reflected in awe, a photo from Vestur-Skaftafellssysla, Sudurland

Photographer's Note

*scanned image*

It was my first trip to Iceland, late in the summer of 2004. I was on my way (alone) to Arkansas (US) from Finland and had decided to skip the aeroplane as much as possible.
It had always been a dream of mine to go to Iceland, and finally, at the age of 22, I stepped onto that most magnificent island.

Armed with my 20 year old Nikon F401s, I travelled across the island in one week and fell totally and completely head over heels in Love with that piece of land stranded on the Atlantic.

This is one of the sights that made me scream 'STOP THE CAR' to my fellow traveller driving the car. We had met on the boat leaving the Faroe Islands, and he was kind enough to give me a lift across the island.
We'd left from Seydisfjordur and driven along the ring road, aka Route 1, all the way around to Reykjavik. As I/we still had a few days before the plane took off for DC, we decided we'd have a look at the Southern part of the country.

It was already late in the summer and the temperatures sank below zero at night, and the sun appeared to remain closer to the horizon during the whole day giving everything a quite interesting colour. The grass and other flora shone with reddish tones making the earth less green and more terra-cotta. The kind of scenery I'd never seen before outside of my birth-country.
As we approached one of the glaciers in the South, my heart sang with a song of discovery.
I'd seen these on TV but never, and I mean never, could I have imagined one to be so beautiful in 'real Life".

We were driving along the black paved road and as it came closer and closer, my eyes grew wider and wider. I checked the map and saw there was a smaller road leading up to the Mýrdalsjökull and I asked him to turn onto it. As he did, I saw this pond and this reflection and I exclaimed 'stop the car!'.
I wasn't going to let such a sight go uncaptured!

I hopped out from the car, and being a TrekkEr at heart even before discovering the website, I included the road on the left in the picture, just to show a bit more of the context and possibilities offered on site :D
As you'll notice, the road appears to go towards the glacier, and in the WS you'll find that it does indeed lead right up to it. I would be grateful if you could tell me whether that shot (in the WS) is worthwhile posting as a separate entity in itself.

No cropping, no nothing besides for compression/resizing and sharpening. Talking of compression, it breaks my heart to see the picture loose as much quality as it does when I save if for web in PS CS2. I always end up having to 'trick' it by increasing the saturation and making it really dark so that it keeps the original colours. I don't particularly appreciate that... any solutions?

An advance Thank You to those amongst You who take the time to criticise and/or comment!

Muse, ktanska, SchwebagMike, Floydian, broglia, Elaine_Blath, pasternak, deblink, macondo, cobraphil8, riclopes, isabib, Albrecht, delkoo, nwoehnl, gramma, aidil98, Mistral, JonteW, iGirl, rui_seabra, Xalkida, capthaddock, imrek, rildin, alainh, bibiweb, yogi32, InasiaJones, PrzemekN, ruisc_pt, Dazed, Hellas, montesinos, matt_moi, Fellini, pilpel-adom, paromitadey marcou esta nota como útil

Critiques | Translate

clnaef (6289) 2006-09-29 7:47 [Comment]

Show Comment

bibs69 (3251) 2006-09-29 7:51

Hello Julia,

Wonderful picture :) The reflection is great, of course, but I also like the vivid colors of the ground. Very good composition.

Best regards, Laurent.

vinicio (23423) 2006-09-29 7:52

Beautiful reflection with great colored landscape, compliments, really beatiful this image.
Ciao
Vinicio

Muse (35030) 2006-09-29 7:53

Hello Julia,
A very pretty sight particularly with regard to before plan.
Superb hot colour gradations.
A light which gives reflections excquis in this limpid water.
A quite complete comment
Excellent pov and framing.
Best regards
Denise

ktanska (44832) 2006-09-29 8:04

Hei Julia,
The colours are so intensive here. A real million euro scene! And contrast between yellow/red and blue/white is so strong especially as the pool brings them so close to each other.
Yes, autumn foliage scenes are notoriously hard to compress for JPG format. One way to relieve these problems is to use less sharpening, or sharpen only key areas.
PS. I like the WS, though it's nowhere close to this one. Too saturated, and the sign could be closer to the edge.
Kari

rosaline (0) 2006-09-29 8:05

Hi Julia
Very good quality for a scanned image. I like the reflection as it is well captured. The colours seem a little oversaturated but still work well overall. Nice composition.
Aubrey

cobraphil8 (84) 2006-09-29 8:15

Hello la miss,
encore une superbe prise, mais mon regard reste bloquer sur ce reflet et ses bords, alors je me suis dit qu'il y'avait peut-être quelque chose à faire (voir en WS).
Ce sont vraiment des coins splendides, la seule que j'ai vu quelque chose de similaire, c'était au Pérou.
Bravo et bon WE
Tout de bon :))))
Philippe

