Not a black and white, a photo from Vestur-Skaftafellssysla, Sudurland

Photographer's Note

I'm not a lover of black and white, but this time I could not do otherwise. We arrived on the black beach of Vik in the evening, and moreover the sky was heavily overcast. So a natural black and white has sprung ....
The village of Vík or Vík í Mýrdal in full is the southernmost village in Iceland, located on the main ring road around the island, around 180 km (110 mi) by road southeast of Reykjavík.
Despite its small size (291 inhabitants as of January 2011) it is the largest settlement for some 70 km (43 mi) around and is an important staging post, thus it is indicated on road signs from a long distance away. It is an important service center for the inhabitants of and visitors to the coastal strip between Skógar and the west edge of the Mýrdalssandur glacial outwash plain.
In 1991, the US journal Islands Magazine counted this beach as one of the ten most beautiful beaches on Earth. Its stretch of black basalt sand is one of the wettest places in Iceland. The cliffs west of the beach are home to many seabirds, most notably puffins which burrow into the shallow soils during the nesting season. Offshore lie stacks of basalt rock, remnants of a once more extensive cliffline Reynisfjall, now battered by the sea. There is no landmass between here and Antarctica and the Atlantic rollers can attack with full force. According to folklore, they are former trolls who tried to drag their boats out to sea only to be caught by the rising dawn. The sea around them is rather wild and stormy, so travelers will not be surprised to discover a monument to the memory of drowned seamen on the beach.
Contemporary legends note the story of a husband who found his wife taken by the two trolls, frozen at night. The husband made the two trolls swear to never kill anyone ever again. His wife was the love of his life, whose free spirit he was unable to provide a home for; she found her fate out among the trolls, rocks, and sea at Reynisfjara.
The village was affected by volcanic ash during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull.

NON E' UN BIANCO E NERO

Io non sono un amante delle foto in bianco e nero, ma questa volta non ho potuto fare diversamente. Noi siamo arrivati sulla spiaggia nera di Vik alla sera, ed oltretutto il cielo era molto coperto. Così ne è scaturito un bianco e nero naturale....
Vík í Mýrdal è una località islandese lungo la Hringvegur nella regione di Suðurland. Qui si trova una stazione di servizio ed un piccolo ristorante, abbastanza popolati data la distanza dagli altri centri della zona.
Vík si trova ai piedi del ghiacciaio Mýrdalsjökull, che copre la cima del vulcano Katla, il che la espone a rischi di inondazione nel caso di ripresa dell'attività eruttiva da parte del vulcano. Nei pressi di Vík si trovano importanti attrazioni turistiche, come Dyrhólaey e l'area ai piedi del monte Reynisfjall.
A breve distanza dalla riva si trovano i faraglioni di Reynisdrangar. Gli scogli di roccia basaltica rappresentano i resti di una costa una volta di più ampia, erosa nel tempo dall'Atlantico che è particolarmente aggressivo in quest'area. Secondo la leggenda, invece, due giganti avevano tentato di portare a riva una nave a tre alberi, ma l'alba li raggiunse prima che potessero mettersi al sicuro in montagna, trasformando entrambi i giganti e la nave in pietra. I faraglioni sono chiamati individualmente come Skessudrangur, Langhamar e Landdrangur.

pierrefonds, edge, pajaran, papagolf21, Fis2, alvaraalto, CLODO, snunney, ourania, tyro, jhm, ikeharel, vasilpro, s_lush, cornejo, PiotrF, Royaldevon, PaulVDV, mcmtanyel, claudeD, rychem, ChrisJ, carlo62, lucasgalodoido, adramad, aliabazari, delpeoples, clic, daddo ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

pierrefonds (115645) 2016-10-08 17:49

Bonsoir Luciano,

La présence des gens a un effet d'échelle de grandeur. Tu as bien capturé la puissance des vagues. La prise de vue permet de voir les détails des pitons rocheux. Une belle réussite, bonne soirée.

