Iceland!

AH, thank you so much for taking us through the spectacular sceneries of Iceland - what a beautiful country!

JE Hilmer said:

... of some exceptional subects that are quite unique.

I always recall reading "Journey to the Center of the Earth"
whenever I see landscapes of Iceland. Your brief gallery, so far,
brought this reccollection back in spades.

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Well remembered John! Yep, The Jules Verne story did indeed start from a mountain in Iceland (an extinct crater). If Jules Verne did indeed visit Iceland - or perhaps he read about it, you can see why he chose this place as his point of descent. Glad it brought back some memories.

JE Hilmer said:

John

PS. They have odd looking cows don't they?

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LOL!!! Very good! Yep - they have these "cows" pretty much everywhere in the countryside - and up until the 1920's-30's they were still used as a means of transporting goods to the isolated farmhouses. Nowadays they are owned mainly for riding. By the way...I did take pictures of some real cows too - but they will feature in a future cows-only post! ;-))

Thanks for dropping by!

--
AH

boriszulj said:

Beautiful shots. Something completely different from where I was
(see thread). Nice sky, powerful nature!
--

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Yes, I think sometimes we forget just how much of a powerful force Nature really is. Iceland is a geologically active island and for that reason, it looks unique. I would recommend it for a short visit!

--
AH

John Chandler said:

As I have come to expect from you, these are very nice photos of an
interesting part of the world.

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Thank you John - and with such spectacular scenery, one can only gawp in wonder and take a picture for posterity! Iceland really is quite unique - no grassy plains, or wooded hills, or fields of dandelions...its hard rocks, cooled lava flows and hot springs

John Chandler said:

I'll be looking forward to additions to your gallery.
Incidentally, from your gallery, it's interesting to see how the
light affects the color of the magnificent architecture of the
church.

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Absolutely! You notice immediately just how different the light is - its less diffuse and quite UV-laden too. Everything appears a lot more crisp and contrasty. But the air was wonderfully clean. I guess the slight sulfurous smell of the hot water might not be to everyone's liking ((smelled a bit like a school science lab!!) ;-))

--
AH

Marn said:

wow thats some nice shots... looks like you really had a good time
there ..

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I certianly did! Very different from the landscape around here - so quite an experience! There were lots of small birds too (didn't expect that!) and their daffodils were only just beginning to open up

--
AH

Lena C said:

Hi Abid,

Thank you for the copyright!
And the picture is supporting my word.

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But of course! I think most of us agreed last week that "hot jumping water" is a better description of what it actually is than "spring water."

Lena C said:

I've taken a quick look at your gallery. You even got a horse in
the gallery

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Yeah - these horses were great - and you see them everywhere in the open countryside. They are very friendly and curious. Up until the 1920's and 30's they were used for transporting goods and materials to remote farms. Nowadays they are just used for riding

Lena C said:

The waterfalls are much bigger than I had imagine.

Great pictures and a very blue sky. You were really lucky with the
weather.

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This is true! I was very lucky with the weather and I guess we all deserev a little bit of good luck every now and then! Those waterfalls were quite an amazing sight. there is nothing like that here in England, or Holland or Germany etc. Maybe Norway ? I'll ask Trond

--
AH

laLady said:

My grandparents (OK, actually the whole darn family tree!) were
from Sweden and whenever they'd go 'home', they had to stop in
Iceland. I remember a lovely Icelandic wool sweater they brought me
one year (after all, aren't grandparents 'supposed' to bring back
goodies for the grand kids? - I'll never forget it - it was
white with a black pattern knitted into the body. How I loved that
sweater!!

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I see...you have some Scandinavian ancestry. There is Viking blood in you too! yes, those sweaters are quite amazing. In England and in Denmark people call them Norwegian sweaters - even though they are made in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. They are indeed hand knitted, with that black pattern and they also make hats, scarves and gloves in the same style and pattern. But they are....aherm...very expensive!

laLady said:

Unfortunately, their flight to Sweden only made a short stopover in
Iceland and so I was never priviledged to see photos of that land.
But just remembering that sweater, I'm sure the scenery was as
splendid as you show in your magnificent photos.

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The scenery is different - different from anywhere else in Europe (except perhaps Northern Norway ? We'll have to ask TrondN). The Island is gelologically active - so there are no wooded hills or thickets of vegetation. Its mostly cooled lava flows (hard rock) and of course, those amazing waterfalls!

laLady said:

I now live in Southern California and to view the clear blue skies
you show is simply a marvel of nature and a testament to their care
for the environment. Perhaps it's just a result of their
relatively small population? Whatever, their country is simply
amazing!

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The population of Iceland is around 270,000 people (which is about the same as a small town in the UK!). Roads are few and air pollution from cars etc is negligible! So that makes way for clean, fresh air and those amazing blue skies (but with a lot of UV in the sunlight!) I hope it stays relatively unspoilt so that many more generations of visitors in the future can marvel at the spectacle.

laLady said:

Thank you - I love your photos, especially for the warm memories
they invoke.

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I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures and thanks for the insight in to your own past! OTF members certainly have very interesting histories and diverse backgrounds

--
AH

Sharon Engstrom said:

What? No cows, no bikes?

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LOL!!! Well, no bikes unfortunately. But cows yes! However, cow pictures will the subject of a future ultimate cow post (which will feature International cows!) I'd like to continue the good work that Gary Larson started...

Sharon Engstrom said:

But these are wonderful pics. Isn't it amazing how blue a sky can
get? And there you are, swamped with all those great pics to sort
out. I very much enjoyed your gallery. Let us know when you've
added some more. I shall be expecting you to drop in for a long
weekend, any time now.

