Iceland: Figures from the past Photo

Photographer’s Note

"Copyright © – Attila Szili.
The reproduction, publication, modification, transmission or exploitation of any work contained herein for any use, personal or commercial, without my prior written permission is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved."

The area which includes Núpsstaður, reaches from the seashore and the black sands, to high white glaciers and includes a green vegetation belt with a native birch forest, willow scrubs. The area is adjacent to Skaftafell National Park and has numerous interesting geological formations, among them are waterfalls, canyons, various types of lava, rock-glaciers, gullies, geothermal areas, a central volcano, a glacial lagoon and rivers and part of the Vatnajökull glacier. The farm, Núpsstaður, is situated, south of the huge mass of the Vatnajökull glacier. At Núpsstaður stands a turf and stone farmhouse built in the 18th century and was home to Hannes Jónsson (1880-1968), a farmer and post courier who for 50 years guided travellers across the sands. It is a typical middle-sized farm, like those found throughout the 19th century in the southern parts of Iceland. There is also a church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, built at Núpsstaður, at least sometime before 1200 AD. The farmstead of Núpsstaður forms an unusually well-preserved cultural landscape, offering many informations about the lifestyle of the area before modern changes.
Just east of the farm is a 600 m high mountain, called Lómagnúpur. According to the ancient mythology, it is occupied by one of the four main protective spirits of the country, the giant with the iron stick, called Jámgrimur.

***scanned from print***

delic, manada, bostankorkulugu, gildasjan, marjan, edytungkal, PixelTerror, Prop, riclopes, Cricri, albertopiubello, Photo65Net, ocskaymarci, syd1946, siolaw, turkamerikali, AiresSantos, Gerrit, papagolf21, lestans, stego, Vato_Law, danos, Clementi, Cretense, Angshu, josepmarin, leo61, chrisnet, Scharan, kermit350, ahmetgedikli, sufi, vinicio, maximage, thea0211, Paolo, teutza, Buin, saylan-cb, Jakab, ls7902 ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

delic (6735) 2007-06-28 3:23

Hello Attila,
Looks like a set of bunkers. Very interesting area, like the rest of Iceland. Fine pov and intense green make this an attractive photo. The presence of the lone man removes the sense of abandonment and gives scale. Regards,
Hakan

manada (6237) 2007-06-28 3:47

Ciao Attila!
Bella la tua testimonianza di questo spaccato di natura islandese. Incredibili queste casette ricoperte di vegetazione... Sono d'accordo con Hakan riguardo alla presenza umana nella foto.
Buona giornata, buon week end
Freddy

bostankorkulugu (33714) 2007-06-28 3:54

it is amazing to see how the man-made houses becomes a part of the nature... really impressive compo with the addition of the old man... congrats my friend...

cheers

korkut

doubay (5023) 2007-06-28 4:04

Hi Attila,
looks like Hobbit land to me: unreal, like comming out of a fairy tale. Very nice shot!
And one question: Are these weird huts still in use or is this a sort of museum?
Regards
Andreas

gildasjan (23959) 2007-06-28 4:12

Bonjour Attila
Elle est superbe cette perspective verte.Une très belle pureté des couleurs.J'aime la position du monsieur assis.Une excellente réalisation.
Bonne journée.
Amicalement
Gildas
Hello Attila
It is superb this green prospect. A very beautiful purity of the colors. I like the position of the sitted Mister. An excellent realization. Good day. In a friendly way
Gildas

marjan (6085) 2007-06-28 4:17

hi Attila, exelent shot, interesting motive , goood informatin .
Majran

edytungkal (4519) 2007-06-28 4:24

Hello my friend Attila,
A simple housing close to nature and very unique of man-made house, the green colour is superb with the very well sharpness. An old man / lady sitting really make this picture well seen. Great one Attila, thanks for share it.