Pierre

edge (7409) 2016-10-08 18:29

Hello Luciano, This is certainly an impressive view of this shoreline. I have difficulty believing this is not black and white, or at least my eyes do. Ha Ha. In any event you have captured something that most of us will never see, and I think the composition is well done. The huge rock formations jutting out of the sea make me thing a little bit of a shore in Mexico. The three figures support the photo with the relationship to the size of the formations. I like it. Also your note was informing and also amusing. Keep up the good work. Regards.

pajaran (117171) 2016-10-08 21:53

Dobar dan.
Interesantan i dobar tekst, lep pogled ...
Dobar rad, dobar rad, kompozicija, perspektiva i kontrast, lepo pokazano, dobra realizacija lepom crno belom fotografijom.
Lepe i opasne stene na moru sa velikim talasima.
Imajte lep dan za odmor, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good day.
Interesting and good text, beautiful view ...
Good work, good work, composition, perspective and contrast nicely shown good realization of a beautiful black and white photography.
Beautiful and dangerous rocks by the sea with huge waves.
Have a nice day holiday, all the best.

Nicou (193814) 2016-10-08 23:27

Hlelo

Avec la bande noir de la plage quelle vue et ces personnages en découpage quel effet et ces rochers pointus quel dessin cela fait superbe image et compo fantastique.
Bravo et amitié
nicou

emka (158936) 2016-10-08 23:34

Ciao Luciano, Interesting picture in black and white that is taken in colour. Nice shapes of the rocks and fine dark silhouettes of the people. Rather difficult to believe that it is one of the most beautiful beaches on Earth. Interesting note.

Warm regrads MAlgo

Silvio1953 (223069) 2016-10-09 0:44

Ciao Luciano, se ti serve la nebbia stamattina ne ho un pacco, Gran bel bianco e nero naturale, magnifico spettacolo arricchito dalla presenza umana, bravo, buona Domenica da Spoleto, che stamattina somiglia all'Islanda, ciao Silvio

papagolf21 (152607) 2016-10-09 0:47

Bonjour, cher Luciano,
Merci de nous faire découvrir ces lieux étranges et impressionnants.
Il semble existe une sorte de beauté tragique à travers cette composition.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Fis2 (172049) 2016-10-09 1:14

Witaj Luciano!
Interesting picture.
Good framing and composition.
Curious place.
The black and white increase this emotion.
Well done.
NIce sunday.
Krzysztof

holmertz (103710) 2016-10-09 1:20

Hello Luciano,
I believe you that you didn't convert this to B&W, but I really can't find any traces of colour in this very dark scenery. The shapes of the rocks are very dramatic and eye-catching and you did well to include a few of your fellow travellers in the foreground.
Kind regards,
Gert

alvaraalto (42868) 2016-10-09 2:28

Hello Luciano
Sometimes creates nature abstract sculpture that could be the creation of a human sculptor or is it just the way around and is the sculptor the one who was inspired by nature.
This marvellous structure is too big and too expensive to make so nature is the artist here.
You found a beautiful black and white scene in the coloured world.
Excellent picture
Have a good sunday.
Groet Rob

CLODO (45118) 2016-10-09 2:41

Bonjour Luciano

Comment prendre le meilleur d'une journée fade! 3 plans et c'est tout: les silhouettes humaines sur la plage de sable noir, l'océan gris avec les iles volcaniques et le ciel brumeux.
Les personnes sont essentielles à la réussite de l'image
CLODO

Tue (93556) 2016-10-09 3:22

Hello Luciano,
Wow, these rock formations look so beautiful and impressive and the B&W works really well here. The silhouettes of the three people in the foreground are also a great inclusion, as they almost seem to mimic the rocks. Excellent capture!
Lars

snunney (130967) 2016-10-09 3:25

Hello Luciano,
I like black and white photos and think it's a pity we don't see more on TE. So, I like this one very much despite your misgivings:-) The composition is very good with the three figures on the shoreline nicely mirroring the rocky stacks. I also like the layered effect. A small note of criticism, I think you could give the image a stronger impact by boosting the contrast. Just a taught.

ourania (51103) 2016-10-09 3:26

Ciao Luciano,
l' impressione di monocromia e' magnifica e l' atmosfera creata dalle tonalita' grigie e dalla narrazione e' suggestiva ed accattivante. Mi piace molto come hai esaltato le forme delle roccie, la tessitura e lo stato del mare e le tre figure umane in una sistemazione interessante. Il risultato che hai ottenuto e' artistico e tiene lo spettatore a lungo. Complimenti e grazie!
Tanti saluti e buona domenica,
Ourania

dkmurphys (79209) 2016-10-09 3:33

Hi Luciano,
That's a spectacular image, I see you had a lot of subjects in your trip. The rocky silhouettes are amazing, well composed scene with the human silhouettes in the front.
Have a good day.

