Iceland Desolation

Basil, this certainly is desolate, but also is starkly beautiful.  Good depiction of the feelings you describe.  I wonder if a more prominent foreground element would have been available for increased interest?

Thanks, Jim. There were no nice foreground objects nearby. I could have tried to lover my viewpoint to get those moss-covered pebbles bigger in the frame, but at the sime time I felt that this was a more authentic representation of this landscape and the impact it had on me. That's also why I centered the horizon, which is otherwise not very fashionable.  Not how well it works, though.

This works for me, even if there is no real eye catching foreground. I think you made the right choice of not going to close to the rocks and moss, that would not have captured the mood you wanted to capture as effectively. The vignetting is a bit strong for my taste, but I am a vignettophobic....

Basil, You certainly captured that desolate look and feel in this image and I think you did an excellent job of doing just that. The comp works well and the sky adds even more to the mood. Looks like excellent details in the larger version which I quite enjoyed viewing.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Basil, yo're right.  This kind of lighting and heavy skies dominated most of my time in Iceland as well, with some driving rain and wind to accent the grey skies.  The bright skies and sun are only a fraction of the time, but with 23 hors of daylight at least he chances of sun increase.  The image definately give s the expansive, treeless feel to the place.

Your image certainly gives the viewer a sense of the Icelandic environment, one that is actually rarely presented. While this is nice as presented, I wonder if a comp without the dark mass on the right might have been more evocative of your experience at that moment. I do like the two subtle leading lines that draw the view into the frame.