A few more from Iceland, this time some coastal shots.

Dyrholaey Beach, South Coast


Viking's Beach, West Coast


The Beach near Arnastapi, West Coast


My GPS calls this place Snaefellsnesog Hnappadalssysla. West coast.


And finally a reprise on this one, a bit more fiddling. Also Snaefellsnesog Hnappadalssysla. I don't recall that name to be honest.

[stormtech]

Amazing landscapes captured perfectly with excellent post processing!

[GeoJerry]

Amazing landscapes captured perfectly with excellent post processing!

Thanks stormtech!

[riff]

Yes thanks Stormtech, I agree and I missed these!
The last 3 really float my boat!

[GeoJerry]

Thanks again riff, I appreciate all the feedback!

[chicagojohn]

Just had another look at all of these, and now my favorite has changed from #4 to #5. The dark roiling clouds against the dark roiling sea and the eroded rocks... (I like the word "roiling"; sort of a combination of "rolling" and "boiling")...

And then as I looked at it, there is a strong vertical just off center on the left side that links everything; a luminous dip in the clouds just above the highest point in the rock following down to the C curve of the surf closest to the viewer on the beach. All of this in the context of what I am interpreting as dawn rather than dusk, gives me the feeling of sort of an existential courage. So this one, more than the fourth one which shows more the general case, conveys the sense in which the struggle is an individual one, and, I think, how it is about the immediate process, not the ultimate outcome; if any of that makes sense.

[GeoJerry]

Thanks John. You're right, this is a shot taken just after dawn. Your commentary may be accurate, but to be honest I don't have such deep philosophical analysis going on in my mind when I take a picture, although my intent may not matter, and what the viewer interprets may be more important. For me, it's a much more primitive "Oh look. Cool. Photo op." kind of a response. :-) In this case though I did want to heighten the effect in PP by emphasizing the clouds, and brushing in a line of blue along the breaking wavefront to add some color contrast.

BTW, #5 is also my favorite of the set.

[emalvick]

When we went back it was a nice sunny day. I softened the picture up and added some color to the breaking wave, and those two things gave it the surreal look.

Oh... I know. I was mostly referring to the surrealness of a clear sunny day. I rarely saw that on my trip. In my own photos, I even have to question things when there are sunny clear shots. I was bitter at times with the cloudy weather and remember that most, yet I like the cloudy photos most because that is how I remember (and will remember) the trip. On the bright side, the first week I was there, it seemed to always clear up in the evening and night, which was good for the northern lights.

[GeoJerry]

Oh... I know. I was mostly referring to the surrealness of a clear sunny day. I rarely saw that on my trip. In my own photos, I even have to question things when there are sunny clear shots. I was bitter at times with the cloudy weather and remember that most, yet I like the cloudy photos most because that is how I remember (and will remember) the trip. On the bright side, the first week I was there, it seemed to always clear up in the evening and night, which was good for the northern lights.

I liked the cloudy shots too - they often seem to make for a much more powerful image than sunshine and the contrast is often lower making for a better balanced scene. (Of course you can always pick a new sky if the original is boring by using layers :-))

Waiting for your Iceland pictures now!

[chicagojohn]

Thanks John. You're right, this is a shot taken just after dawn. Your commentary may be accurate, but to be honest I don't have such deep philosophical analysis going on in my mind when I take a picture, although my intent may not matter, and what the viewer interprets may be more important. For me, it's a much more primitive "Oh look. Cool. Photo op." kind of a response. :-) In this case though I did want to heighten the effect in PP by emphasizing the clouds, and brushing in a line of blue along the breaking wavefront to add some color contrast.

BTW, #5 is also my favorite of the set.

A comment on your comment, GeoJerry, if I may: I completely agree with you, and I shoot the same way. However, and this is a personal belief, I think it is possible to develop a further understanding by analysis after the fact, while stipulating that there is certainly no standard against which its accuracy can ever be ascertained. I find thar some images, of which yours is a particular case, engage the mind in this way more than others in an attempt to discover the origins of one's initial attraction to them.

[GeoJerry]

A comment on your comment, GeoJerry, if I may: I completely agree with you, and I shoot the same way. However, and this is a personal belief, I think it is possible to develop a further understanding by analysis after the fact, while stipulating that there is certainly no standard against which its accuracy can ever be ascertained. I find thar some images, of which yours is a particular case, engage the mind in this way more than others in an attempt to discover the origins of one's initial attraction to them.

I agree with you there. Certainly there are characteristics of images that attract different people: you can see this by just looking at the different styles and subjects of the images people post on this site. It makes me wonder whether anyone has ever studied this - what the kinds of images particular photographers like say about them, and whether a deeper analysis can extract clues about someone's personality, early memories, or values, to name three examples.