Daniel

tyro (30513) 2016-10-09 3:54

Ciao caro Luciano,

A fascinating note and a wonderful photograph to accompany it. I like how you have explained the legend of the poor wife taken away by evil trolls. And perhaps those horrid trolls were around when you were here because they have stolen all the colour from the scene!

The wild sea with its strong waves stands out brightly against the foreground beach of black basalt and the three figures on the right are beautifully silhouetted against it. And the dull greyness of the distant rocks demonstrates quite how wild and windy this day was.

A bold and striking composition, very well taken despite the weather and a real incentive to all of us - do not put your camera away when the sun's not shining!

Fabulous!

Kind Regards,

John.

jhm (211738) 2016-10-09 6:10

Ciao Luciano,

Almost a black and white picture, with the black silhouettes of the people in foreground.
The big rocks are very nice on the picture.
An excellent presentation.
Very well done.

Have a nice Sunday,
John

ikeharel (114715) 2016-10-09 8:15

Grazie Luciano, for encouraging critique.
Fantastic black and jagged rocks formation, with high waves pounding the shoreline, and silhouettes of people standing along.
Marvelous outcome, notable forces of nature and the "work" done upon those rocks.
Buona serata,
Ike

vasilpro (41801) 2016-10-09 8:47

Hello Luciano,
Wonderful composition with beautiful atmosphere and gray tones, the shadows of these rocks have a harmonious match with the three silhouettes of people, in some cases the colors of black and white are a smart choice, excellent photo work my friend.
Regards, Vasilis

Cricri (176) 2016-10-09 9:43

Ciao Luciano
Intéressante silhouette des rochers avec la mer en colère, les personnes donne l'échelle, belle réalisation en N/B
belle soirée
cricri

s_lush (16602) 2016-10-09 9:46

Hello, Luciano,
It was a right decision to shoot these well-proportioned cliffs at the current conditions of lighting and weather. In this case we feel the typical atmosphere of the place better. Eventually, the black-and-white mode is entitled to being too. A good composition with people in the foreground and magnificent cliffs in the background, and perfect management of faint light. Excellent work made despite the heavy lighting conditions!
Best regards,
Sergiy

cornejo (61504) 2016-10-09 11:06

Ciao Luciano, molto buona immagine di questa bella e interessante la composizione retroilluminato, molto ben catturato in questa bella immagine con una buona nitidezza, la luce, il colore e la qualità. Molto buono e interessante lavoro perfettamente realizzato, le mie congratulazioni mio amico. Grazie per la condivisione di questo bel lavoro.

Buona notte e felice inizio di settimana.
I migliori auguri da sud della Spagna.
Angel.

willperrett (14215) 2016-10-09 13:15

Hello Luciano

Well, unlike you I'm a great lover of monochrome, so this photograph suits me fine! It's a very dramatic landscape, which would have been good on its own, but including the three silhouetted figures has pushed this image onto a higher plane. Nice one!

Regards

Will

Periko (9107) 2016-10-09 13:53

Hi Luciano
En verdad parece una foto en blanco y negro, lo cual confiere interés a la escena, según mi opinión.
Me gusta el rango de tonalidades, así como las siluetas, tanto de las rocas como de las personas.

Saludos
Pedro

PiotrF (56142) 2016-10-09 14:20

Hello Luciano,
Great contrast between people in the foreground and rocks in the background. Amazing picture with great composition. Well seen and captured.
Fine presentation
Regards
Piotr

Royaldevon (86526) 2016-10-09 14:22

Ciao caro Luciano,

On this occasion, you had no choice.
But the b&w is perfect for the time of day and the mood.
The scene does look bleak and wild.
You have done a difficult thing, which is capture a mood!

