Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Iceland Photo Teaser #2

 Just a few shots from Days 5 and 6 in Iceland.  
Will make a full edit of the best photos once I return to Texas next week.

For now... the landscape is vast, cold and empty. 



Icebergs floating out to sea



Stood in a frigid river making waves for this photo.



Iceland is known for its hardy breed of wild horses.



On everybody's bucket list is the opportunity to take a photo of the northern lights. Finally on our last night here, the lights made a faint appearance. Not spectacular and not visible to the naked eye, but the camera captured the green dancing lights using a long exposure.


Thanks my friends for following along on this fantastic opportunity to see and photograph Iceland. It is a spectacular place. Will be posting more edited photos from the trip in the future.


I heard the Triumph Rocket with sidecar frame will be ready for me when I arrive back in Houston. Am looking forward to making the Warthog adventure ready over the next few months.

Ride safe and long.

CCjon



Monday, February 10, 2020

Icelandic Photo Teasers

The days are going by fast, have taken so many photos with no time to process them.  However wanted to post a few so you know what is happening in Iceland on the expedition.

Will post more photos once I have the chance to select the best for the blog. 
Wrapped up the third day here, two more days of photography coming.

So here we go.

Icelandic lanscape near Reykjavík.



Start with waterfalls, there so many here. Even in winter, the glaciers are flowing water.




The brave return wet from a walk behind the falls, very wet. No place for camera gear.



Rain was our off & on companion most of the first day.



But further east, rain turned to crunchy grainy snow.



Late afternoon we reached Vik and the famous Black Beach with the three sea stacks.



Out on the beach



A brave... or foolhardy soul ventures too close to the water. 



The drop off here is steep, the waves are very powerful. There is swimming or surfing here.
 Every year several people are pulls out into the ocean when they get caught up in a receding wave. 

 The waves at Black Beach. 



Looks like night, but is only 5 pm, on our way to the motel.



Nest morning we are back on a frozen road to take distant shots of Black Beach. 
Every vehicle in Iceland has tires with steel studs in them. 



Black Beach waves...



A very windy panorama shot...



We are on the southwest side of the island. There are numerous one lane bridges on the Ring Road. 
The only road that circumnavigates the island of Iceland. 



The next morning, out the door by 7 am to visit a glacier to try and find an ice cave.

The off road vehicle can only take us so close to the glacier, then we have to hike two miles over rocky terrain wearing steel clamp-ons spikes on our boots, carrying our camera gear. 
Is early dawn and cold, steel spike crunch in the ice and clang on the rocks.



There are rivers flowing from underneath the glaciers. 
The all the rain of the last several days, the rivers are deeper than normal.


Was the hike in worth it?
Well, here is one of the photos I took from inside the cave as the sun came up. 


Weather here changes dramatically hour by hour., or can be the same dull over cast all day long. 

We have two more days here, learning, practicing, enjoying it all.

Hope you enjoyed the teaser photos More to come, my friends.

CCjon

Friday, February 7, 2020

Iceland Day Two- Downtown Reykjavík

Today the wind was blowing rain sideways. Finally after lunch the rain lightened up, but the wind was still blowing. Took my chances and wandered along the main shopping street in Reykjavík. 

Rather than risk getting the SONY camera wet, decided to use the iPhone camera instead. All of todays images were taken with the iPhone 11Pro Max. Am using a selfies stick and a remote shutter button. People will not know when I am taking a photo or of what. Many times I act like I am taking a selfie but am actually focusing on the people in front of the lens. 

Many shots were taken with the selfie stick pointing down, hoping to get low angles with faces in the shot. How the camera knows which way is up and which is down, I do not know. I do know that I did not have to rotate any of the photos as they came out of the camera. 

The downtown shopping district of Reykjavík. 



Everyone is bundled up against the cold wind. 
Too cold to smile.



Riding with the wind as it pushes you along...



Struggling to walk into the wind. 



Wearing a rain poncho is not a good idea on days like today. It acts like a sail.



No comment, her posture says it all.



For older folks, just crossing the street to visit a neighbor can be as challenge.



Found her refuge from the cold wind.



No matter how cold it is, dogs need to be walked. 



Could not resist taking this final shot of the day. The irony grabbed my attention. 
Used Luminar to make the quick edit.


Tomorrow the group heads out on two large truck type 4x4 buses. We'll return to Reykjavík next Wednesday. But for now, off to the ice caves, icebergs, glaciers and black sand.

More photos as the week progresses

CCjon




Iceland - Day One Reykjavík

Day One: Awoke in Reykjavík, Iceland to this view from a sixth floor hotel window. Departed Houston 11:30 am Wednesday, arriving in Iceland 6:15 am Thursday via JFK New York. 

Immediately crashed into a deep slumber to make up for what was lost in the flight over.



Have a day and half to wander around the city before the event that brought me here commences: 
a LUMINAR Photography Camp. 

Luminar is the photo editing software program I use. Cannot say enough good things about the program, but definitely need to learn how to better utilize all of it's great editing tools.  The camp will include six professional photographers from around the world teaching master classes, six Luminar experts advising us how best to apply the software tools and the invited group of 36 attendees. The week long program has been scheduled and planned in great detail, taking us to some of the most scenic landscapes in all of Iceland.  More great photos to come.

What you will see in the blog will be my first pass edits for the blog. 
The more detailed and polished photos will be posted after I return to Texas. 

But first, let's do a walkabout in the city.

The architecture in Reykjavík is of Scandinavian influence. Which makes sense as those are its closest culturally related countries. Most buildings are an off-white, beige or dark charcoal. So any building of bright color pops out immediately



Weather wise, though occupying a much further north latitude, the tourist bureau claims their winters are warmer than New York City due to the ocean currents. 

For this ole Gulf Coast Texas boy... it is still cold. My broad brimmed hat was blown off twice in the first hour here, so will resort to wearing a knit cap for the rest of my visit.

The capital of Iceland is not a sleepy little frozen fishing village.
 It is a thriving metropolis, where economic activity is seen everywhere.


Whenever I visit a coastal town, my first instinct is to walk along the bay front, trying to find the old port area.  Looking for old structures, interesting sailing ships... 

Well,  found Iceland's Coast Guard base.



My second objective walking around these docks is to find a local fish & chips shack serving Icelandic cod so fresh, it was swimming in the ocean last night.  Found one, hmmmmm good. 
No food photos, dug in so fast I forgot the shot...


The fishing boats are lined up, waiting to return to sea.




Spotted this four man diving crew, waiting for instructions from their foreman on the dock. 
Cannot imagine how cold that water must be for those guys... a hardy bunch.


A bright flashing light grabbed my attention, 
a welder is repairing a a section of steel deck plate on a well used fishing trawler.



Continued exploring, across the bay were bright white buildings,
 jumping out against the grey cloud covered mountain behind them.

There is snow in the forecast so that land might be covered in white tomorrow. 
Those buildings will be lost in view.



Came across the Sólfar monument. 
Sólfar means the Sun Voyager, a statue by Jön Gunnar Árnason. 
Is described as a dreamboat, or an ode to the sun.

Though modern in design, it obviously reflects the strong determined norsemen genes of olde.



The figures looks as if they are celebrating the sighting of land in the distance.


Tomorrow we continue our walkabout in downtown Reykjavík

Góöa nótt (Icelandic for good night)

CCjon