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Svartifoss Waterfall in Iceland

Svartifoss Falls

Happy Thanksgiving Day . . . .

Getting in touch with nature and its natural wonders can be a very enlightening and relaxing experience. And there is probably nothing in nature more breathtaking than a waterfall. One such natural wonder is the Svartifoss (can you say it) waterfall, also known as the black fall. The water falls from a height of about 20 meters (60 feet) and is located in a horseshoe shaped gorge filled with dark basalt columns.  Svartifoss waterfall is located in Skaftafell National Park, in the South of Iceland. This waterfall is famous for the dark columns shaped like a hexagon; these basalt columns are what give the fall its name. They were formed from lava that slowly cooled down and crystallized in the process. The bottom of the fall is full of sharp rocks resulting from falling column sections from the back of the fall. The rate that these sections break off is faster than water can wear down the sharp edges that is why the sharp rocks seem to never disappear. The place is also surrounded by blooming wildflowers which gives it a very serene quality.

Look for more Iceland Waterfalls and landscapes as well as a soon to be published gallery on my website.

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Everybody Does Flowers

Tulip Close Up, Holland Michigan

As photographers we are all attracted to flowers.  And, why not?  They are colorful, beautiful and smell good.  Part of the attraction for many shooters I believe is the challenge of doing a close up and then seeing the detail in the images.  As time goes on you’ll see some more flower photos here.  Today though I present a tulip photographed in Holland, Michigan.  Every spring Holland opens up the town for the annual tulip festival.  There are fields of tulips blooming and hundreds of varieties.  This shot was made with a Canon 5dII and a macro lens.  I then took it into my iPhone and messed with it using an app called Picture Show.  I exported it did a bit more work in PhotoShop and here you have it.  Simple and nice.

For some really great images of flowers and nature embodying the human form please visit my friends website Barbara Ventura.  Her work is gorgeous.

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Iceland Glacier Lagoon

Jökulsárlón - Glacier Lagoon, Iceland

Iceland is amazing.  It’s a small country and island with stunning beauty.  It is an island that where the land itself lives and breaths.  There are geo-thermal areas, volcanos, glaciers, waterfalls and overwhelming vistas.  This past summer I was leader for a Phase One PODAS workshop there and returned from the trip a ton of great images.  I’ll be sharing them here as time goes on.  Today’s image was shot at Jökulsárlón a Glacier Lagoon formed when the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier began to recede.  Icebergs calf off of the glacier and float in this lagoon eventually being washed out to sea.  Many of those end up on a black sand beach.  More on that in another post.  This shot just happened in one of those amazing moments.  I love the beam of sunlight and the blue of the icebergs.  Hope you enjoy it too. Photographed with a Phase One P65+ and 150mm lens.

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Pan Head Billy

Pan Head Billy

This photo is one of those photos that just happens.  I was shooting around Artists Palette in Death Valley and there was this guy leaning against his motorcycle admiring the light on the mountain.  I took a shot and the original photo was of his back.  Well, I decided to go up and talk to this guy.  He was a fascinating guy and had been on the road for 17 years.  His nick name was “Pan Head Billy”.  As the light started to diminish and turn golden I asked if he would mind posing.  So he took this pose and I took the shot.  The detail on this image shows all his belongings he carries with him, his ruggedness and confidence.  I put the image in my gallery and one day was messing with it on some of the apps I had and ended up with this.  Hope you enjoy it.