greetings from Jakarta
daniel

PixelTerror (86358) 2007-06-28 4:43

Sza Attila,
Oh I have seen those ones a few times on TE already, I like doubay's association with hobbits, it's exactly that comes to mind when discovering these small houses. it looks a bit tilted or distorted on the right.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

vincz (19043) 2007-06-28 5:26

Very nice compsotion with the old man and the olde houses lining there. i loke very much this very stong atmosphere. A great atmosphere emanetes from this picture.

quetzal (3467) 2007-06-28 8:55

Hello Attila,
Astonishing well hidden and protected constructions. It is difficult to believe today there that men could live. These houses form integral part of nature. I like this picture.
Best regards
Jean-Louis

Bruno40 (6440) 2007-06-28 9:17

Attila
NIce scan, wonderful colours, and the POV is fantastic. I love it... and the old man there... wow.
TFS
jorge

riclopes (33043) 2007-06-28 11:19

Spectacular place, Attila. You always surprised me with places I've never heard before. And these houses under all that greenery is simply amazing. Great compo and very good inclusion of the old man to give some human atmosphere. Love it.
Best regards,
ricardo

Cricri (43304) 2007-06-28 12:07

Hi Attila,
etrange cet endroit avec ces petites maisons recouverte de verdure comme s'il elle voulait passer inaperçue!!! belle présence de ce monsieur assis dans ce joli endroit verdoyant, bonne note
have a nice weekend for you
cricri

albertopiubello (2591) 2007-06-28 13:43

Ciao Attila,
sono d'accordo anch'io che il signore seduto tra le case guardando lontano aggiunge pathos alla tua bella e verde foto.
Bei colori nitidi, caratteristica costante delle tue opere.
Alberto

Photo65Net (43096) 2007-06-28 14:23

Attila,
Impressive architecture, directly into the rock !
Your framing and compo are nicely balanced, empahsizing the original houses.
Very nice,
Regards,
JB.

ocskaymarci (2508) 2007-06-28 15:01

Szia Attila!
Nagggyon tetszik ez a kép! Tényleg olyan "múltas" hangulata van.
Hatásos a zöld élénksége, az élesség kiváló, teteszik a - talán a múlton töprengő - bácsi a kompozíció részeként, csakúgy mint a háttér.
Grat!
Minden jót,
Marci

syd1946 (17931) 2007-06-28 16:06

Hello Attila,
Wonderful composition with these strange houses!The most interesting and well seen architecture shot I have seen recently.It could be a beautiful image without the man with the strange hat,but with him became a great shot!!

Greetings,
Thomas

Fis2 (46057) 2007-06-28 17:45

Witaj Attila!
Curious place. Good frame and colors. The person make impression. Well done.
Regards
Krzysztof

siolaw (25794) 2007-06-28 22:25

Hi Atus,
You know how to bring us unlikely scenes... this is another one with these stupefying grass and flower covered houses standing out nicely on the darker BG... great texture of that grass... the man adds interest and i have one question.... Does someone live in these houses?
Laurent

turkamerikali (4772) 2007-06-29 1:55

Hi Attila,
Great photo from Iceland my friend.
I like your composition,colors,cool old houses covered with grass,framing,sitting old man,note and focus.TFS
Have a Great Weekend,
Tolga

Graal (58267) 2007-06-29 2:33

Jó napot Attila,
very nice your remembrance from Iceland. Interesting view and note. Unusual place, good perspective and composition. I like it.
Gr.,Aleksander

AiresSantos (42440) 2007-06-29 7:25

Hi attila,
Great view of these old houses. Excellent POV, colours and details.
Very well seen and done.
Have a nice weekend
Aires

John_F_Kennedy (31671) 2007-06-29 10:10

A beautiful capture of the nature here. Great composition. Well done.
Best wishes,
Achim

anesugur (16930) 2007-06-29 13:48

Hi Attila,
Very interesting place.
Superb sharp and clear composition with very beautiful colors.
Thanks and best wishes. Uğur

