NUR ISMAIL PHOTOGRAPHY - BLOG

Kirjufellsfoss, Western Iceland

18/9/2018

Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall is situated in Kirkjufellsa river and located near the proud mount Kirkjufell by Grundarfjordur town at the northern side of Snaefellsnes peninsula in West Iceland. The mountain of Kirkjufell Iceland is the icon of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. And with its waterfall Kirkjufellsfoss, it attracts nature lovers and photographers.

We were at Kirkjufellsfoss on 17.09.2018 and 18.09.2018. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side as there were intermittent rain throughout our stay at Grundarfjörður. We stayed in a hostel, about 2.5km from Mount Kirkjufell.

I used two setups here. For still images, I used my SONY A7RIII and SONY FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens, mounted on my Gitzo Mountaineer GT-1542 and FLM 32FP ballhead. I used NiSi CPL, NiSi GND .9 Soft and Nisi ND8 filters to capture these shots. My other setup was mainly for timelapse, where I used SONY A7SII and Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D with NiSi CPL, mounted on the Leofoto LS-284C and Leofoto LH-30 ballhead.

The various angles to photograph Mount Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss:

With the waterfall: top or lower sections, see the panoramic above where you can see both;
With the reflection on the lake: at the bottom of the waterfalls there is a lake. When it is completely calm, it shows an almost perfect mirror image of the Kirkjufell. This is best shot in early morning when the wind is calmer;
Apparently you can go on higher ground for an interesting perspective without the waterfall.
And you can see Mount Kirkjufell on both side from Road 54 that goes along the North Shore of the peninsula

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Hraunfossar, Western Iceland

18/9/2018

Hraunfossar waterfall near Husafell in west Iceland, is a series of waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming over a distance of about 900 metres out of the Hallmundarhraun, a lava field which flowed from an eruption of one of the volcanoes lying under the glacier Langjökull. The waterfalls pour into the Hvítá river, downstream from Gullfoss waterfall, from ledges of less porous rock in the lava. We were at Hraunfossar on the last day of the road trip on 18.09.2018, enroute to Reykjavik.

I used only my SONY A7RIII and SONY FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens, mounted on my Gitzo Mountaineer GT-1542 and FLM 32FP ballhead, for the still shots. I used NiSi CPL, NiSi GND .9 Soft and Nisi ND8 filters to capture these shots. No timelapse this time around. After getting some still shots, I proceeded to fly the drone for some awesome aerial view of the waterfall. Here is a slideshow of some the images captured at Hraunfossar.

In my opinion, Hraunfossar is best shot in autumn for its colorfulness. It strikes as a contrast to the blueish water of the river. There is a big platform for visitors to photographs the "main waterfall" at Hraunfossar. I didn't go to the neighbouring Barnafoss since it was bit of a hassle to get to and I like the views of Hraunfossar much better.

What to note:

Sturdy walking boots, outerwear for all seasons (this area can be especially windy), camera + tripod.
The walking path around the waterfalls are well marked and easy to navigate. No hiking involved.
There is a cafe at the falls open during the summer months.
This area can be snowy and slippery if visiting during the winter months. Make sure you have the proper outerwear! And always obey signs and roped off areas, the water is fast moving and dangerously cold.
Best to stay within the roped off areas for safety.

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Hvítserkur, Northwest Iceland

16/9/2018

Hvítserkur is a 15 m high basalt stack along the eastern shore of the Vatnsnes peninsula, in northwest Iceland. The rock has two holes at the base, which give it the appearance of a dragon who is drinking. The base of the stack has been reinforced with concrete to protect its foundations from the sea. We were at Hvítserkur on 16.09.2018 and we had to put up a night in a nice little town of Blönduós, because it is quite a distance to travel to the next location, the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Legend has it that the rock is indeed a troll that was turned to stone by the rays of the sun. And speaking of sun, the midnight sun in midsummer is particularly nice for photographing the monolith, as well as photographing it it by sunset and sunrise. We've had glimpse of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) that night, dancing their quiet and colourful dance across the arctic north facing sky.

