It is shot on a Canon 5D mark II, with 85mm 1.2 – Canon 24-70mm 2.8 and 70-200mm 2.8

The volcanic eruption is still going strong and last week another fissure developed adding to the show. As a result some restrictions have been made at the eruption site, people are no longer allowed to go right up to the crater. There are two ways to hike to the eruption site, one way is from Skógar, a difficult 15km hike that makes for a very long day, the other one is from Þórsmörk, much shorter but the destination is further away from the crater.

I decided, along with half the population of Iceland it seemed, to hike from Þórsmörk and try my luck.The hike is very pretty, the landscape beautiful in a tolkienesque way, even the last hill is called Morinsheidi, a name that you would not be surprised to come across in the Lord of the Rings. Some parts of the hike are pretty thrilling, a short part called Kattahryggir or Catsspine are very narrow with gullies on both sides. In daylight they were fun, in the dark on the way home kind of scary! Hit the more button for the rest of the story, a gallery and a map

I went with my friend Huldar, who is also a photographer, on the way we were warned by everyone we talked to that there was nothing happening up there, only cold, solidified lava and very little activity in the craters. We marched on as we were all ready 1/3 of the way up and that first part was the hardest part anyway. The hike it self is very beautiful and as the twilight hit it became even prettier. When we reached the end of Morinsheidi we saw the eruption site and the solidified lava fall going into Hvannárgil nothing special was going on and the twilight was quickly turning to darkness. As we were cursing our luck we started hearing sounds from the eruption site and more activity from the crater. Before we knew it the lava fall started again, with much rumbling and clouds of steam, in minutes the lava fall was in full action flowing like a red river down into the gully. It was a magnificent sight, something I will never forget as long as I live.

The hike down was unbelievable, the eruption and the lava fall behind us, aurora borealis dancing and the stars very prominent. Hiking down in the dark was surprisingly easy although the many stops to admire our surroundings helped a lot. As luck would have it the aurora borealis never went over the eruption site, which would have made a hell of a photo. We arrived at the car around 1:15am tired but very satisfied after an awesome hike.

My first assignment in Iceland was to photograph a play by the theater group LabLoki, called Ufsagrýlur or Gargoyles. It´s a great play by an Icelandic writer called Sjón and performed at the Hafnarfjarðarleikhúsið.

The poster and program was designed by me and my friends Thorri and Linda at Hringbrot.

Check out the slideshow with images from the preparation to the performance. Gargoyles|Ufsagrýlur

I just updated my portfolio website with some new stuff with a new look, take a look
Just a quick reminder to vote for my video over at Mec.ca – Tashish-Kwois Days in the Lost Valley

www.snorrimedia.com

I have quietly been building myself a portfolio website, the link to it has been here on the right hand side for some time. So those few that come here by often have with out a doubt paid it a visit.
If not then head on over and check it out – if you have thoughts, see some errors, encounter 404′s or anything else, comment or send me a message.

I am officially graduated from the Western Academy of Photography with a Diploma in Journalism and Photojournalism.
I was awarded 4 awards Best Photojournalist, Best Over all Image, Best Black and White Image and Best Stock Image.
I am very grateful for these awards. It was a good year.

Best Photojournalist(series of images
from the Triden Fury Exercise)

Best Black and White Image

Best Stock Image

I handed in my portfolio last week at the Western Academy of Photography. It’s being judged and I will know the outcome next Wednesday. Exciting stuff, as it will be judged by professionals from outside the school. That should gather some fresh views on my work. If you would like to see it then click here. It is a 6 MB pdf file, you have been warned. It is optimized for web so it is small and lo res.

I will graduate next Thursday, can’t wait – I will take 2 weeks off to paddle and relax and then it’s the real world.