hpd-fotografy

The Sea Stacks of Vík í Mýrdal 

Vík í Mýrdal... that sounds like a location out of a fantasy novel. But it's real, in South Iceland. It wasn't easy photographing the famous sea stacks in this bad weather. Rain and sea spray made everything cold and wet, spoiling many of the shots with all the droplets on the lens, creeping into the camera, threatening to short-circuit the electronics. But if you want that wild water and dramatic sky, you need exactly that! There's a saying that the best landscape images are shot in the worst weather.

The Giant Pebbles of Uttakleiv 

Ice cold water crashing over the famous round stones at Uttakleiv beach. I was hoping for a sunset shot. Instead I got really bad weather. But that's just as well for me since that usually results in even stronger images. And bad weather or not - I just had to climb over those slippery round stones to get close to the action. Don't try that yourself, it really is as dangerous as it looks on the picture...

Senja Aurora Reflection Frenzy 

We came to Senja in Northern Norway in late November to shoot the Aurora. We came for one week but really had only one good Aurora night. But we were all set and ready that night shooting Dragon's Teeth Rock with those puddles in the foreground doubling the Aurora with marvelous reflections.

Red, Wet and Golden Sand 

Sunrise and low tide at Koh Yao Noi, South Thailand.

Arctic Splash 

Catching the wave action at one of the lesser known beaches on Lofoten islands during the arctic winter. That was done using the 12 mm wide-angle Voigtlander Leica-M-mount lens mounted onto my Sony A72 with an adapter. 12 mm is REALLY wide. So you gotta get REALLY close (and wet). I don't know why I keep risking my gear (and probably my life) for shots like this. Must be some kind of addiction...

Nature is a Painter 

At the coast of Senja in Northern Norway with the famous Dragon's Teeth mountains in the background. Algae and moss growing in the constant sea spray paint amazing colors on the (extremely slippery!) rocks.

Arctic Romance 

How romantic can a single beach be? This lonely Lofoten beach in the pink light of arctic winter set a new benchmark for me.

Rock 'n Roll Aurora 

We were already on the way back from an one of the Northern Lofoten beaches with not much luck during the night yet... and suddenly the Aurora lit up like crazy over Torsfjorden! One of the wildest displays I have ever witnessed. It was so bright, I didn't need high ISOs. I even dared to try a vertical panorama since I not only wanted the sky and the mountains but also the reflections in the water right down to the seaweed at my feet. So here is the result: Full Aurora Panorama, seaweed included ;-)

Pastel-Colored Stones 

While not as dramatic as the sunsets in Thailand on some other days, I liked the soft colors during this hazy evening.

Winter in Mordor 

They didn't have winter in Mordor, the land of Sauron in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. But if they'd had snow instead of lava, it might have looked a bit like this rugged landscape in Northern Norway.

Taking It All In 

A lone photographer trying to take it all in on one of Lofotens famous beaches. That's how it feels like to be a photographer on Lofoten Islands. Or it least it CAN feel like that... IF your are lucky with the weather.

Nature's Fireworks 

All around the globe people are celebrating the advent of a new year with fireworks. But well... man made stuff simply cannot compete with nature. So here you see fireworks on a whole different level: one of the wildest Aurora nights I ever had the pleasure to witness. 

Storm On The Beach 

After a heavy snow storm which raged for a night and half a day, I waited (barely) long enough for the roads to be (sort of) negotiable again and headed out to the beaches. The sky broke up, the sun was low and the wind was still storm-like, blowing the snow and the waves back into the sea. I positioned myself to shelter the camera from the wind with my body and shot this rough but beautiful arctic scene.

Poor Man's Lighthouse 

Impressions from a in-Winter-very-hard-to-get-to part of the Lofoten coastline. Looks like somebody put up a large pile of brightly painted orange wood-planks. Probably so he can find his way to his summer house when he comes in summer. Did you even spot it? Sure, the roaring sea and the setting sun are interesting enough. But that 'little' orange spot gives the image a special twist, I think.

Splash! 

I tried some new techniques here, combining HDR exposure series with high speed frames.  

Lofoten Aurora Special 

Many nights on my last trip to Lofoten I stayed awake waiting for the Northern Lights. Sometimes I was rewarded for my efforts. Like this time at one of the lesser known northern beaches. Not only did the Aurora show her famous green stripes but also a faint pink haze as you can see on the right. In addition, the clouds were illuminated in yellow and orange by the city lights of far away Leknes. For some that is light pollution. Not for me, I consider the illuminated clouds an important element of the composition. Everything together made the sky light up in an almost otherworldly display of colors.

Storm on the Cliff 

We went to that Cliff in Iceland to finally see some puffins. But... again no luck. The puffins were all gone fishing (quite literally). And we were left with only rain and storm - the perfect weather for some moody seascapes. 

Built and Forgotten 

Just trying to find some beauty in this ... thing... which they started to build, never finished, and left it to rot and spoil an otherwise quite beautiful sunset spot. Nobody seems to care. Sadly, you can find things like that everywhere in Thailand. Aesthetics obviously isn't on anyone's priority in this country.

The Photographer and the Mountain 

Trying to capture the immensity of that famous mountains on Stokksnes beach - you can even get a glimpse of Bat-Mountain in the background on the right. The weather was pretty bad. But hey - you gotta love to shoot in the wind and rain if you come to Iceland! However, soon after this the conditions have gotten so bad that one couldn't even see the mountains anymore. Nothing left to do but head back to the hotel.

Stormy Sunset 

Sometimes, so-called 'bad' weather results in the most interesting images.

Drama in the Sky 

Koh Chang in the rainy seasons means plenty of rain. Tons and tons of it. But when the sun comes out for a few minutes, the clouds and the light can be fantastic. Until the next rain comes. You can see it already approaching from the sea… only 10 more minutes and it will be raining again!

Anticipation 

Clear night skies are quite rare at Lofoten Islands in winter. I make it a habit to ALWAYS got out and wait for the Aurora whenever the sky is (almost) clear. A very faint green glow is already perceptible (at least to the sensor of the camera - if not for the human eye) promising more to come and big rewards for the patient.