[2] [workshop] [compare] +

SchwebagMike (1490) 2006-09-29 8:26

Dear Julia,

It's really a great scenery you managed to capture here! The colors are so astonishingly well capture, I can literally feel a kind autmn "indian summer" atmosphere, but unfortuntely never had the "real life" experience. The composition is also perfect. The water surface is pefectly place to reflect astonishingl well the mountains, maybe even somehow clearer then the direct view! To include the road was also a great idea. I guess that one the original paper version one can see the stone bridge on the left much clearer, which would give some kind of additional point of reference ...
... so to me it's just a great picture!
All the best, Mike

serdarhepgul (1744) 2006-09-29 8:39

magnificent shot...Super color palette and composition...Reflection fromt he surface is breathtaking.
Serdar

Floydian (30970) 2006-09-29 8:44

Hi Julia,
Please don't shout to me "Stop the Car" because i allready stoped seeing this beautiful field full of colours ;-)
Your picture is high class, maybe one of your best. The colours are amazing, and your story..........as always very nice to red.
Perfect work...really, really good..!!!
Regards, Henk

broglia (3604) 2006-09-29 8:56

Simply stunning shot Julia - the composition, the light, the colours - all just perfect. Regards, Roberto

Elaine_Blath (8471) 2006-09-29 9:07

Hi Julia,

wow, what a landscape! amazing place, captured in superb light...well done!

Take care, Ivana

pasternak (15185) 2006-09-29 9:08

Nice to see you back on TE, Julia. A stunning shot, maybe the best I have seen from you so far. The colours, the composition, the depth, the reflection which darkens the sky! Absolutely first class image, and the scan quality is good.

Cheers
Alexander

deblink (2548) 2006-09-29 9:16

Hi Julia,
What an extremely beautiful photo. Hard to believe it was scanned. The reflections and the colours are just superb. Congratualations. Thank you for sharing.
Cheers,
Debbie

macondo (20449) 2006-09-29 9:27

Hard to believe this is a scan - you did a great job. The composition is marvellous, and that reflection is one of the brightest and clearest I've ever seen. The colour of the vegetation is astounding. A truly lovely shot that gives an enormous sense of depth and open space. Thanks for the excellent notes, too.
Regards,
Andrew

riclopes (35577) 2006-09-29 9:36

Hi Julia, amazing landscape. The final result from the scanned image seems great and I wish I could have the same results with my old images. The saturation seems right to me and the colors make the image very attractive. I love the contrasts with the iceberg in the background and the reflections on the lake are lovely in contrast with the surrounding yellows. Gorgeous!
Have a good weekend,
Ricardo

donluicu (24741) 2006-09-29 10:25

BRAVO
superb landscape of course, but wonderful compo, with outstanding color and sharpness..

congrats

euryan (8442) 2006-09-29 11:16

I think I would have yelled the same thing upon seeing this perfect reflection. The blue sky against the orange grass looks marvelous and really catches my eye. Complementary colors always catch my eye. I very glad you included that little part of the road as it gives us a better sense of the place like you mentioned. Do you know if they filmed the beginning of the movie Batman Begins along this road? It looks like it to me.
Regards,
Ryan
P.S. I have the same problem when saving for web. Some picture look pretty close, but others look way off. I don't have a solution. I sometimes play the guessing game, changing the photo so that it might turn out right. I usually just end up not posting the photos that change a lot after saving for web.

isabib (1953) 2006-09-29 12:39

Hi Julia,

Lovely autumn colors. Great mirror shot also.

TFS,
Gani

Albrecht (11283) 2006-09-29 12:46

Hi Julia
MArverllous sight;wonderful place to be and walk around with the camera. Good picture of it.
~greetings ALBRECHT~

nwoehnl (122) 2006-09-29 13:56

A beautiful scenic impression from Iceland, Julia. The deep and vivid September colors make a fine foreground layer, and the opening with the reflecting pool is beautifully used to amplify the dignified presence of the grand mountain range in the back. The quality seems to be not all that bad, considering it's a scan and bearing in mind the rich amount of detailed foreground textures. Good notes, too.

leo61 (0) 2006-09-29 14:00

Hi Julia!
Excellent quality for a scanned image and a fantastic photo.This pond surrounded by the verry nice colored vegetation is a great foreground for the mountan panorama.It was definetely worth to stop here.The bright colors are fantastic and the reflections are wonderful.Great work.
Regards,Leo

gramma (3519) 2006-09-29 14:39

Hello Julia,

One another beautiful picture from Iceland. Reflection is very well controlled. And I like colors of the foreground. Good work !

