New Life

For those that may be tuning in for the first time, I am Joe shutter: a blogger, photographer and photo guide based in Reykjavik, Iceland. I always go the extra mile to get the shots and get off the beaten track to my special off the map spots.  If you are interested in a photo workshop/tutorial whilst in Iceland, get in touch!

Ice cream comes as standard in all photo tours. 

---

This is a non-standard post for me. This isn't about anywhere I went or all of the little details. It is a celebration of a specific time in Iceland: time for life.

Iceland is a barren, desolate land. As I spend a week in the UK wondering around in the Welsh countryside, it becomes apparent just how barren Iceland really is as opposed to the fertile lands in the UK.

This is a time in Iceland when the desolation is suspended, and life flourishes: the grass greens and new life is born. This post celebrates the eruption of life.

Apart from my many encounters of lambs along the way on the road, the latter part of the gallery in this post depicts a wonderful morning I spent with a foal. I laid on the ground and grabbed some shots over a one hour period in the early morning sun.  It was a moaning I will never forget.

Photography by Joe Shutter,

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter

The Glow: 2/2

For those that may be tuning in for the first time, I am Joe shutter: a blogger, photographer and photo guide based in Reykjavik, Iceland. I always go the extra mile to get the shots and get off the beaten track to my special off the map spots.  If you are interested in a photo workshop/tutorial whilst in Iceland, get in touch!

Ice cream comes as standard in all photo tours. 

---

This is the second half of my "glow series of posts, two in total. They were shots on the some day, about six hours apart from another. 

It was a light of majesterial quality and duration. It never got dark. The. "midnight sun" in all its glory

Often used as a marketing ploy by Icelandic companies, people get a little bit confused about the midnight sun in Iceland.  The sun does always set; that is to say, go below the horizon. Always. Except for five minutes on June 21st where it is visible as the "midnight sun".

My definition of the midnight is not "soft daylight all night from the sun which is just below the horizon" my definition is "sun shining continuously all night", and this is only possible within the arctic circle, below which Iceland sits by about 1.5 degrees north.

Technicalties aside, it is a site to behold indeed. There are also very few of these nights due to bad weather, the curse that comes with the blessing. Although it has to be said we have had a marvellous summer in Reykjavik this year.

Here are the shots from one such an evening.

Photography bf Joe Shutter

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter

Off the Map

For those that may be tuning in for the first time, I am Joe shutter: a blogger, photographer and photo guide based in Reykjavik, Iceland. I always go the extra mile to get the shots and get off the beaten track to my special off the map spots. Ice cream comes as standard in all tours.

---

There is nothing I love more in Iceland than a special, little-known spot. As so many of the well-known begin to feel like "theme park Iceland", it is nice to be reminded/to discover that some things are still sacred. So it was that Icelandic_explorer and I set off to spend some quality time with a beautiful falls on the south coast. The weather was great which helped so much: its a magical thing when light and water meet. Earthly delights.

We explored, we danced, we rejoiced, we even had lunch! For one shot, I even had to take my shoes off and and cross the fast-flawing (but shallow) stream. The legs cramp immediately, and as long as you are safe, the ends justify the means.

On the way down, we also met some horses (they always like company) and found some old turf houses. Its amazing to think that for centuries, Icelanders lived in these very basic settlements, struggling against the elements all day, every day. Its amazing to consider how much easier life in this country is now today in relation to in the past. The houses are a humbling reminder.

We also found some lambs. cuteness overload. When they nurse from their mother, the tails wag really fast. I stopped the camera down about as far as it would go to get the shutter speed down to capture the motion blur. Worked out nicely.

Photography by Joe Shutter and  Icelandic_explorer 

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter

Horizons

For those that may be tuning in for the first time, I am Joe shutter: a blogger and photographer based in Iceland. I pass on what I learn out here through my tailor-made photo workshops and tutorials: I always go the extra ten miles (or ten hours) to get the shots and get off the beaten track to me secret locations.  

If you are interested in a photo workshop/tutorial whilst in Iceland, get in touch through my email ( joeshutter101@gmail.com ) or through my Instagram handle @joe_shutter . 

---

Today was a strange day, and the world woke up up to news that the UK will initiate the process of withdrawing from the European Union, to be finalised within a two-year time period. It remains to be seen how this will effect (if at all) the European Economic Area, which could affect my ability to stay in Iceland as a UK citizen. As I said, it remains to be seen, so I will be watching the developments of events with baited breath. 

Meanwhile, I soldier on doing what I do best, taking pictures and telling stories through them. 

On this glorious summers day, I set off with Icelandic_explorer to explore some spots around the outskirts of Reykjavik. You only have to go 10-15 minutes out of town to get some beautiful (and interesting) spots. The first part of our evening was spent exploring the geodesic domes around a geothermal power station, then we moved on to the Red Hills, taking turns with "little people" shots and playing with perspectives.

Photography by Joe Shutter and Gunnar Freyr

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter

Modular Juice

For those that may be tuning in for the first time, I am Joe shutter: a blogger and photographer based in Iceland. 

I pass on what I learn out here through my  tailor-made photo workshops and tutorials. They can be as long or as short as my clients need them to be, and I always go the extra ten miles (or ten hours) to get the shots and get off the beaten track wherever possible.  

If you are interested in a photo workshop/tutorial in Iceland, get in touch  through my email ( joeshutter101@gmail.com ) or through my Instagram handle

---

This is a short post about an afternoon that I sent with the brilliant blogger behind Modular Juice, Instagram @cs.teed.  Easily one of the most interesting bloggers I have ever met, she takes tastefully nude pictures of herself in abandoned buildings wearing a bunny mask. She was kind enough to lend me a picture from her unique situational portrait series as wall as take all of the pictures of me on our our afternoon together. Thank you, Bunny! Her bio:

Making her way into abandoned factories, ruins and forgotten towns, Bunny's character gracefully explores the human body's resilience with the vulnerbility of the uninhabited and sometimes destroyed locations, documenting the encounter between fear and fascinination

On this day she opted for more natural settings, and we went out for the afternoon to explore Thingvellir and the fissures around the lake and the tectonic plates.

A word about the plates: many people are misinformed about them. Many believe that they can walk from "Europe" to "America" and this is the standard plug the tourism industry puts on it. However, in order to truly do this ( cross from one plate to another ) it would  require a hike of somewhere between 8-10KM. 

Thats the take away. Anyway, here are the shots.

Photoglaphy by Joe Shutter and Modular Juice

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter