25

ƒ/8 | 1/250 | ISO 400

Esja with graduated filter

This is a departure for me. Normally I apply almost zero work in post to my photographs in order to maintain the integrity of the photograph itself. Well, with this photograph it is impossible to reconcile the sun on the mountain with the dark shade of the sea so a graduated filter is needed to keep the exposure balanced. I absolutely love the outcome here and find this style incredibly relaxing. i take inspiration here form Andreas Gursky’s “Rhein II” of which he stated, “Paradoxically, this view of the Rhine cannot be obtained in situ, a fictitious construction was required to provide an accurate image of a modern river." In the end, editing is your friend.

22

ƒ/14 | 1/125 | ISO 400

Esja

This photograph is a favorite of mine and most of the people I show my work; especially those who know the magic of Esja. The mountain stares at you from across the bay here in Reykjavík and the thing about Esja, is that because it undulates along the coast, you never see it the same way twice. When I bought my camera with a fixed 28mm lens I knew I would have to learn how to get the most of the lens as it is a relatively short lens compared to how I had been accustomed to shooting over the last few years. For this photograph I wanted to create a gradient with the clear sky and still stretch the dynamic range of the sensor with the sunset. To do that, I set Esja at the bottom of the frame as much as I possibly could, but still left some of the sea in between. The detail at that distance with a 28mm lens is a testament to the camera. I didn’t do any color correction to the photo, but I did add a medium contrast curve preset. For the most part, this comes straight out of the camera.