Grammer's Delight

Its always nice to put a face to a handle. I was out with Icelandic Explorer in Snaefelsnes and he had mentioned to me that some Grammer's (Instagrammers) had contacted him regarding a possible meet up and shoot, which I thought was a great idea.

Gunnar and I  shot all throughout the night (which was really almost broad daylight since we had endless summer sun, see my last post Gram and White where we did a shoot far a new Toyota Hilux which we took through the Icelandic highlands. So, after a few hours sleep (with very thick eye masks to keep out the blazing sun) with met up with Alex and Arthur Broadstock.

We explored the wonderful Grundarfoss, (Google map link to nearby town) that had recently come on the radar, and we were not disappointed. You can see it in the distance fram the road, and thun when you approach it, it becomes this giant majestic thing. We stayed there far a few hours. One of the images that Alex took that day is being used on the Havin and Florin backpack website

Its very  tough terrain to get around: the spray from the fall lands an the rocks and makes everything wet and extremely slippery. The sun cut right through creating some amazing highlights but also some intense dynamic range which made the exposure difficult, but also a nice challenge. I managed to get myself into one of the shots, big thank you to Arther for helping me to press the shutter.

After that, we rolled on out to the A frame mountain shelter hut and continued aver to the south side of the peninsula to a beautiful cavern called Raudfelðsgjá, a narrow canyon where we went all the way to the end. After that, we parted ways

Touring Snaefellsnes is a great day trip from Reykjavik at all times of year. If you are interested in a day photo tour or if you might like any information about the locations I mentioned here, you know where to find me

Photography by Joe Shutter.

For your enjoyment, 

Joe shutter

---

---

The Glow: 2/2

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.  If you are interested in a photo workshop/tutorial whilst in Iceland, get in touch!

Ice cream comes as standard in all photo tours. 

---

This is the second half of my "glow series of posts, two in total. They were shots on the some day, about six hours apart from another. 

It was a light of majesterial quality and duration. It never got dark. The. "midnight sun" in all its glory

Often used as a marketing ploy by Icelandic companies, people get a little bit confused about the midnight sun in Iceland.  The sun does always set; that is to say, go below the horizon. Always. Except for five minutes on June 21st where it is visible as the "midnight sun".

My definition of the midnight is not "soft daylight all night from the sun which is just below the horizon" my definition is "sun shining continuously all night", and this is only possible within the arctic circle, below which Iceland sits by about 1.5 degrees north.

Technicalties aside, it is a site to behold indeed. There are also very few of these nights due to bad weather, the curse that comes with the blessing. Although it has to be said we have had a marvellous summer in Reykjavik this year.

Here are the shots from one such an evening.

Photography bf Joe Shutter

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter

Horizons

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 . 

---

Today was a strange day, and the world woke up up to news that the UK will initiate the process of withdrawing from the European Union, to be finalised within a two-year time period. It remains to be seen how this will effect (if at all) the European Economic Area, which could affect my ability to stay in Iceland as a UK citizen. As I said, it remains to be seen, so I will be watching the developments of events with baited breath. 

Meanwhile, I soldier on doing what I do best, taking pictures and telling stories through them. 

On this glorious summers day, I set off with Icelandic_explorer to explore some spots around the outskirts of Reykjavik. You only have to go 10-15 minutes out of town to get some beautiful (and interesting) spots. The first part of our evening was spent exploring the geodesic domes around a geothermal power station, then we moved on to the Red Hills, taking turns with "little people" shots and playing with perspectives.

Photography by Joe Shutter and Gunnar Freyr

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

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