
Bien vu

maltese (22909) 2006-12-19 16:46

Bonsoir Julia
Un tableau abstrait, que les couleurs et les textures sont belles! Du tr鋊 beau travail!
Amicalement
Herv�

kavepe (42) 2006-12-19 17:40

hallo Julia,
this little stream becomes a real abstract painting. But at the same time, it's so realistic. Thanks for your detailed note. Very interesting!
Kris

guillaumejm (0) 2006-12-19 18:01

Bonsoir julia,
Soit rassur嶪 cette photo reste magnifique m瘱e apr鋊 la compression. Cette couleur rouge est superbe. Mais ce que je pr嶨鋨e ici ce sont les parties au centre ou il y a qq remous mais qui sont d'une transparence parfaite provoquant ainsi des effets de loupe.
Merci pour toutes ces photos d'islande: j'avais d嶴� envie d'y aller et ces photos ne font qu'ajouter � cette envie. Seul frein : prendre l'avion . Ce n'est pas que je n'aime pas 蓷 , mais je ne supporte pas toutes les nouvelles formalit廥 mises en place suite � ces craintes d'attentats.
Amicalement
JMarc

euryan (8442) 2006-12-19 19:48

I'm sorry to hear that it took you a small eternity to get the colors right on this save for web version, but your persistence has paid off. The red looks absolutely gorgeous. I could tell this was a "leiju" photograph just by looking at the thumbnail in the main gallery. The water overtop of the rock has created some very interesting shadows and reflections. Very well composed. This version looks good, but I'm sure the uncompressed version looks even better. Photos like this, with lots of texture and detail always seem to suffer from compression, but it's hardly noticeable here.

mdetay (4929) 2006-12-19 20:52

Salut Julia,
Superbes couleurs bien que le sujet reste assez myst廨ieux ?
Sans doute des d廧ots des fer mais c'est la textue et le graphisme qui sont 彋ranges.
Bien vu. Encore une photo d'Islande. Le concours continue.
Bien amicalement.
Michel

ktanska (45052) 2006-12-20 3:22

Hei Julia,
Shallow water and small ripples are exactly right extra element to make this beautiful rusty texture special. Clarity of small details is amazing for the 200 kb limit.
I'm neither biologist nor geologist, but I'd say rusty colours usually mean iron oxide.
PS.
Have you seen this?
Kari

luisafonso (862) 2006-12-20 5:22

This one is so good dear Julia. I could well live with this printed in gigantic size somewhere around me. The red is so beautiful and those strains of light really painted the frame well. It reminds me a Pollock painting or a Biological virus pattern. Your title couldn't be better...

capthaddock (28790) 2006-12-20 10:56

Hi Julia - wow, another TE member has gone up to that hill? Inspires me to post a Bolungarvik photo later this afternoon, excellent detail once again, I like the bits of reflected sunlight.

pady (4800) 2006-12-20 14:55

Hello Julia
C'est une composition toute dans les tons ocre, rouge et bruns.
C'est bien vu comme quoi, une petite surface suffit pour faire une phoot.
Belle composition
Amiti廥
Pierre-Andr�

SchwebagMike (1490) 2006-12-20 17:14

Hi Julia,
The fire-red colors are very interesting! It usually is the work of oxidation of the iron particles within the the stone. Warm tropical climate or other warm and humid circumstances favour it's formation ... this is at least what I have as a remeberance of my one year of geography studies, but maybe darsic is right and it s all about bacteria ... or both ??? Anyhow, the colors and textures you have captured are great. I defnitely haven't got your eye and love for these details, so that's why it's so great you make me (and us all) discover. *Hughs* Mike

Paolo (41258) 2006-12-21 8:45

Hi Julia, excellent image, with fantastic colours, light reflections a nd excellent quality.
thanks, ciao

BHo (2177) 2006-12-23 10:01

Julia, another great abstract nature capture. We both share the same passion in looking for details, however I have been slacking a bit so this is good motivation. Keep 'em coming ;) Both the colours and textures are bold with a lot of pop. Merry Christmas and thanks for your last comments about my photos(website).

Muse (35030) 2007-01-02 5:12

Bonjour Julia,
Tr鋊 jolie vue de ce petit ruisseau.
La couleur donn嶪 par la roche est superbe et les d彋ails m瘱e si la photo est compress嶪, sont bien visibles.
Bien vu!
Je te souhaite une excellente journ嶪
Denise

pascalmoret (1711) 2007-01-08 12:31

Bonsoir Julia. J'aime beaucoup ce d彋ail que tu nous fais partager. J'ai longtemps regard� la photo sans lire le texte afin de deviner ce que c'彋ait et je dois dire que j'ai eu de la peine � me faire une id嶪 :-) Donc j'appr嶰ie 幯orm幦ent ce tableau abstrait compos� d'une vari彋� de rouges et de formes que le regard ne cesse de parcourir. Bien vu !! Bravo, Pascal

peekaboo (22) 2007-03-02 23:41 [Comment]

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tibervince (781) 2007-07-04 23:36

Hi Julia,
What a beautifull picture... very graphic, very attracive... the patern of the water, this deep red... another pic in my favorites!!
Vincent

banyanman (7797) 2007-07-26 4:18

Another interesting post from Iceland, Julia, and again taking advantage of the unusual colours that nature provides in so many unexpected places in that country. This looks more like an abstract painting than a photograph - it is only the reflections of the light that give it away. I like producing images like this myself, but do get frustrated sometimes viewing other people's trying to work out the scale! Cheers . . . David

aralda (1240) 2007-09-20 7:54

Hi Julia,
Nice catch and frame!
I would be interested to know what rock this is, in case you found out.
Raluca

Merline (0) 2007-09-26 15:54

Superb, don't know what more to say...:-)

Thanks