Landmannalaugar, the valley - Iceland 1999

The Landmannalaugar area is one of the most amazing places and a popular tourist attractions in the southern highlands of Iceland.

The whole area consists of many geological elements and the very colourful rhyolite mountains and vast lava field surrounding it make this region quite unique.

The volcanic ash and debris covered in beautiful grass, and the moss that covers the land in a green and gold carpet combine together to make some amazing stunning view.

Weather can be quite poor at times but light changes constantly meaning never ending spots of wonderful photo opportunities.

Streams of geothermal and spring water come from under and mix to make streams and pools of just the right temperature for bathing.

The landscape is fairly rough, with many rivers to cross, so four-wheel drive and high-clearance is a must. The region is only accessible in summer and the dates that the roads open vary from year to year.

A mountain lodge, in operation since early 50s, can accommodate many people and has basic amenities. It is located centrally near natural geothermal hot springs, popular with tourists. You can found the spring within walking distance from the lodge and it's surely perfect for a quick dip!

Tech data: Olympus OM-D, M. Zuiko Digital ED 75 mm f/1.8

Sometimes a scene is obvious at our eyes, we can view it and have expectations on how it would look as a photograph. 

Other times it takes more time searching and discovery to find the right spot, the perfect place to point our camera and create.

This scene, definitely didn’t stand out at me at the very beginning. I walked around and made photographs of a wider scene and in the end this crop struck my eye. Once I saw it, I knew I had to fix it as a photograph.

Tech data: Olympus OM-D - Olympus Zuiko ED 14-150 mm f/4-5.6
Location: Innsbruck - Austria

Sometimes it might happen that you return to the same place more than once, as it might happen that you always come from a different direction.

Other times you can find the same place new at your eyes, changed, perhaps under a thick blanket of snow you can barely recognize it.

More or less that's what happened over past weekend, I find myself in front of a snowy Innsbruck, with this row of colorful houses along the river Inn, and do not remember to have never been there ... at least maybe I just had some kind of different eyes ...

Each of us is different, unique. Our culture, society and experience makes us unique. 

So in our photography, we return a unique view of the world.
Our message, however, is not always clear, clean, direct.

Some technical choices may be required: a long time to emphasize the peace and quiet, black and white to emphasize the structures from the point of view of composition but nothing is better than eliminate all that is superfluous.
 

Eliminate unnecessary to keep our observer focused on our message is crucial. So simplify as much as possible, few elements convey the most of our message.

"Less is more" is the new photo of the month on my website. Enjoy!