Above Bolungarvik, a photo from Isafjordhur, Vesturdir

Photographer's Note

An oldish scan. Bolungarvik from the top of a mountain with a NATO radar base on top. There is a road up the mountain, to get this view I walked for about an hour over jagged boot-shredding sharp rocks to get a better view down to the village, and still did not get a full enough of a view I wanted. It was getting close to sunset, and was dark by the time I found my way back to the car. I got the idea of posting this today from TE member leiju who also posted from that rarely visited place. It seemed to be a restricted military area, which normally does not stop me from entering (unless there is a gate), and I have never been fined or jailed because of it (I haven't tried to do it in Russia yet!!) This is almost at the northwestern end of Iceland, a real "end of the road" until Greenland. I cropped the left part of the original to eliminate my shadow, the scenery continues to the right, but I could not stitch the 2 photos.

About Bolungarvik (Wikipedia):
Bolungarvík is a village in the North-West of Iceland, located at the Vestfirðir peninsula, approximately 13 kilometers from the village of Ísafjörður and 473 km from the capital city Reykjavík. It has (2004) 957 inhabitants.

It is one of Iceland's oldest fishing outposts, well positioned close to abundant fishing grounds. The quiet countryside attracts some tourists, mainly in summer. There is a camping site, an indoor swimming pool, a museum for natural history and an open air fishing museum. The surroundings of Bolungarvík are quite popular destinations for hiking, horse riding and birdwatching. The village has apartments for rent and all basic facilities, such as a convenience store, a bank, a post office and a health-care center.

Bolungarvik was the shooting location for Nói Albínói, a movie by Dagur Kári about a teenager living in a remote Icelandic village.

lilimih33, spacewil, polongi, singuanti, PJE, ribeiroantonio, jjcordier, cbrman, SamB, ChrisJ, leiju, Philippe, mikelens, VeeJayCee, ALIRIZA, Xalkida, john_c, stego, Angelillo, John_F_Kennedy, laxpix, gilou530, ahmet54, pboehringer, nels, Emiel_Skyfreak, Longroute heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

lilimih33 (9918) 2006-12-20 20:00

Hello Tan! Great picture with a nice colours and sharpness! Fantastic perspective and light! Very well done!
Merry Christmas!
Lili

spacewil (936) 2006-12-20 20:06

Hello Tan,
what a sharpness ! Iceland seems just fantastic...
Thanks for sharing
Guillaume

singuanti (15250) 2006-12-20 22:03

Hi Tan. I would say this one was worth the possible jailtime, lol! This is a nice glimpse of the otherworldly landscape that is Iceland. I might have stepped back a foot or two to get more of the foreground. Very nice one Tan.

thebecky (688) 2006-12-20 22:09

Wonderful scenery with great light and clarity ... I can almost feel the cold crisp air!

Cormac (26565) 2006-12-20 22:09

Wow - this one really jumps out at the viewer with great saturated colour and contrast that makes this seem incredibly sharp. The flat top of the mountain is quite startling to see and gives an unusual look to this. Well done!

PJE (20758) 2006-12-20 23:13

Well Tan I don't think there is anyone on TE that has travelled the globe like you have. I am always amazed how many countries you have posted photos from. And this viewpoint is nothing short of amazing. Thanks for sharing!

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2006-12-21 0:06

Very nice photo even if the shadows look very dark. The composition is great and the diagonal colour separation, green and brown is really very good. Amazing is the sea colour near the town. Well done.
Antonio

jjcordier (79299) 2006-12-21 1:30

Les lumières d'Islande sont vraiment fantastiques et la nature nous y offre des paysages extraordinaires. Suerbe image, Tan!
Amicalement
JJ

cbrman (21685) 2006-12-21 1:36

Hello Tan,

Les couleurs sont tout à fait saissisantes ! Tu les as parfaitement saturées ! Le point de vue est très bien choisi et cette vue plongeante donne une très bonne impression sur ce fantastique paysage !
Bravo !

A+

Dominique

SamB (1948) 2006-12-21 2:17

Hello, Tan--
Nice work on this one, once more the high perspective proves refreshing. i like the way you framed the village with the foreground and background mountains/hills, giving it the feeling of a place of refuge against the surrounding sea. i also like how the colors fade from warm on the left to cool on the right, feeding the concept of refuge.
Thanks!
sam

Leonie (8809) 2006-12-21 3:21

Hi Tan, well the oldish scan renders kinda better than my new digitals... ;o) What a spectacular environment and beautiful colours! Great stuff...