Wanda1 (11003) 2007-06-29 23:41

HI Attila,
The bright green colour jumps out of the shot immediately. This is a beautiful scene and I agree with Andreas it reminds me of the Hobbit houses from the Lord of the Rings story. The old man adds good extra interest and the details are great.
Regards
Wanda

hay_kes (28562) 2007-06-29 23:50

Hi Attila,
Very nice and interesting place my friend.Great greencolours, sharp and light.Well done.TFS.
Cheers!

hAyAti

papagolf21 (56483) 2007-06-30 0:44

Bonjour, cher Attila,
Voilà une image très intéressante tant au point de vue du sujet que de la composition.
La présence d'un personnage donne de la vie à l'ensemble.
Très belle réussite. Un grand merci également pour la note.
Amitiés.
Philippe

lestans (15474) 2007-06-30 1:44

Attila tu ci stupisci sempre con immagini interessantissime, dal circolo polare all'Africa Nera!
Che dire? Ottimo, perfetto nello spirito di TE.
Fossero tutti così!

Ciao!

Livia

stego (22376) 2007-06-30 12:58

Hi Attila,
It's a beautiful view, very well shot. The presence of the old man gives a touch of (past) life that makes it even more dreamy.
The clarity, colours and sharpness are so excellent that it's hard to believe that it is a scan of a print (I would say the same if it was a scan from film).
Regards, José.

Vato_Law (11682) 2007-06-30 14:03

Hello Attila,
Very different view of Iceland of what we used to and this is really nice, although I like the colours that normally the Iceland photos bring associated, I like also this one with this typical constructions covered by the grass and this lonely man sitting on their middle.
It's a really nice composition of a place that seems isolated from the rest of the world.
Cheers.
Paulo

gilou530 (35422) 2007-06-30 14:53

salut attila
une palette de vert de ce paysage dans un pays magnifique, un cadrage ou le personnage donne encore plus de plénitude de la photo, bravo
amitiés
gilbert

Gerrit (35937) 2007-06-30 17:56

Hi Attila,
remarkable housing, fantastic place.The green is marvellous.
The old man is a wonderful inclusion.
Regards, gerrit

danos (32812) 2007-07-02 0:02

Hello Attila,
very nice the view of this nice place that has camouflaged fully to the bright green environment.Excellent your composition and with combination with the informative note make the shot simply great.The old man adds life in your capture.Well done.
Regards,danos

Clementi (44565) 2007-07-02 2:51

Ciao Attila ,
veramente da rimanere a contemplarla per molto tempo .
bellissime queste case ricoperte dalla vegetazione e l'omino che sembra stare a guardia e testimone dei tempi passati .
ottimo lavoro
Giorgio

Cretense (56520) 2007-07-02 3:43

Hi Attila!

Great "mixture" of architecture and nature photography! Great "camouflage"! The lonely presence of this old gentleman makes this photo even more impressive. Congratulations!

Hercules

josepmarin (33861) 2007-07-02 9:28

Hi Attila,
Scanned well, this image shows us a few curious houses semi-buried and very well integrated to the green landscape, I suppose that to fight against the intense winter cold.
The presence of the seated man reaches a bit from life to this inhospitable place.
Good photo, my friend.
Best regards,
Josep

leo61 (43438) 2007-07-02 9:34

Hi Attila!
I think I`ve seen a fantastic image with a frontal view of the grass covered hut ,here at TE.Your`s is fantastic too and the composition is perfect with the man sitting there.It looks tilted,but I know it`s the old architecture.Excellent POV and wonderful green tones.
Have a good week,
regards,Leo

chrisnet (20376) 2007-07-02 12:55

Hi Attila,
Very interesting picture, really a return from the past, I like too the person which gives life at this composition, well done, good work.
Regards
Christian

paura (38742) 2007-07-02 14:10

Attila,
Very interesting picture here, friend. Very unusual architecture detalis.