Thank you for the interesting notes.
It's always good to learn new stories, learn about new places.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

PaulVDV (63546) 2016-10-09 14:25

Hello Luciano,
Wonderful very jagged rock formations that appear from the sea.
The inclusion of the three silhouettes of the visitors is an added value for this picture.
The black beach of Vik for sure looks very black.
Excellently composed.
Best regards, Paul

mcmtanyel (69348) 2016-10-09 22:02

Hello Luciano,
A gloomy day in the shadow of these crown-like rock formations with wave pounding at the shore. I like the silhouettes of those three people defying Mother nature.
Regards,
MT

claudeD (47754) 2016-10-09 22:06

Hello Luciano,
wow! what a wonderful contribution to TE. You have perfectly composed here a N amazing view showing in a fine way this strong dark contrasts of the the sea rocks and people at the beach.Perfect light managment. Excellent informative note.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

JC

rychem (72187) 2016-10-10 8:19

This is a perfect sihouettes photo, the rocks are really impressive, in the fog we can imagine different monster, splendid photo
regards Ryszard

ChrisJ (172440) 2016-10-10 13:57

Bonsoir Luciano,

I like the minimalist color and the minimalist composition. I can only just detect faint traces of blue in the jacket. The rock at left looks like the top of Australia! Tfs.

carlo62 (81265) 2016-10-10 15:04

Ciao Luciano
neanche io sono un amante del b&w, ma in questi casi non è proprio possibile fare diversamente.
Però hai tirato fuori una gran bella foto, hai utilizzato al meglio le persone presenti, senza sarebbe stata tutta un'altra cosa, ovviamente peggiore.
Saluti
Carlo

lucasgalodoido (27698) 2016-10-10 16:57

Olá Luciano,
formações curiosas nessas rochas mesmo, e gostei das opção pelo P&B em conjunto com as silhuetas. Belo trabalho.
Parabéns e Abraço,
Lucas

gervaso (28437) 2016-10-10 18:04

Hello, Luciano!

Very interesting rock formations, with strong and beautiful shape, which makes the image very attractive! The silhouettes of the people in the foreground give life and depth to the composition! Beautiful job!

chrisnet (23062) 2016-10-11 0:16

Hello Luciano,
Cet endroit me semble étrange et impressionnant, j'aime la présence des personnages au premier plan face à la puissance des vagues.
Amicalement
Christian

sacimar (38173) 2016-10-11 7:40

Hello Luciano,

interesting image, I like the atmosphere you captured here, the rocks and the people silhouettes are a good combination, well seen,

Best regards,

Sergio

adramad (73496) 2016-10-11 12:40

Hello Luciano.
A terrible time, it seems that you expect on this beach, but with your good work, you get this spectacular image with the silhouettes of those rocks, on a stormy sea, silhouettes of the three people, give a pretty vital touch, in this image practically in B&W.
Good brightness and sharpness.
Well done. I like.
You have a good day.
Best wishes.
Luis.

macjake (98544) 2016-10-11 13:25

Hi Luciano
well done my friend, this is a great shot. I'll have to keep this photo in mind as its a smart composition. Clever.
the rock stacks are beautifully rustic, and the waters look very rough as well. the people look so tiny.

PS
I just booked a flight to Iceland for Aug 2017!!!!!
Craig

jmdias (116601) 2016-10-12 1:43

luciano

fabulous those basalt pinnacles and I liked the interaction of human silhouettes and the natural monument in this compo so beautiful. TFS.

hugs

jorge

mkamionka (75217) 2016-10-12 3:23

Ciao Luciano,
these are probably not the best conditions , which a beach lover like yourself could possibly wish to have on a beach :) But it didn't stop you from taking a fantastic photograph.
Yes, the sky is terrible and white but the (natural) desaturation cased an interesting effect here. The shape of the rocks is amazing but also the dark silhouettes of people are very attractive to the composition.
Excellent work,
M

aliabazari (23363) 2016-10-12 22:31

Hi dear friend Luciano
Beauty Shot of the beach with cliffs in the background. Exposure well done.

jemaflor (148334) 2016-10-13 23:48

Salut Luciano,
C'est vrai que l'on dirait une présentation en n&b, bon effet de contraste avec la vue de ces impressionnants rochers qui semblent émerger de la mer, très bien les silhouettes humaines, c'est très photogénique.

delpeoples (60342) 2016-10-14 2:47

Caro Luciano

Strepitosa. Bellezza pura e semplice. Mi piace la resa chromatica. Ovviamente non e' bianconero, ma l'ha una qualita' molto somigliante e molto efficace. La gente nel primo piano ha dato una bella prospettiva ed interesse. Complimentoni, che sogno questo paesaggio.

