Iceland Round 2

I really wanted to get someone from Iceland on the project, as it is, in my opinion one of the most scenic and beautiful places in the entire world.  I follow two photographers form Iceland on my Flickr, so I contacted them both, expecting to increase my chances of securing at least one of them for the project.  Both contacts accepted the invite.  So Tony Prower did his time with the glass and then met up in Reykjavík with the next photographer Lárus Sigurðarson and made a manual, postal service free handover.

Here is a recent image created by Lárus



and a few words from the man himself.

My name is Lárus Sigurðarson, but I usually go by "Lalli Sig".  I am full time professional freelance photographer living in Iceland.  I mostly photograph people, both for advertisements and fashion but also for private parties, like weddings and traditional portraiture.  I am 35 years old and was quite late to getting into photography, I didn´t even own a camera until I was 22 years old, and got my first DSLR in 2003.  I am what you could call a "digital photographer", film has never really interested me, I tried it for a short period but it wasn´t my style.  I have been working full time as a photographer since 2006, and now I am mostly interested in photographing people, but I occasionally photograph landscape and other subjects just to "mix it up" a little bit.  I both shoot in the studio and outdoors and love getting out in the Icelandic nature, making the most of living here in this exotic landscape.

Tony Prower

Tony had the lens for a little while.  We were hoping for an Aurora image for the book, but the weather did not cooperate.  We are not far into the project, but already most people have ended up taking an image that is entirely different to the idea that they had.  Not in a bad way!  the images I have filed are all lush.  Tony took the lens with him on a few tours, I assume in a 4x4 filled with tourists.  I hope you enjoyed your time with it Tony, thanks for participating.

Tony with the lens in an Icy spot in Jokulsarlon, Iceland.  Check out the black volcanic sands, contrasting with the white snow.  What an incredible place to live.

I talk about visiting Iceland all the time.  I think maybe I need to stop talking about it and actually go.  Seeing Tony's images, before, during and after the projcet only made me want to visit more.  I doubt I would be sporting a t-shirt if I did visit, but maybe I'll invest in one of Tony's 4x4 tours at some point in the near future.

UAE to Iceland

Next up is Tony Prower in Iceland.  We had a bit of a struggle getting the lens to him as Icelandic customs decided to keep hold of the lens for a while pending further research.  A DHL receipt from Yousef and this blog hopefully helped out, but Tony now has the lens safe at his home.  He also tells me he managed to get a DHL worker to pose for a photo and sign a release (go Tony) so maybe we can get that on the blog soon too.

Tony is an Englishman currently living in Reykjavic, offering tourists the opportunity to go on guided tours with him in his posh jeep to photograph incredible landscapes.  I've watched Tony's Flickr stream for a while as Iceland is high on my hitlist of places to visit soon.  There are so many stunning scenes in Tony's stream.  Hopefully Tony will be able to capture the Aurora through the 50mm lens.  I'm starting to get a little jealous of this lens now, it's seen more cool things than me!

Here is a recent Aurora photograph by Tony from his Flickr stream (thanks for sharing)


Also a little more information on Tony in his own words.

 Hello, I am Tony Prower. I have been living and working in Reykjavik, Iceland for the last 7 years. It was the stunning colours and diverse nature of Iceland which revived my love of photography and the evolution of the Digital SLR which drove my enthusiasm even further. Photography is a journey of discovery I have been published world-wide in books and photography magazines. I have been a teacher for the last 9 years. I am passionate about landscape photography especially night and aurora landscapes. I am passionate about Iceland’s incredible nature and fascinating history. I set up this Tour Company to formally invite you to directly experience what I do on a weekly basis. Maybe you are a beginner or a seasoned professional, it doesn’t matter, you are welcome as long as you share the same interests as me: photography and nature.

 How sweet!  good luck with the project.

Yousef Al-Habshi

Yousef has now completed his contributions to the project. I have had a sneak preview of the unfinished works he has produced. They are very impressive, unique and show the diversity of what can be done with a single focal length lens very well. Also, wow - these images are so sharp it made my eyes bleed. I don't think the quality of this old lens should be any issue for any contributor.

Yousef with the lens in front of The Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE   

Awesome work Yousef, thanks for your contribution.  The lens now makes it's way to Iceland, I have been told, depending on conditions, it may be possible to capture a glimpse of the Aurora.  I'm super excited about this next leg.

China to the UAE

Andy Brandl has posted the lens onto an old contact of mine that I know from the macro world.  Yousef Al-Habashi in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  When I first got into high magnification macro, it didn't take long for me to find some of his work.  It really is top tier, and he's also a very friendly, informative and willing to share in any of his experiences.  The kind of contact that any photographer needs in order to improve.  I want the final collection of images to be diverse when the project is completed.  Unfortunately this means that the high magnification macro slot has been taken by another contributor further down the line.  So we are restrecting Yousef to pretty much anything else.  I'm sure this will not be a problem as I have seen plenty of his other images that are equally stunning.  Should be really interesting to see what he produces.  Good luck Yousef.

Yousef sporting an interesting hat.


A recent images produced by Yousef.

Andy Brandl

I must apologise for the infrequency of my blog posts.  I recently got ill with Bell's Palsy (facial paralysis) and a lot of my time has been taken up visiting Doctors and Pharmacys.  Despite this the lens is still making good time on it's travels around the globe.  Dan Goodwin finished his time with the lens and posted it to Andy Brandl in China.  Me and Andy have been in touch quite regularly and we have a very nice image taken with the lens for the book.  He has since packed the lens back up and shipped it off to Yousef Al-Habshi in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  Here is a photograph of Andy with the lens.  Thanks for a great job Andy, I'll be back in touch towards the end of the project.

Andy Brandl with the lens in Hangzhou, China

A little more info about Andy ...

Andy Brandl, 36 - Photographer, Psychologist.
A German freelancer focusing on architecture and landscape photography.
Andy seeks out subjects and locations for his photography primarily in China and Germany and works as a Getty Images contributor, using digital full frame Nikon equipment.

Andy describes his photography as being directed by his moods and intuition when taking the shots and by the current extent of his interest in processing techniques when finalising them in order to best suit his vision.  When in China, photography is Andy's means to come to terms with the many contradictions of this country, for a Westerner, a peculiar fascination of its own.

Here is a recent shot by Andy that I particularly like, that he has given me permission to post on the blog (thanks!).

Moving whilst standing still, by Andy Brandl.

New Zealand to China

Dan Goodwin has completed his short date with the lens. Quite a few images he got through! Hopefully he can make his mind up for which one he wants in the book. The lens should now have been shipped to Hangzhou, China where our next contributor will be waiting to receive it.

Dan Goodwin with the lens