Paulo

Scharan (13955) 2007-07-02 15:19

Olá Attila

Impressionante e curiosa imagem Attila! Linda foto. Uma composição ótima, cores formidáveis, um trabalho brilhante.

Grande abraço,
Vera.

Angshu (33877) 2007-07-02 20:55

Hello Attila
I love to travel with you around the globe, virtually, seeing your amazing photographs of places less seen. It seems that these houses are enveloped by nature...this is a different picture of what we visualise of Iceland. Love your inclusion of the old man resting.
Regards
Angshu

Budapestman (42328) 2007-07-03 7:29

Szia Attila!
A nagy képforgalomban majdnem lemaradtam erről a kiváló fotóról. Első impresszióként a boldog békeidők ugrottak be képed láttán, a korábbi századforduló nyugodt és kiszámítható, mai szemmel nézve irigylésre méltó légköre. A helyszín mesebeli falúra emlékeztet, az idős bácsika pedig úgy üldögél a fűvel borított domboldalon, mint egy zöld huzatba öltöztetett kényelmes fotelban. Őszintén szólva, tekintetemnek ez a fajta nyugalom gyógyszert ad, oly sokszor hiányzik hétköznapjainkból. Azért pedig, hogy eljutottál Izlandra (egyik nagyon vágyott úticélom), egyrészt üdvözlöm szerencsédet, másrészt lila vagyok az irigységtől. : )))
A kép kompozíciója, képkivágása és színvilága szuper, köszönöm, hogy megmutattad, Gratulálok és szép képeket!
Gyuri

kermit350 (8988) 2007-07-03 9:13

Hello Attila, it are very pretty and extremely original these small hut or one sees one to dimension the frontage and all the remainder fled as amalgamated with the ground, the whole is located perfectly to make of it a strong point of your framing, which returns the place marvelously wild and preserved, I recognize your taste for the colors very soft, little saturated, which gives a beautiful smoothness there has the image, and which image for a particular luminosity with these volcanic rocks which gives to this landscape all its attraction, sincerely..................Hello Attila, elle sont très jolie et fort original ces petite cabane ou l’on aperçoit d’un coter la façade et tout le reste enfui comme fusionnée avec le terrain, le tout est parfaitement situé pour en faire un point fort de ton cadrage, ce qui rend l’endroit merveilleusement sauvage et préservé, je reconnais ton goût pour les couleurs très douces, peu saturées, qui donne là une belle finesse a l'image, et quelle image pour une luminosité particulière avec ces roches volcanique qui donne à ce paysage tout son attrait, bien amicalement

xavshot (62759) 2007-07-03 14:02

Bonsoir Attila
j'aime cette ambiance de ces maisons recouvertes de verdure. Cela me fait penser à des maisons de lutins avec toute la magie qui va autour. Belle photo
amicalement
Xavier

ahmetgedikli (21968) 2007-07-03 22:55

Merhaba Attila,
Very nice scene... I like the colours, light and POV. Well done.
Regards.
Ahmet

sufi (9568) 2007-07-04 1:33

Merhaba Attila, my friend...
The tones of the green are great... Also wonderful light... The place is very interesting... The point of view, the feeling of the loneliness and the perspective are perfect...
TFS...
Stay well..
Salim.

vinicio (22416) 2007-07-04 8:00

In questa foto vedo l'essenza della natura dell'Islanda che conosco anche se mai visitata, la calma e l'originalita' dei luoghi mi hanno affascinato sempre.
Quindi? Ottima foto Attila, per me hai colto in modo splendido la natura del luogo, complimenti.
Ciao
Vinicio

maximage (13490) 2007-07-04 10:24

Bonjour Attila,
Image fantastique, étrange et surtout originale!
Belle lumière et belle réalisation.
Merci pour le partage de ces paysages particuliers et hors des chemins battus.
Amitiés.
max

thea0211 (1355) 2007-07-05 2:54

szia attila,
zold az egyik kedvenc szinem! nagyon szep taj/helyi - eddig alig lattam Iceland fotokat enyi sok zold szinnel telli :) - orrulok hogy illyen helyi is van ott - nagyon szep - gratulallok!
dora

izmirli (3223) 2007-07-05 15:01

merhaba my friend attila
wonderful green colours.wonderful green houses and composition.well done.
best regards.
gürkan akçakır.

