On a rare windless late-night drive along one of the fjords in Iceland’s Westfjords, moody cloud cover and near-perfect reflections were great ingredients for a monochromatic landscape vista. Made with Lecia M11 using Leica 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M. ISO 800. Shutter speed 1/90th of a second. Aperture f/4.8.
August 2, 2022. San Francisco.
This photo was featured on Leica Camera’s social media feeds on August 1, 2022
Given my eyesight, I have struggled to use Leica’s rangefinder cameras. I love the M-Monochrom series of cameras, and I love the colors that come out of the old M9 camera. But they are more collector’s items than my everyday cameras. For me, the SL bodies with their astonishingly good viewfinders make them ideal devices, especially for using the M-lenses and other vintage lenses.
Despite my reticence, I decided to try out Leica’s latest flagship rangefinder — the61 megapixel M11 model. With this camera, Leica has streamlined its entire range of cameras around a singular interface — three buttons layout, the menu layouts, and the features on SL and M-bodies mimic each other. The M11 can be used with a new version of Leica’s viewfinder, a boon for someone like me who struggles with the rangefinder.
I don’t quite have a full opinion on the new camera, but I wanted to share these two photos made in Iceland. I was visiting the country to speak at Startup Iceland. The first image (on the left) is right out of the camera, with no edits. The image on the right is my B&W conversion. I used my trusted Leica APO-Summicron-M 50 f/2 ASPH lens. Both images were captured using the following settings: Aperture: f2, ISO 100, and exposure time of 1/250th of a second.
The bigger sensor and the new color science make this one of the more exciting M-cameras since the M9. So far, the camera has impressed me — and perhaps that’s why I am excited for the next version of the SL camera.
July 21, 2022. San Francisco
I have been to Iceland many times and each time, I am a different photographer, and find myself making images that are different. Over the past five years, if my idea of what I want in a photograph has evolved, so has my post-processing technique. In 2016, I went to Iceland with two Leica cameras … Continue reading Iceland in Monochrome
You weekly moment of zen from the land that is most magical, Iceland made with FujiFilm XPro2. I edited it this morning with Lightroom, because I woke up too early and couldn’t go back to sleep. I didn’t feel like writing and it was too early to work out! Enjoy!
One of the best parts of this trip to Iceland was that I spent an inordinate amount of time doing long exposures, both on my Fuji xPro2 and Leica M-Monochrome. I used the Lee Filters on Fuji and B&W ND filters of various types on my Leica. The results were quite different on each.
The lake in the north of the country was about a mile and a half from where I was staying and as a result was a popular spot for me to try and make some long exposures. This was made with Fuji xPro2 and their 16mm lens. 11 seconds exposure at f16 with ISO 200. (Above)
Mother & baby seal — this iceberg reminded me of them so named my #5 in the long exposure series just that. It was quite fun to make this photo as this place was packed with tourists and really rude photographers who just kept entering the shot and ruining my various attempts. I normally don’t lose my shit, but I was close! So many attempts meant I ran out of my two batteries. Still I think all of the agony was worth it! (Above)
There are times when the whole thing feels upside down! (Above)
This is just a photo I love because it makes me feel so tranquil. Settings were f4/50mm-equivalent and exposed for about 40 seconds using a 3-stop ND filter! (Above)
Same lake, different point of view about an hour later. More light in the sky, less pink and more blue. (Above)
Another lake, early in the morning and sun peaked out for barely an hour. This is a 39 second exposure, ISO 200 at f11.(Above)
All photos made with Fuji xPro2 and a variety of lenses, including my go to lens, Fuji f2/35 WR lens. I used Lee Filters.
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All photos made with iPhone7Plus. Slight edits using VSCO.
“Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Seein’ things that I may never see again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
On the road again!” — Willie Nelson, On The Road Again!
As someone who doesn’t drive, I love driving across vast open landscapes, through mountain passes, quiet valleys, along the sea, watching the world change. And no place is as fascinating as Iceland, where every mile brings a new adventure and a new show of nature’s immense power and magic. As Lewis Carroll said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
On a recent trip to Iceland (my second), I went around the ring road, took some country road detours and drove on dirt tracks. Each one was magical and fantastic. Some reminded me of what Jerry Seinfeld once said, “sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.” These are some of the photos I made with my iPhone7Plus. Each photo is just a snapshot of the beauty and magic of Iceland, a country I absolutely adore and can’t stop thinking about.