Cheers Léonie

craiggc (2509) 2006-12-21 4:13

Stunning image Tan. I love the sheer scale of the scene. So much detail and nicely included foreground completing the composition.
Craig

partha (14023) 2006-12-21 4:22

Hi Tan,
A great 3D view. Excellent use of lighting condition and great composition.
Well done.
Regards.
Partha

vincz (19113) 2006-12-21 5:11

Excellent picture with great textures. The POV was very good and your were able to make a great composition from there. Congratulations.

dkeus31 (27739) 2006-12-21 6:53

Hello Tan,
Nice colored hills giving a good color contrast with the sky.
Nice light and POV.
Regards
Didier

leiju (1697) 2006-12-21 8:34

It seemed to be a restricted military area, which normally does not stop me from entering (unless there is a gate), and I have never been fined or jailed because of it (I haven't tried to do it in Russia yet!!)
Ha! Same here! Except I do happen to trespass beyond gates as well, as long as there are no spikes or any other crazy killing things; I know I'm terrible ;D But then again, I've always done it in "peaceful" countries...

Excellent view... looks familiar ;D

Thanks for this post!
Amazing to think that we missed each other by just two years ;D As you probably noticed I was there also in July :D

Perhaps I should post a view from this place that was taken looking down the other side... the only problem with it is that in the max. 800 pixel view the waves down below (which were huge) don't even appear and so the distances aren't really transmitted as well as they should...
Oh! I miss Iceland!
And oh, how in the world have you managed to visit so many countries? How does one get your kind of job? ;D

As for the picture, it is an excellent view, the city giving just the right kind of perspective and the wide open space seeming indefinite! It is an excellent shot! Congrats!

Did you go down the valley further away from Bolungarvik? There is a really neat beach down that road. And the hills are more than impressive there (like everywhere? ;D).

Excellent shot! TFS!
Julia

Gerrit (62042) 2006-12-21 10:11

Hi Tan.
fine coloured view. Amazing straight lines in the table mountain and the village.
Regards, Gerrit

carper (96) 2006-12-21 13:10

very nice view Tan.
You have visit a lot countries in the world. Very nice pov, good quality and very nice to look at, well done, have a good time.
gr. jaap

VeeJayCee (2410) 2006-12-21 14:34

Hi Tan. Excellent contrast and colours and for a scan very sharp too. Very nice composition and that flat-topped mountain is very eyecatching.

ALIRIZA (16423) 2006-12-21 15:19

Merhaba Tan,
Manzaraysa "capthaddock"...
Fotoğraflarına hayranım ve çoğu kez arkadaşlarımla da paylaşmaktan büyük bir keyif alıyorum. Tek kelimeyle "MUHTEŞEM"
Selamlar...
Ali Rıza

Xalkida (11744) 2006-12-21 17:03

Hi Tan

Wow! What a fantastic photo from a very unique and also fantastic place! Excellent exposure, great sharpness, colors and lighting. Wonderful work.

stego (24132) 2006-12-21 23:01

Hi Tan,
Great as usual in you. I wouldn't suspect that is a scan, as the colors and sharpness are gorgeous.
The place is really stunning, but that wouldn't be enough to produce such an appealing photo without your compo and lighting skills.
Congratulations.
TFS, Regards, Jose

Ann75 (0) 2006-12-22 0:41

Hello Tan,

What a beautiful shot with such intens colours. I love the view and indeed it's something really unusual and a place that's not very much photographed! Excellent light, beautiful details and great colours. Great work, Tan!

Greetings,
Ann

tcht (7565) 2006-12-22 2:09

Hi Tan
Very nice view from above, definitely worth going up the 'restricted zone'! The depth is great and is interesting to see how the mountains are 'guarding' side by side the entrance to the tiny town from the sea.
Hv a nice day,
CheukHin

Angelillo (9374) 2006-12-22 2:48

Hi Tan,

Very nice place, even more interesting after reading your note. Sometimes it's needed to risk a bit for reach something interesting. I like here the compo, and mainly the mountains in background, leaving this big plan space down. Very beautiful!

Angel.

ChrisJ (171888) 2006-12-22 3:30

Hi Tan

A wonderful high vantage point, with superb color, saturation, sharpness, contrast & lighting. Looks like they could indulge in an aggressive tree planting reforestation here? Merry Xmas!