Vatnsnes itself is a mountainous peninsula, adding further to the scenery and seals may be found in the area, Hindisvik and Osar being two good places to seek them out and nearby, at the town Hvammstangi is a seal center, well worth visiting. Also on Vatnsnes and highly recommended is a natural fortress basalt columns natural called Borgarvirki, with further opportunities for great photos.

Photography Tips:

There are basically three ways to go down to the Hvítserkur monolith. First was is the steepest i.e. just follow the signboard there. You would need a good hiking shoe to go down the steep slope. Be careful of that one particular cranky bird that "guards" the Hvítserkur. The second way is farthest, but least steep. Recommended for those with knee problem. Personally, I would choose the third route which is in between, in terms of steepness and distance.
Respect your fellow photographers. Remember that everyone is there to get a cool photo, just like you. Don’t get frustrated with the other people there, just work around them – or with them – as much as you can.

Watch for the tides. That will determine how close you can get to the Hvítserkur. Your waterproof hiking shoes will do just fine here.

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Goðafoss, Northeast Iceland

15/9/2018

The Goðafoss is a waterfall in Northeast Iceland. It is located in the Bárðardalur district of Northeastern Region at the beginning of the Sprengisandur highland road. The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 metres over a width of 30 metres. We arrived at Goðafoss on 14.09.2018 and 15.09.2018 and we stayed both nights in a hostel in the heart of Akureyri.

The Goðafoss Waterfall got its name during year 999 or 1000 when Christianity was declared the official religion of Iceland. After that the local Lawspeker threw his statues of the Norse pagan gods into the waterfall. Hence the ‘Waterfall of Gods’.

I used two setups here. For still images, I used my SONY A7RIII and SONY FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens, mounted on my Gitzo Mountaineer GT-1542 and FLM 32FP ballhead. I used NiSi CPL, NiSi GND .9 Soft and Nisi ND8 filters to capture these shots. My other setup was mainly for timelapse, where I used SONY A7SII and Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D with NiSi CPL, mounted on the Leofoto LS-284C and Leofoto LH-30 ballhead.

After coming across countless waterfalls in this Land of Fire and Ice, I must say that Goðafoss is the most beautiful of all, with endless shooting opportunities. Here is a slideshow showing the images that was captured at the waterfall:

Some tips while admiring and photographing the Goðafoss Waterfall:

Left side Views (east side, where the station, cafe and guesthouse are) – 5/10 min small trail and the option to get either to a lower or a higher view point. Attention it is a the path to get down is short but steps and not that easy. This is location is best when shooting sunset;
Right side Views (west side) – views next to the parking, possibility to get very close but pay attention. It is slippery and the rocky edges are relatively sharp. This location is best when shooting sunrise.
Most of the tourists go to the parking on the West side.
Next to the cafe there is a bridge to cross the river if you wish to leave your car on one side. From the bridge you can see a small waterfall called Geitafoss;
There is a nice cafe souvenir shop with toilets. Try the smoked salmon sandwich, paired with a hot cup of mocha;
Great opportunity to shoot Goðafoss from up above using the drone. I flew my dji Mavic Pro Platinum after shooting the sunrise;
Make sure that you are properly attired to stay warm and comfortable.

#SONY #SONYMalaysia #NiSi #Leofoto #LeePhoto #IcelandPhotographyAdventure2018

Vestrahorn Stokksnes, Southeastern Iceland

12/9/2018

Vestrahorn Iceland , located on the Stokksnes peninsula, is one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland. This majestic mountain is located close to the town of Höfn in East Iceland. From Höfn, continue back onto Route 1 (Thorvegur) and follow it for about 10 km or so before you come to a right turn to Stokksnes (an old radar base from what I understand). The road turns into a gravel road with a few narrow spots. Follow the road till you reach an intersection where you can find a cafe in the corner called the Viking Cafe. You have to pay a fee of 850kr. to enter and you can use the ticket twice to go in and out of the area. Follow this road toward the radar base and to the left is your photographic playground.

We were at Vestrahorn on 12.09.2018 and we spent two nights in the city of Höfn, an Icelandic fishing town in the southeastern part of the country. It lies near Hornafjörður fjord. The town, the second largest in the southeastern part of Iceland, offers scenic views of Vatnajökull.

