Fossabrekkur Falls

After a rocky start stopping the bus at Rjúpnavellir, we started our six-day trek heading north-east along the Ranga River under cloudy skies and 12 degrees C. Until the wind picked up clouds of midges invaded our eyes, ears and mouth. An hour after our first picnic lunch in a ravine after the bridge crossing to the barren side of the river, we saw these majestic Fossabrekkur falls from the ridge above the Ranga.

I sat down (beside Chris and his camera), propped my backpack against a rock and took four vertical-format pictures on Av at 100m and f/16 that I stitched together today using PS Elements to achieve this panoramic effect.

Although the lighting is rather flat, I think the photo is still interesting because of the width of this fan-shaped series of small falls separated by dark green vegetation. Certainly it was one of the highlights of our Day One 21 km on the Landmannahellir trail.

PS I ran down the trail you see in the right corner of the photo and filled my boots with volcanic scree! Should have put on my gaiters or taken a more sedate pace down!

Laugavegur Trail

Paulette and I are back from Iceland raving about our adventures. We trekked the Hellismannaleid Trail and the better known Laugavegur Trail for six days. Day 4 dawned wet and windy at the Landmannalaugar Hut. The warden made the rounds telling everybody the route south to Hraftinnusker Hut, 4-6 hours distant, was closed due to high winds on the elevated plateau. Happily we were given the go-ahead to make the hike if we could be ready to leave before 9 am. The winds were reportedly picking up so we needed to cover the 12 km as quickly as possible.

This view of the multicoloured rhyolite mountains does not show the high winds nor the rain at my back. The dark gray band in the foreground is a snowfield covered with a wet, goopy layer of volcanic ash from the nearby eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. Snowfields are regularly stained by blowing volcanic ash but nothing like this year.

I bravely took twelve pictures during our three-and-half-hour dash to the Hraftinnusker Hut where we received a very warm welcome by Kerstin Langenberger, its friendly warden and accomplished photographer.

Although this stormy walk was a test of our mental and physical powers, it has become a memorable highlight, one of the first stories we tell about our trip.

With 2000+ pictures to edit more Iceland posts will follow.

Return to Iceland

I took this picture of Stútur, a pyramid-like little crater situated inside a large depression, during the first day of our trek in Iceland last summer. Paulette and I were so enamored by this rugged volcanic island that we are returning this summer.

Walking is sublime, the scenery beautifully stark, the vistas infinite! A paradise for walkers, photographers and peace seekers. This time we are on a self-guided trek in the Landmannalaugar area and a self-drive tour of the island to the south, east and north.

Paulette and I have teamed up with my Scottish cousin Edie and husband Chris. Fifteen days of outdoor adventure here we come! More photos for sure!

Tips for Better Summer Photos

Darwin Wiggett wrote an article in Photo News (Volume 19, No. 2) entitled Tips for Better Summer Photos. Paulette and I were heading downtown to visit our library and to do some shopping for our trip to Iceland. I carried my camera as usual and thought about Wiggett's tips as we circumnavigated the old city.

#1 Get Up Early - well, I read the article too late in the day to follow this tip! I am up early this morning; perhaps I should be out photographing instead of blogging!

#2 Use a Polarizer - yup, you can see the blue sky is richer and colours more saturated.

#3 Go Light - going light is relative; but I took the minimum (Canon 7D and one zoom lens)

#4 Shoot the Shade - no shade in sight here but it is great for flattering portraits

#5 Capture the Big Vista - I used the widest angle setting on my 15-85 mm lens at f/18

#6 Steady it with a Tripod - done using my new light carbon fiber Induro tripod (1 kg)

#7 Action Made Easy - see previous post, Thunderbirds

#8 Experiment and Have Fun! - this is a pretty postcard photo and low in experimentation but I did have fun taking this shot. And I especially enjoyed walking about our beautiful city with Paulette!

Thunderbirds

Instead of cursing the thunderous noise over Quebec City I decided to embrace it and even try to take pictures of it. I'm writing about the annual air show held at the Jean Lesage Airport, a scant five kilometres from home. I cycled up to the highest point over Highway 40 and starting tracking six speedy F-16C USAF fighter planes.

I shot off over 150 images in shutter priority (Tv) at 1/2000s, continuous auto focus and burst mode (8 frames per second) with a Canon 70-200 f4L lens . I didn't hear the noise of the highway or the planes until the show was over. Surprisingly I had a good time!

The shot above, where the jet seems to be tethered to the cloud by its contrails was the most peaceful of the bunch. Below, you see how closely they fly in formation.