Christophe

CLAP (676) 2006-09-29 15:55

Hello Julia,
What a beautiful picture !!
Thanks.
Claude

fayeulle (27827) 2006-09-29 16:02

Bonjour Julia
Très belle photo avec des ouleurs qui me font penser à la Bolivie dans sa partie volcanique. Evidemment, la réflexion est un atout de premier plan.
Cordialement
JP

AmiBe (6042) 2006-09-29 17:16

Hello Julia,
une perle ce paysage islandais...
Superbe ce micro-lac en forme de triangle avec cette réflexion.
Très belle teintes, spécialement cet orange.
a+

jmdias (115312) 2006-09-29 20:14

julia

colors in this photo are fabulous, good pov and light too, the lake was created only to be used like a mirror to that mountains.. this landscape is a dream

jorge

Kirych (2716) 2006-09-30 1:35

Hi, Julia!
Amazing composition with reflection. Vivid colors and beautiful view.
Tanya.

delkoo (68) 2006-09-30 4:42

bonjour julia
quelle lumiere extraordinaire!!
cet endroit est magnifique et les couleurs éblouissantes, tres bon cadrage aussi avec ce pur reflet dans l'eau qui donne une tres grande profondeur a l'image.

superbe
-:)) demain

vincz (19113) 2006-09-30 6:53

Gorgeous reflections and amazing warm colors. Iceland seems so beautiful with so grandiose landscapes. Thanks for making us discover them in a very appealing way.

jjcordier (79299) 2006-09-30 9:26

Fabulous landscape, great light and colors and perfect reflections
Best regards
JJ

RRaphael (89) 2006-10-03 15:35

Wow... Wooow... WOW! :-) Need I say anymore? WOW!!!

Love it!

Raphael

aidil98 (94) 2006-10-05 11:54

Hi Julia!

Amazing iceland, with beautiful nature, you captured it well and water, ice and mountains, did this photo good!
Thanks for sharing!

Лида-

ahmetgedikli (25609) 2006-10-06 10:49

Hi Julia,
This is a beautiful photo. I like a painting. The colors, reflections and light are excellent. Great job.
Best wishes.
Ahmet

Mistral (15416) 2006-10-06 18:28

Hi Julia,
wonderful magic place!
Well managed in framing with those great reflections on immote water. Colours are a bit strong but considering it's a scanned image the overhall quality is very good.
Your note is great too!
A smile
Luca

JonteW (190) 2006-10-11 8:53

Very nice composition! And the red and yellow "ruska" colors are magnificent and exagerated by the blue. Very nicely spotted!

In my opinion the road does not add very much to the image. But it is not a distraction either for me.

I believe the "peak" we see in this shot is Iceland's highest point.

I don't think your WS adds anything to this picture. The rocks along the road are a nice fomrtaion, but other than that this picture contains much more artisticly and information also. I think we had lunch just next to where your WS shot was taken. :-)

kourosh (2346) 2006-10-16 5:01

Hi Julia,

Great picture. what an amazing landscape! Your note is very informative as well. thanks for sharing.

cepekdong (3676) 2006-10-17 13:22

what a wonderful picture...the autumn colours, the blue sky and the fantastic reflection ! its sooo great !

daniel

iGirl (1223) 2006-10-17 13:39

Hi, this is amazing! Awesome colors and nice clear reflection. I also like the workshop image although it lacks a little sharpness and is not as amazing as this one.

I had the same problem with Photoshop's "Save for Web," so I started using "Save As" instead and manually entering the highest quality number possible without going over the file size limit.

Thanks for sharing!

Erin

rui_seabra (205) 2006-10-17 13:47

Absolutely magnificent...
The reflection is perfectly positioned and the overall POV is great.
Colors are good but not perfect, a bit foggy on the "real" mountains on the right - don't know if they're better in the original.

Thank you for such an interesting note. It just makes your photo even more appealing.

Great great "work" with this one...
I´ve been thinking of going to Iceland and you just drove me 1 step closer.

Rui Seabra
Portugal

ewiczek (374) 2006-10-17 14:03

wonderfulll landscapeee

Xalkida (11744) 2006-10-19 7:02

Hi Julia

Wow! Indeed, fantastic landscape. The colors are excellent and the reflections of this mountaint awesome. TFS this beauty!

arnoud1976 (1191) 2006-10-25 8:40

Julia, what a fantastic landscape, really amazing weather for Iceland and truly wonderous colors. tfs arnoud

syltty (274) 2006-10-27 6:40

Ouah, c'est vraiment très beau! Ces couleurs éclatantes, ce lac, ces montagnes et ce glacier. C'est vraiment très chouette. Juste une petite critique, je crois que la route à gauche pourrait ne pas être sur la photo. La signature et le cpyright, je trouve que la photo n'en a pas besoin. Tiens ben je te propose un WS.

