Off the Map

For those that may be tuning in for the first time, I am Joe shutter: a blogger, photographer and photo guide based in Reykjavik, Iceland. I always go the extra mile to get the shots and get off the beaten track to my special off the map spots. Ice cream comes as standard in all tours.

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There is nothing I love more in Iceland than a special, little-known spot. As so many of the well-known begin to feel like "theme park Iceland", it is nice to be reminded/to discover that some things are still sacred. So it was that Icelandic_explorer and I set off to spend some quality time with a beautiful falls on the south coast. The weather was great which helped so much: its a magical thing when light and water meet. Earthly delights.

We explored, we danced, we rejoiced, we even had lunch! For one shot, I even had to take my shoes off and and cross the fast-flawing (but shallow) stream. The legs cramp immediately, and as long as you are safe, the ends justify the means.

On the way down, we also met some horses (they always like company) and found some old turf houses. Its amazing to think that for centuries, Icelanders lived in these very basic settlements, struggling against the elements all day, every day. Its amazing to consider how much easier life in this country is now today in relation to in the past. The houses are a humbling reminder.

We also found some lambs. cuteness overload. When they nurse from their mother, the tails wag really fast. I stopped the camera down about as far as it would go to get the shutter speed down to capture the motion blur. Worked out nicely.

Photography by Joe Shutter and  Icelandic_explorer 

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter

Chasing Waterfalls

For those that may be tuning in for the first time, I am Joe shutter: a blogger and photographer based in Iceland. 

I pass on what I learn out here through my tailor-made photo workshops and tutorials: I always go the extra ten miles (or ten hours) to get the shots and get off the beaten track to me secret locations. 

If you are interested in a photo workshop/tutorial whilst in Iceland, get in touch through my email ( joeshutter101@gmail.com ) or through my Instagram handle @joe_shutter . 

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One glorious day, a gentleman named Michael Dexter reached out to me via Instagram DM, with the charge of running some strong long exposure waterfall game for a day tutorial. 

His lovely wife Kelly was good enough to pose for us  for some situational portrait photography, but the focus was primarily landscape photography, although I did grab some candid snaps of them both too.

I went slightly mad and had a Gollum moment.  Michael Helped out that one.

Here are the results of day together.

Photography by Joe Shutter and Michael Dexter

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter

High lands

 For those that may be tuning in for the first time, I am Joe shutter: a blogger and photographer based in Iceland.

I pass on what I learn out here through my  tailor-made photo workshops and tutorials. They can be as long or as short as my clients need them to be, and I always go the extra ten miles (or ten hours) to get the shots and get off the beaten track wherever possible. 

If you are interested in a photo workshop/tutorial in Iceland, pleas contact me through my email ( joeshutter101@gmail.com ) or through my Instagram handle @joe_shutter .

So there I was, minding my own business one polite afternoon, when I get a spontaneous message from an Instagrammer with whom I had recently been speaking, @bensimonehn. It went something like this: Lets go somewhere cool, alright then!

And off we went: Before we knew it, we are up in the highlands at near freezing temperatures (its supposed to be summer) and negotiating flash hail storms.  So in between car breaks when we put some life back into our extremities, we grabbed some shots until it got too dark. Here are the results of that escapade

Photography by Joe Shutter and Ben Simon

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter

Trees of Green

For those that may be tuning in for the first time, I am Joe shutter: a blogger and photographer living in Iceland. 

I pass on what I learn out here through my  tailor-made photo tutorials and workshops. They can be as long or as short as my clients need them to be, and I always go the extra ten miles (or ten hours) to get the shot, get off the beaten track and share my special "off the map" locations.  

If you are interested in a photo workshop/tutorial in Iceland, pleas contact me through my email joeshutter101@gmail.com  or through my Instagram handle @joe_shutter . 

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Trees in Iceland. Its an interesting subject. Essentially. there aren't any, at least by most countries standards. For this reason, Icelanders have a modest definition of a forest.

Its an interesting story because no one really definitively knows why there are so few trees in Iceland. The fact remains: the growing season is very short indeed, about three months. 

This then has to be taken into consideration along with the theories available: one, it is postulated that Iceland was very well forested when the first settlers arrived, and that most of the land was deforested through animal husbandry and necessity.

The historical tales are replete with stories of Iceland as a green, fertile and wooded land, but it is not known for certain whether these were tall tales in order to encourage emigration to Iceland and further settlements

Anyway, as it is, this post is about a little ramble that Frank and I had through Iceland's largest forest, as well as the lake along which it lies 

Photography by Joe Shutter and Rock Scissors Taper

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter

The Descent

Frank and I spent the afternoon in Seydisfjordur.

Now, the problem with these little fjord towns is that in the winter, the sun never reaches the town because it never rises high enough. As we came up over the fjord and descended back down again, we were greeted with a winter sunset. Not only this, but we also met a very interesting character: an old Icelandic man, shotgun and ammo belts in tow and hand, hunting poultry. I asked to take his picture and he obliged. One of the old timers. se great to see him in action.

The winter light is absolutely epic in Iceland. The sun always rises, but just a bit, when it breaks through, its constant golden hour. Its really something. A sudden rain shower made for some interesting orb effects on the car windshield.

So this is just a short post about the car ride down, the next stop on our adventure led us into an exploration of Iceland's largest forest, the very beginning of which I have included at the end of this post, as a little teaser.

Photography by Joe Shutter and Rock Scissors Taper

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter