Darkelf Photography

Land of the Sheep

Hopping between various islands in the Faroes is quite simple. Distances are small even though one often needs to drive around fjords and mountains. Sometimes there is an underwater tunnel which connects the islands. This is coastal scenery with the ever present local inhabitants near Elduvik on Eysturoy island. Misty cliffs of Kalsoy are also visible in the far distance. It was a rainy and windy day. First half was completely washed out. Luckily, the conditions improved a little later on for us to head out and explore.

I remember stopping on a small headland reaching into Funningsfjordur to have a look at the views. The tip of the headland was right in the path of all the biggest winds gusts. The winds were not of the most dangerous quality but it was bitterly cold and there were odd showers passing by. I loved the view but I had to muster additional motivation to make myself get out of the car. On went my beannie and gloves and out I went. The wind was coming directly from the side I was facing to take photos. I could often see the next gust as it was travelling over the water, so I always had a moment to prepare myself for it and either turn away or steady my camera.

Did you ever have a situation when you were all good and cosy while you were busy taking photos, not really thinking too much about how cold or wet it was, only to instantly snap back into reality as soon as you finished with your camera? I find that once I set up for a photo and during the process of taking it, I am somewhat isolated from everything else. I do not feel cold or wet. I am just in my zone. Then suddenly I realise that my face is cold, my hands are almost freezing, and there is water dripping left right and centre over my rain gear. It is just such an unreal feeling. What follows is usually a very quick dash to the car, dumping of gear in the boot, and turning on the heather inside the car. It was much like that when I was taking this photo. The moment I finished I thought "damn, it is cold out here".

I took the photo hand held. I did not really get a chance to get my tripod out (and there was not need for it anyway). It was not easy taking it against the wind with my eyes watering up constantly because of it. There were also water drops floating about to contend with. I had to wipe the lens often to be able to take a clean frame without drops visible. I had to also pick the moments between wind gusts to press the shutter button when my camera was at its steadiest. A couple of times I was about to press or even already pressing the shutter when wind would push the lens up or down unexpectedly.

I am glad I persevered though because this was one of my favourite spots in the Faroes outside of the iconic locations. I repeated the dose next day at the same location when taking a photo of a town on the other side of the fjord in opposite direction. We stopped by this place again, in fact, to see whether I could improve on the current photo with different light and conditions but this was the mood and light I liked the most. Another bonus of making the decision to come out of the car a day earlier.

ISO 200 | f/8 | 1/50 sec | 24mm

Outback Encounters

You might have seen some photos of Australia with a caption "there is a thousand things hiding in this scene that can kill you" or something to that effect. This is in reference to belief that every insect and animal in Australia is out to get you. Somewhat of a misconception but still, the outback remains an unforgiving and dangerous place to the unprepared. I thought this photo was somewhere in that category. Plus, I just always wanted to post an image like this but never really had a chance as it is a bit of a cliché :-)

ISO 200 | f/8 | 1/320 sec | 24mm

Light Will Find a Way

Autumn in al its glory in a woodland near Krakow in Poland. We went for a walk through the Prądnik Valley with some friends on a lovely autumn's day. It was more of a casual stroll through a very picturesque area, knows for its streams and forests, as well as for some stunning rock formations and caves. On this day, we were just happy to enjoy open areas as the weather was just about perfect.

Of course, no stroll through autumn woodland would be possible without me taking my camera along for the rise.There are possibilities along the way to sneak off the beaten track to see if anything interesting can be found in the woods. This spot immediately resonated with me. I loved the filtered light coming through the trees. I also liked the fantastic array of colours on the forest floor. Greens, yellows, oranges, and reds as far as the eye could see. As usual in a forest, there was a certain degree of chaos with stray branches and tree trunks scattered everywhere. However, I did manage to find a composition and minimised the clutter which allowed for the light and colours to find their way.

I did not really plan for the sun star but I did position the sun in the gap between the two trees, and I am glad that it came out the way it did. I remember checking the settings as I was working on the photo and I was expecting to find f/11 or f/16, thinking I must have stopped down quite a bit. However, it turned out to be f/4, which makes it even more surprising that it worked out so well. From memory, it was quite dark in the woodland and a bit windy too, so I was looking for a fast shutter speed to counter these conditions. I do not have the most steady hands with a camera and I did not want to keep my friends waiting by setting up a tripod in this instance.

It really was an amazing autumnal display and I am hoping to visit this area again in the future during autumn for further exploration and photography. I have been missing this kind of colourful autumn where I live, for a number of years, but recent travels gave me wonderful opportunities to enjoy the golden season in various locations, including here in Australia. Hopefully, more autumn photography awaits for me down the road.

ISO 1600 | f/4 | 1/800 sec | 24mm