[workshop] [compare] +

capthaddock (28790) 2006-10-31 11:01

Hi Julia - wow, this is incredibly beautiful, perfect position and timing, what can I say, I add it to my favourites.

imrek (4) 2006-11-01 15:31

Iltä Leiju,

Yor point of view is really well choosen here, esp powerful is the reflextion on the water, fine work mine neighbor!
regards,
imre

alainh (33209) 2006-11-20 3:22

Bonjour Julia
tout d'abord un scan de très bonne qualité.
Un coin magistral comme doit l'être ce pays fait de roche, d'eau et de feu.
on a dans nos montagnes Iseroise un petit coin qui pourrait ressmbler un peu à ce superbe endroit: le massif du Taillefer et des lacs fourchus.
une incitation supplementaire d'aller visiter ce coin privilégié de la planete.
bonne jouréne à toi
amicalement
alain

mdetay (4929) 2006-11-21 22:11

Hi Julia,
Nice picture of reflexion.
Excellent colors.
Well done. Great capture.
Cheers from Cairns.
Michel

France (125) 2006-11-27 7:37

Alors toi aussi tu es tombée amoureuse de l'Islande !? Il y a de quoi, c'est un pays merveilleux. Tu as eu raison de stopper la voiture pour nous faire partager une telle merveille bien que ce ne soit pas évident de s'arrêter là car il n'y a pas d'accotement prévu sur la route 1. Les conditions d'éclairage sont optimales, le temps clair et ensoleillé et il n'y avait pas une once de vent pour troubler la réflection du glacier dans le lac. La composition et les couleurs sont très réussies. Je trouve juste la saturation un peu trop exagérée, ça en jette mais ça ne fait pas très naturel. Un très belle photo qui mérite un agrandissement dans ton salon.

sebcz (2345) 2006-11-30 5:52

Hi Julia!
This pond looks almost square, funny shape. Of course the reflexion is fine, as well as the whole landscape nicely framed. I like the autumn colours versus winter ones.
Regards,
Seb

bibiweb (8) 2006-12-08 1:17

Salut Julia,
Ce matin, en me connectant su TE, cette image figurait en première page. Quelle belle façon de commencer la journée en contemplant une telle beauté (tout en dégustant ma tasse de café)!
Le cadrage est parfait avec cerre petite gouille au premier plan dont la pointe s'incline directement vers l'angle inférieur. Les couleurs chaudes au premier plan sont superbes et tranchent avec la neige et les glaciers au fond. Je ne connais pas encore l'Islande, mais c'est en voyant des images comme la tienne que mon envie de découvrir ce pays s'affermie.
Je te souhaite une bonne journée.
Brigitte

dkeus31 (27739) 2006-12-08 7:02

Bonjour Julie,
Très jolie palette de couleurs saturées!
Le lac d'avant plan est bien placé pour donner de la profondeur ainsi que la réflexion de la montagne.
Amicalement
Didier

InasiaJones (31566) 2006-12-10 21:11

Bonjour Julia,

À regarder tes photos, je comprends pourquoi l’Islande constituait un rêve. Cette photo est magnifique et correspond à l’idée que l’on se fait de ses nombreux paysages .

Le contraste des couleurs, la réflection dans l’eau et le sentiment «nordique» contribuent à l’attrait de cette superbe image.

Bravo!

André

gmg (4202) 2006-12-21 17:55

Terve Julia!
You got here perfectly the bight and nice colors of Iceland! Nice POV with beautiful reflections in the water. The warm colors in foreground make a nice contrast with the glacier in background. I like this photo a lot!
Regards and Merry Christmas
gmg

dokadak (11518) 2006-12-28 15:34

Hello Julia,

Its not enough to say prefest working...thanks for sharing... Happy New Year...

Hasan

ZiM (190) 2007-01-27 6:55

I love this photo!Amazing mini lake,perfect mirror for the mauntains!Mosaic of colors,red gras,black stones,white snow and blue sky,all in one photo!!Just beautiful !

rildin (129) 2007-01-30 18:42 [Comment]

Show Comment

prasadpaul (297) 2007-02-01 8:14

seems like the paradise on earth. luky to be there, more lucky to have a photo. thanks. the picture is perfect

ruisc_pt (11594) 2007-02-15 7:42

Hi Julia
Great incredible shot.. with nothing besides sharpening...