Black sand beaches are common in Iceland and are primarily the result of volcanic rock being ground down to fine particles. The dunes though are quite unique to this location and make it a fascinating spot. The location is quite spectacular but it can be interestingly very hard to frame a good composition. The hard part is finding a good dune to use in the foreground but to also not spoil the scene by trampling across the sand. You can also head down to the beach side and shoot lovely reflection photographs.

The following slideshow are some of the images captured at Vestrahorn, from afternoon till about midnight.

Vestrahorn is a 454 metre tall scree mountain, mainly made up of gabbro and granophyre rocks. The Stokksnes peninsula on its west side locks in seawater by the land, so it's possible to get some great shots of the mountain mirrored in the calm seawater, that's almost like a big lagoon, but varies in size with the tide.

Here are some photography tips of the Vestrahorn mountain:

Don't be sidetracked with the entrance next to the Viking Cafe. The views are too tight, even with my 12mm Laowa lens. The only reason to go there is to visit an movie setup for an ancient Viking village. If you don't have time, skip that;
A very wide angle lens will definitely help. The landscape is is spectacular but hard to frame into a good composition with a medium wide lens;
Alternatively, move further down the straight road to Stokksnes old radar base and you should be able to capture the whole "Batman Mountain" with your 16mm ultra wide angle full-frame lens (or 10mm lens on your cropped sensor cameras), complete with it's reflection. Check out the Vestrahorn sunset image above.
It is a dawn location. The first light from the sunrise is spectacular as it lights up Vestrahorn; Sunset is equally spectacular with the illumination from the left side of the mountain;
It can also be a location for northern lights photography, Although it doesn’t face North, aurora waves move across the sky and if you are lucky, you can find some strong burst of green over the mountains and reflected in the water.
If you go closer to the beach, the wet sand from receding waves could allow some lovely textural reflections.

Participants to the Iceland Photography Adventure 2018. From L to R: Yours truly, Shaari Mat Saod, Othman Abdullah, Sheikh Izham Sheikh Razak, Abdul Rahman "Arman" Haron and Izzuddin Hanur Harith.

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Diamond Beach, Southeastern Iceland

12/9/2018

The Diamond Beach is a strip of black sand belonging to the greater Breiðamerkursandur glacial plain, located by Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon on the South Coast of Iceland.

We arrived here on the early morning of 12.09.2018, our third day in Iceland during the Iceland Photography Adventure 2018. This location is directly after shooting the faint aurora borealis at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. The experience of shooting at Diamond Beach is like no other in this world. This is the only place one could shoot the blocks of ice being washed ashore by the strong waves of the North Atlantic Ocean.

The following slideshow depicts the several shots at the same location to show the awesomeness of the beach.

I used two setups here. For still images, I used my SONY A7RIII and SONY FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens, mounted on my Gitzo Mountaineer GT-1542 and FLM 32FP ballhead. I used NiSi CPL, NiSi GND .9 Soft and Nisi ND8 filters to capture these shots. My other setup was mainly for timelapse, where I used SONY A7SII and Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D with NiSi CPL, mounted on the Leofoto LS-284C and Leofoto LH-30 ballhead. To achieve the wave effect, the shutter speed is kept between 1/3 sec to 1/6 sec.

When photographing these ice chunks on the beach, you must be aware of every sense! From where you’re physically standing, to where the strong tidal waters are approaching, you need to anticipate a rapid change at any moment by being fearless but not going beyond your safety comfort level. On top of all this, as you’re using your creative toolbox to see patterns in this ever-changing and erratic shoreline environment, one must keep one eye on their gear and one eye on nature at all times! Because of the strong waves here, it is a must that you be close to your camera, so that you can quickly grab the tripod if the waves pushing large ice blocks in your direction. To achieve this, you either need to have the knee-high gum boots (as seen in the comedy TV series "Phua Chu Kang"), or even better the chest-high waders. It was rather unfortunate for two of the participants who had the worse experience of having their main cameras hit by the raging waves and damages by the sea water. They were without the waterproof boots.

