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Previous photo was of our last evening in Iceland but we are staying there for a little longer with few more photos to come. This is another of my black and white impressions of Iceland and it comes from a lesser known waterfall along Route F347 to Kerlingarfjöll mountains. I believe its name is Gyglarfoss but I am not completely sure. It is just off the road and we noticed it as we were driving one way and stopped on the way back.
What attracted me was the flow of the water. There are actually two streams/rivers here that join together and come out through the canyon you can see in the background. The bigger and deeper stream flows from the left and the smaller but feistier one flows into it from the right. I ventured out as far as I could onto the headland and was pretty much surrounded by flowing water from most sides. For a moment I could not really tell where was the water coming from, it was such a mesmerising effect.
I liked this particular vantage point as it allowed a good look at the cliffs on the other side, as well as the exit point of the stream, which for me completed the composition nicely. I tried some wider views from a little further back but this time the foreground was even less interesting than the seaweed in the previous photo I posted, so I settled close in to the water while still retaining an anchor point in the left bottom corner. Wider view also diminished the presence and flow of the water and this was the central point of my composition.
This was a scene that did not seem to work with longer exposures. The water was ending up completely washed out and I wanted to keep the texture and detail. The foreground stream was flowing very fast and it made the water feel like it was dancing before my eyes. This effect was further strengthened by the spot where the two stream converged and the different flows were almost jostling with each other for the right of way. Shorter exposures below one second were the way to go and I shot many different variants from 0.2 second to 1 second before selecting this one, which provided a good balance of texture and smooth flow.
What I also enjoyed about this place was that it was not a grandiose and well known spot. It was just a small waterfall to the side of the road but the landscape around it still had that rugged highland feel to it that I love so much. The dramatic clouds were a big bonus as well. They completed the composition for me and enhanced the mood further. I went for a dramatic look and feel in my processing but I tried not to overdo the textures and sharpness, especially in the rocky areas as I did not want them to detract from the water. I tend to soften the detail in my photos these days before selectively applying various sharpening techniques to selected areas.
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