Paolo (40731) 2007-07-07 5:16

Quesa l'avevo saltata, ed è molto bella e ha un significato per me, mi rimanda a quella stupenda vacanza di 2 mesi e mezzo in Islanda con i miei amici quando avevamo 18 anni. quel verde così tipico, così Islandes, così selvaggio, umido e costantemente bagnato dalla pioggia quotidiana...
ottima foto Attila.
buon w.e.
ciao

teutza (10564) 2007-07-15 0:50

HEllo attila,
i like this place a lot..u know it looks like the one from lord of the rings!frodo's village!:)good capture of that man there!
teo

berek (28937) 2007-07-17 10:36

Hi Atilla,
really impressive composition. I like lonely man with green houses. interesting atmosphere. have a nice day.
Burak

Buin (37952) 2007-07-20 3:42

Hallo Attila!
After my holidays I "walked around" your collection - and this one caught my eyes. Great - and interesting! The other TE friends have said all, but i think this photo can "bear" another two points ;-)
Greetings - and have a nice weekend!
Frank

saylan-cb (12726) 2007-07-24 1:42

Hi Atilla
A great green colours and composition.Nice POV,light also.
Excellent done.
TFS/Regards

donluicu (23927) 2007-07-24 8:20

HI Atulla
this is a great image,
two symbols of ancient times in one shot..
the old man, and those houses..

excelletn shot

regards

pablominto (40958) 2007-08-01 1:29

Hello Attila,
An interesting building custom is well depicted!
Good point of view gives an attractive diagonal in the composition, I notice the rich colours and sharp fine details!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Giorgio (8730) 2007-08-04 22:28

- Very curious place, Attila, and this verdant atmosphere, it would be believed that here nature took again its rights, in any case a beautiful composition, well done!
giorgio
* Have a good sunday.

Jakab (3472) 2007-08-07 5:25

Szia Attila!
Már olvastam ilyen házakról (nyilván Laxnesnél), de még soha nem láttam, ezért főként a kép dokumentatív értéke fogott meg, amit az üldögélő ember (lakó?) még hitelesebbé tesz. Persze a szerkesztése és a színvilága (a zöldet mozgalmasan bontó homolkzatokkal) is kiváló, de nekem mégis az a legizgalmasabb, hogy most megláttam, amit régen elképzelni próbáltam.
Üdv és gratula!
Laci

ls7902 (6248) 2007-08-11 18:15

The earth & grass covered dwellings reminds me of "The Hobbit". Very interesting post. Nice green yellow grass with wild flowers & dark earth. Lastly, great to have the man resting there for scale & making the photo more lively. Regards. Latiff.

Hellas (5139) 2007-10-20 2:47

Hi Attila,
this is a very good scan showing us the luxuriant vegetation carpet covering those huts so nicely! You captured this picture form a very good point that enhances the perspective.
Thank you for sharing.
Have a nice weekend,
Athanasios.

Silverkey (1433) 2009-02-08 2:54

Hi Attila
This is a nice place, but which seems often "dead place" (even the one I've posted in fact). But there, with the old man, we are really brought some centuries ago.
Congratulation
Mickaël

alin-m (1148) 2009-08-31 8:42

Beautifull capture of this old traditional houses.Another verry good picture.Regards.Alin.

maxmitzu (451) 2009-08-31 9:13

Hi,
woow, that's all i can say:) it look's very cool that view. I wish to stay there one day. It's very nice. I like a lot the colors.
Best regards,
Max