My main still image setup on the right and my timelapse setup on the left. Thanks to the gum boots, I can get very close to the ice blocks.

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Skógafoss, South Iceland

11/9/2018

Skógafoss is a waterfall situated on the Skógá River in the south of Iceland at the cliffs of the former coastline. The Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country with a width of 15 metres (49 feet) and a drop of 60 m (200 ft). Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days. According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. The legend continues that locals found the chest years later, but were only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again. The ring was allegedly given to the local church. The old church door ring is now in the Skógar museum. We arrived at Skógafoss on the morning of 11.09.2018, after putting up a night in Hella.

Allow some time to visit Kvernufoss, the less visited neighbour of Skógafoss. We didn't have the time to visit Kvernufoss during this trip. There are accommodations near Skógafoss but they are very expensive!

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Vik & Reynisjara

11/9/2018

Reynisjara is the world-famous black-sand beach found on the South Coast of Iceland, near the village Vík í Mýrdal where Reynisdrangar, basalt sea stacks situated under the mountain Reynisfjall. Ranked in 1991 as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world. We arrived there on 11.09.2018 amidst strong winds from the North Atlantic.

This fish and chips lunch at a cafe in Vik, costs Kr.2950, which equivalent to RM100!

Eldhraun Lava Field, South Iceland

11/9/2018

The vast Eldhraun lava field (“Fire Lava“), in the south of the Icelandic highlands was created in one of the greatest eruptions in recorded history and is of the largest of its kind in the world. The Lakagigar craters were also created during this eruption. This eruption lasted from 1783 to 1784 and is known as the Skaftareldar (The skafta River Fires). This was a cataclysmic event for Iceland and beyond. In Iceland it lead to disease, crop failure and disasters.

We passed this area enroute to Jökulsárlón on 11.09.2018. Everybody took the opportunity to shoot the mossy lava rocks. Truly spectacular sight!

Sólheimasandur, South Iceland

11/9/2018

In 1973, the Navy DC 3 plane ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency crash landing on the black sand beach in Sólheimasandur, just outside of Vik, Iceland. The crew survived, but the body of the plane is still there, four decades later. As the years have passed, people have come and taken most of the valuable parts, so the plane is really just a shell of what it once was, but it’s still an incredible sight.

The location of the parking isn’t too far past Skógafoss if you’re driving east on Þjóðvegur 1 (Route 1). You can find directions to the plane wreckage as you can see a ton of cars parked on the side of the road. Previously, one could drive all the way to the wreckage, but it is actually on private property and as the number of tourists visiting the site began to increase, the landowners barred cars from entering and you now have to hike the 4km one-way to the plane.

The hike isn’t difficult – it’s completely flat and across packed black sand – but it’s the weather that can be challenging. Come prepared for changing conditions and remember that even though it’s not a strenuous hike, it’s still exposed and monotonous.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Be aggressive, and be fast. I would have loved it if people would have let each other take turns or wait while you’re taking a photo, but with that many people there, it just wasn’t going to happen. If you spend the whole time allowing others to take their pictures, you’ll never get your own. Get into the spot you want and then take the photo as soon as you see the perfect conditions.
Don’t wait for the perfect conditions. I know I just said take the picture as soon as you see just what you want, but you have to take that with a grain of salt based on the surroundings. It’s best to accept the fact that you’ll have to edit people out of your pictures, so try to take pictures with the people in spots that will be easy to edit or crop out. Chances are, you’ll get lucky on a few shots and might not have someone else in it!
If you do something creative, be prepared for others to copy you. I really wanted shots on top of the plane, but of course as soon as you climbed up there, a bunch of other people immediately followed suit. So, just take your pictures fast!
Respect your fellow photographers. Remember that everyone is there to get a cool photo, just like you. Don’t get frustrated with the other people there, just work around them – or with them – as much as you can.

#SONY #SONYMalaysia #NiSi #Leofoto #LeePhoto #IcelandPhotographyAdventure2018

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This is the photography journey of Nur Ismail Photography where all the experiences from this year onwards will be shared with the audience. Thanks for stopping by! :-)

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