TFS

Hellas (7123) 2007-03-09 6:11

Hello Julia,

very good shot, well-exposed with brilliant colours.
The glacier stopped in the depth, to let you shoot.
Thank you for sharing,
Athanasios.

Sam_CH (3372) 2007-03-30 13:06

what a beautiful pictures, i like it. Great colors of Automn and a well placed reflection
best regards
Sam

criography (166) 2007-06-05 18:40

great place, great colours, superb composition. i wish i were there now(;

kvananthnaag (487) 2007-07-14 22:55

Absolutely beautiful picture with wonderful colors of the mazing place! The reflection in the waters is well captured :) I've been to Iceland and would love to return in the summer months once again, to see these amazing colors and beauty! TFS :)

montesinos (52) 2007-08-28 13:43

Beautiful story, nice picture....

andrewofbeaugen (42) 2007-09-06 10:41

wonderful
the picture i should have been proud to do

brunello (0) 2007-09-17 23:50

Great!!! I have no word to explain what magnificent shot you did.
Ciao Bruno

happybuddha (25) 2007-11-01 20:21 [Comment]

Show Comment

matt_moi (318) 2008-01-18 5:55

Bonjour Julia,
vraiment magnifique cette photo. L'effet de reflet dans le lac est des plus réussi et le contraste des couleurs est excellent.
Cordialement,

Matthieu

Cube (24) 2008-04-06 9:52

Hi,
Beautiful reflections and a splendid landscape
Regards,
C.

zumoduvas (2069) 2008-04-06 10:08

Hello Julia.

Excellent picture, nice composition and colors.

Regards.
Jose Luis.

Fellini (6407) 2008-06-09 10:56

Wonderful work Julia, amazing colours of a beautiful place...incredible deep and clarity scene and spectacular reflection...
Well done.
Cheers
Alex

zahoor_salmi (1053) 2008-08-01 9:19

Your picture is high class.Very good composition.

ahaberal (6469) 2008-09-01 0:58

Hi julia
Beautiful reflection with great colored landscape
Best regards
asim

LondonBoy (2494) 2008-10-25 5:09

Breathtaking!

TFS
Alex

pilpel-adom (3018) 2009-02-06 21:36

Hey Julia,
This is one impressive scene you've captured with your camera! The contrast and color of the vegetation with the cool and perfect reflection does wonders here. The framing is marvelous and smart, the road on the left adds perspective and depth, and taking together work well with your lovely note.
Well done!
Chen

RegisMinot (1543) 2009-03-01 1:59

I am not a fan of cold places in general. however, this picture makes me reconsider the idea and spending summer vacations in island semems to be a really good idea. Wonderful picture and colours !

npecanhuk (79329) 2009-03-01 2:09

Hello Julia!
The picture is wonderful, with beautiful natural and saturated colors! The reflection is awesome!
Well seen and well done!
TFS - Congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

andywo (4725) 2009-05-20 2:24

Hi Julia
What a fantastic wild nature!
Excellent shot.
TFS
Andy

paromitadey (623) 2009-10-18 23:12

Hi,

Amazing photograph of an amazing place. Beautiful composition. I loved the detailing, the variation in colors and the reflection is beautiful.

TFS.

Regards,
Paromita

rajhema (1873) 2010-04-25 18:04

Very good narration. You brought Iceland in front of me with your narration and picture.

Cheers
Rajesh

AliMoein (780) 2012-02-20 4:32

Hi Julia
Very beautiful
Composition and contrast is excellent in this picture
Good work

Photo Information

Copyright: Julia Leijola (leiju) (1697)
Genre: Lugares
Medium: Cor
Date Taken: 2004-09-00
Categories: Natureza
Camera: Nikon F401-s, AF Nikkor 35-70mm 1:3.3-4.5
Versão da Foto: Versão Original, Workshop
Tema(s): My favorite photos (16+1) (Gatti Matti) [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-09-29 7:41
Favoritos: 13 [ver]

Viewed: 10978

Points: 158

Discussions

To cobraphil8: et là ça met une claque... (4)
by leiju, last updated 2006-09-29 10:28
To ktanska: Kiitos! (2)
by leiju, last updated 2006-10-02 01:45
To euryan: save-for-web & misc (1)
by leiju, last updated 2006-09-29 12:33
To JonteW: the peak (2)
by leiju, last updated 2006-10-11 03:56
To syltty: :) (2)
by leiju, last updated 2006-10-27 12:49
To RegisMinot: cold places (1)
by leiju, last updated 2009-03-01 07:55

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