Philippe (11836) 2006-12-22 3:57

Hi, Tan. I like the contrast between the reddish slopes of the foreground and the green slopes and plain opposite. The dark blue water left and right show the very special topography of the place. The flat top opposite is also remarkable. Very good light.

PixelTerror (0) 2006-12-22 4:19

Hi Tan,
Again here the typical captain's view including the PoV that kills, the miraculous light and a superb depth to enjoy the scene and provide the feeling of being here, love it !
I wish you Merry Christmas and a good move into 2007,
Jean-yves

jafadabret (56501) 2006-12-22 4:53

Ce paysage a une beauté à couper le souffle, Tan !
J'aime la simplicité des formes et la présence de deux mondes qui se rencontrent. La photo est très bien réalisée pour rendre la beauté des formes et des couleurs.
Jacques

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2006-12-22 5:22

I like the green vegetation around the fields in the background. The colours of the little plants in the foregound are stunning. A great panorama.
Achim

john_c (24666) 2006-12-22 11:20

Hi Tan,
The fine evening lighting casts a serene ambience over the scene and you have caught enough of the village to enhance and gain perspective. There is good depth here. And no, I don't recommend that you try trespassing on a Russian military base...Well done.
John

gilou530 (34) 2006-12-22 14:25

salut tan
un paysage vraiment magnifique bien éclairé et qui donne de sacré couleur, vue plongeante sur cette baie, grandiose, bravo
amitiés
gilbert

ahmetgedikli (25609) 2006-12-22 16:57

Dikkat çekici bir manzara; Işık harika, renkler harika, netlik harika... sürüp gidiyor işte..
Selamlar, saygılar.
Ahmet

anesugur (18789) 2006-12-23 14:04

Merhaba Tan,
Yaz ayı olmasına rağmen bizim buraların güneşli bir kış günü, havası var.
Güzel bir manzara.
Selamlar. Uğur

pady (4800) 2006-12-24 11:01

Hi Tan
Impressive view from this mountain. This place is totally incredibel and I like it. I would like to visit Iceland one day...
Very well composed.
I wish you all the best
Pierre-André

sebinho342 (19329) 2007-01-03 11:54

Just staying on my chair you make me travel, this is the aim of TE (for me) and you are the one (still for me) that succeed the best
Wonderful iceland
(no comment on the POV)

guillaumejm (0) 2007-01-04 18:45

Hello tan,
What a superbe scan!. Colours are really vivd and contrasted. Sharpness is so great.
Best regards
JMarc

Manamo (3710) 2007-01-15 9:57

Hello Tan,
another good success. The shape and the color of the mountain works very well! I found the shape of the mountain very strange with its top so right...like a table. REading your notem should I understand that this shape is not natural? Anyways, it is erally beautiful!! Tha shadows in the foreground work out well for me too...they show that it was the end of the day(was it?). The light is so perfect that the colors are almost alive!! This country looks awesome!!!
All the best!
Marc

pboehringer (770) 2007-01-21 13:20

Hi Tan, this shot really gives the impression to be lost somewhere at the end of the road or world. The POV and colors are very typically yours although the sky is rather pale. The sun liht seems to be razor sharp here cutting shadows in to the landscape precisely as a surgical blade.
TFS, Peter

nels (2623) 2007-02-28 9:30

hi tan,, the walk was well worth it you have captured a beautiful landscape the views and colours are quite stunning
adrian

banyanman (7797) 2007-04-21 13:09

What incredibly rugged and beautiful scenery, Tan, which you have captured in exceptionally good light. Excellent detail, which I suppose is a combination of the clean air and your good scanning :) The Superia film has brought out the greens in this nicely. Cheers . . . David

Emiel_Skyfreak (3002) 2007-09-02 19:11

Hi Tan,

Great work from a nice high altitude. The light is top..as well as the greens below. Strong contrast as can be seen by the dark shadows..fine exposure and full of details. Top view point! Glad you entered this area and captured it. Sad you couldn't get the photo's stitched..cause I believe the scenery that would be on the right..well what is in there now, on the right side, at seaside..looks very promising! Fine colours, lovely work. Thanks for digging it up and sharing it.

Longroute (19600) 2008-03-01 1:28 [Comment]

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alexxiou (72) 2008-03-02 4:21

J'aime beaucoup cette photo. le relief est très bien rendu, les couleurs sont magnifiques. Je vais passer un an en Islande et ce genre de photo me permet de me dire que je fais le bon choix.
Merci.
Alexia

bartolomucci (756) 2008-07-08 7:41

IDEM OTTIMO
CARLO