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Thanks Sharon - I might just do that! ;-) I used up all three of my memory cards (1 GB, 512 MB and xD 512 MB) on this trip. I only shot in RAW, so had to be a bit more conservative - but with such spectacular scenery, it was hard NOT to take pictures! I will add some more to the gallery.

Sharon Engstrom said:

Appears that all were taken with a 14-54 lens. Noticed that Gary
Hebert is trying to track one down.
--

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Yes, I'm very happy with the 14-54mm and I'm glad that I opted for this package (even though it meant paying a bit more). The lens is a clear match for the one on the 8080. I did read in the Oly SLR forum that demand for the 14-54 is outstripping supply!

Anyway, the E500 is a good performer and the battery life is good too, so I'm quite happy with the tools at the moment

--
AH

Typeaux said:

Another smashing pictorical travelog, AH. As always, very
interesting captions to well-placed shots through the traveler's
eye. You have a knack for this. Keep it up! I enjoyed the tour
very much.

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LOL! Thanks. You've travelled a fair amount too so I'm sure you understand just how much of a thrill it is to go somewhere you haven't visited before. Its a sort of initiation, a rite of passage, as if you are somewhow taking that small step for "a" man and the proverbial giant leap for mankind! But its a very private feeling and it makes you feel good inside! ;-)

--
AH

tsiya said:

Ohmygoodness, glorius colors.
Thanks for sharing these!

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Thank you for dropping by Bob. I was lucky with the weather so the colours were stark and vivid

--
AH

Eric Lau said:

All I can say is "WOW". Amazing country and an amazing job of
giving us a glimpse that country. Thank you!

Eric

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Thank you Eric and you're welcome! Iceland was indeed an eye opener and the scenery was quite spectacular. Its certainly a photographer's paradise!

--
AH

dwn said:

but where are all the lovely utility poles with wires of all sorts
draped between them. Just seems naked without them, somehow B^)

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LOL!! The Icelanders have been very clever - to save photographers from having to clone out wires and poles in post processing, they've laid all the cables underground! ;-)

dwn said:

These definitely make me want to visit the land of Ice.
Thanks,

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I'd highly recommend it! Its quite unique and certainly in Europe anyway there is nothing quite like it - so it was thrill to see it for the first time. Iceland is rather expensive though - so plan carefully

--
AH

Brian G. said:

Hi AH,

Thanks for the mini-tour. Great shots of a beautiful place. I
enjoyed it very much.

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Glad you liked the pictures Brian. I vertainly enjoyed the trip very much and it was nice to see some natural wonders (instead of same old same old medieval this and that!). I see that life in the Commercial world has been treating you nicely - how's the new car handling ? ;-)))

--
AH

ostrich001 said:

AH, thank you so much for taking us through the spectacular
sceneries of Iceland - what a beautiful country!

Click to expand...

It is indeed very beautiful and it was just no nice to see some natural wonders and geology in action! The plane takes off from stansted airport (just south of cambridge - remember ?), flies up the length of the British Isles, then turns left at the North-Western tip of scotland, passes over the Faroe Islands - and then onwards to Iceland. Its scenic all the way!

--
AH

We all count on you to travel well and photograph well. This landscape seems other-wordly and even a bit intimidating. I'm intrigued by the blend of traditional and modern architecture, too.

Thanks for being our tourist-with-a-camera!
--
Steve

Hi AH,

photophile said:

Brian G. said:

Hi AH,

Thanks for the mini-tour. Great shots of a beautiful place. I
enjoyed it very much.

Click to expand...

Glad you liked the pictures Brian. I vertainly enjoyed the trip
very much and it was nice to see some natural wonders (instead of
same old same old medieval this and that!).

Click to expand...

While I understand your position, here in the US we don't get to see the "same old same old medieval this and that", so I enjoy those posts of yours also.

photophile said:

I see that life in the
Commercial world has been treating you nicely - how's the new car
handling ? ;-)))

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Yes, it's been good. Car and driver are both doing fine.

Kind regards,
Brian

photophile said:

--
AH

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--
Brian



Digital Image Gallery:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/spiritmist/Brian_G_Digital_Image_Gallery/index.htm

'To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer's craft.' John Szarkowski, The Photographer's Eye

AH, That must have been an awesome trip and you brought back some great pics. I enjoyed these and your gallery. Now will there be an exchange?

David

I enjoyed all these pictures -- the blues send shivers -- just beautiful. Also really liked reading the historical comments. What a great weekend you had! Glad to see your gorgeous photos.

(No bicycles there, though??)
Best,
Susan
--



http://www.pbase.com/susan_1016

mnstoryteller said:

We all count on you to travel well and photograph well. This
landscape seems other-wordly and even a bit intimidating. I'm
intrigued by the blend of traditional and modern architecture, too.

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Yes, I suppose you could say Iceland was the last of the old world or the first of the new! But Iceland proper - in other words the natural landscape really is something quite unique and it plays on the senses. Do you (by any chance) remember that TV mini series from around 1980 called The Martian Chronicles ? It was based on the novel by Ray Bradbury. Anyway, though the series itself was a bit cheap (and looking seriously dated now!), but the landscape in that was quite amazing too - very other-worldly! Iceland reminded me a bit of that!

mnstoryteller said:

Thanks for being our tourist-with-a-camera!
--

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hehe...I love it! Just have to think of the next place now....

;-)

--
AH

Drummer said:

AH, That must have been an awesome trip and you brought back some
great pics. I enjoyed these and your gallery. Now will there be
an exchange?

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hehehe...I hope so! It was nice to be somewhere totally different from what is "normal" for me. And I particularly enjoyed being reminded of the spectacle of nature and just how awsome it is. best to live with it - rather than try to master it I think

PS - I am happy with the entry I sent to you early last week for the challenge - so we'll with go with that and the title too! Thanks

--
AH