Un abbraccio
Lisa

batalay (41261) 2016-10-17 16:49

Ciao Luciano,

If you had not labeled "Not B&W" in the title I would never have suspected that it, but as I look at the photo on my big screen I can see subtle color highlights in the water. It's a beautiful composition with the silhouettes of the trio.

Warm regards, Luciano,

Bulent

clic (76) 2016-10-18 11:36

Ciao Luciano
Ces formations rocheuses qui ont bravé les tempêtes pendant des siècles ont beaucoup d'âme dramatique et comptez-vous chanceux de cette manifestation théatrale de la mer qui rive l'attention par l'aspect extraordinaire passionnant.
Ciao Robert

mjw364 (1466) 2016-10-19 5:47

Ciao Luciano

It's a shame you don't like black and white too much since this is an absolute cracker of a black and whote shot showing that you know exactly when it works - so you clearly have an understanding of it. This is a great example of using dark to shade to create layers of depth - magnificent!

Have a great week.

Mike

daddo (28748) 2016-10-21 15:00

Ciao Luciano. La spiaggia è nera come l'inchiostro da un polpo! risultato sorprendente. Mi sforzai il mio occhio per vedere qualche traccia di colore, ma non c'è nessuno. forme drammatiche rendono i tre visitatori insignificanti in termini di dimensionima indispensabili per la composizione. Ciao.

serp2000 (47063) 2016-10-24 2:38

Hi, Luciano,
Yep, in every similar case the rocks have their unique legend about some lovers, heroes, good or bad persons etc.
Amazing almost b&w scene, good comparison of these people on the foreground and the rocks on the BG.
Best wishes!
Serghei

dekanski (9431) 2016-11-08 13:47

Hi Luciano,

I really enjoyed your series from Iceland! I do not know which is better! I chose this one! I have not had time to visit the TE, it looks like I missed a lot. Maybe the next day I comment on a few more of your pictures.

Good night!

Saša

ecmel (1782) 2016-11-11 4:55

Hello Luciano,
Impressive image very well captured with your shot.The dark grey tones and silhouettes of people gives your capture so attractive.
Icelanders says "if you don't like the weather, give it 5 minutes"?
Best wishes, Ecmel

ocskaymarci (2832) 2016-11-20 2:28

Hi Luciano,
Great photo from Reynisfjara. I really like your perspective and I think adding people to the right of your frame works very well!
I read that you don't really like B&W. But here as the photo lacks colours, it would have worked better to turn it to B&W and bring some more contrast out of it.
TFS! Cheers,
Marci

iainsp (3298) 2017-01-07 1:46

Greetings Luciano,

A fan of the old lady - so I obviously have to pick another black and white shot to reflect. I was tempted to go for something a little more green-and-white to reflect my own team, Celtic but I am sure you would remind me of our rather uninspiring showings against your boys in the recent past. Wehn you support a team from a small country, it is often the older memories that warm your heart - so I at least have a memory of a glorious 4-3 in 2001. Mind you we had a Henrik Larsson and a number of other special players in those days.

This is not so much a black-and-white as shades of grey, and only shades of grey. I do like the effect that the extremes fo the monochrome spectrum are not really represented. An effective, and well composed work. Thanks, Iain.

npecanhuk (79329) 2017-01-07 1:54

Ciao Luciano!
Impressive rock shapes!
Very interesting and attractive picture!
Special regards to the management of light, black & White and composition!!!!!
TFS - congrats!
Have a great week-end!!!!!
Neyvan

kasianowak (17676) 2017-01-14 5:20

Ciao Luciano
It does look black and white! Almost like a photo covered with volcanic ash. :-)
Great creative effect and I like the composition with silhouetted people at the bottom.
Best wishes
Kasia

Miguel82 (47110) 2020-05-20 14:43

Luciano, these isolated rocks swept by the polar wind and the waves look mysterious. The sea was rough, some visitors' silouhettes can be seen in the fg. Fine colors, good sharpness, interesting photo note, regards.