Visions of the Arctic - West Fjords, Iceland

I've tried a lot of different business card companies in the past, but finally nailed it down to one that I really like. I've used Moo Business Cards for my last two orders of 400 cards and both times they came out looking really nice. Their print colors are actually spot on with what my calibrated home monitor renders which I was also thoroughly impressed with. I went with a glossy, all white card with pictures on the front and text on the back. Here is a quick behind the scenes video from my card selection meeting. The featured pictures were uploaded directly from Smugmug, text was added, and 10 minutes later the order is complete. Easy!

The Shot
This is another photo from the vaults, meaning I took it nearly two years ago, a few weeks after I got my D800. It's kinda funny looking through old pictures, especially the camera settings, many of which I would think twice before I shot at these days. This one for example was single RAW file taken at f/22 to get that nice silky water. Well shooting at f/22 really degrades the nice sharp details of the shot. In retrospect I would have liked to snap this off at f/8 for the full landscape then blend that f/22 water back in using Photoshop. I could go into full detail on my aperture selection methods, but browsing the web while writing this post I found a really nice website with full explanation on why I don't usually shoot beyond f/11.

None the less it's a good thing to keep learning and improving. I find that a lot of my pictures that I took even last month are lacking skill sets that I currently use. Hopefully this will continue for a long time.

This shot is from the West Fjords of Iceland. Unlike a lot of the locations which I can't pin point on a map when I get home, this one was very memorable. We stopped randomly along the side of the road and strolled down this small stream which took us to the ocean. At these latitudes of 65.6 degrees North, you're nearly in the Arctic Circle. The water almost looks like the warm Caribbean with it's beautiful blue glow, but trust me that stuff is cold!

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Nordic Nights - Southern Iceland

Do any of you have Sound Cloud? I use it constantly and share a bunch of music that I like on there. It's a free service and unlike Pandora ( which I also use a lot ) or other music streaming apps, artists upload their music here and share it so that you can pick and chose what you want to hear. You can find me at Dave Morrow Photo @ Sound Cloud.com. Feel free to leave suggestions for other cool music apps in the comments below.

I've been post processing a ton of Iceland pics lately. As shown in the post processing workflow video provided with the last post, all the pictures in my Lightroom Catalog are categorized by location and then tossed into smart folders depending on location. It's really fun to become completely immersed into one of these folders and find a bunch of pictures that were taken a year or so ago then forgotten about.

I took this behind the scenes shot an hour or two after shooting the sunset scene pictured at the bottom of this post.You can see our KuKu Camper parked in the middle the road.


The Shot
Post processing this shot lasted over at least a month. Thinking it was complete I would return a few days later and realize that results were not there yet. Eventually I was thinking about throwing the file out and starting over. Thankfully one last try, and finally, success ( well at least in my eyes ).

It's hard to tell in this picture but the mountain you see on the left side of the shot below is the same height as the mountain you see in the picture with our camper above. Things towards the center of a really wide angle lens always appear much smaller than they really are.

None the less, we were out driving for 4 hours during this sunset, and I can hands down say it was the best I have ever seen. Thankfully there are 40 pictures on the computer from this 4 hour span and only 3 have been processed. This is the first to make it online, so hopefully you like it:)
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Endless - Vik, Iceland

Do any of you Nikon D800 owners get a bunch of strangely colored pixels when you take long exposure ( 30 seconds+ ) + high ISO star shots? I have been seeing a bunch showing up in the lower ( foreground ) part of my Milky Way shots. Checking back to some older shots from last year I did not notice the issue... Interesting.

Who is interested in learning my Star Photography Post Processing Workflow, I have a new group workshop date that recently opened up. Full details and signup at my Online Post Processing Group Workshop Page.

The Shot
For all you world travelers out there, if you ever decide to head over to Iceland and want to avoid the Rain and nasty weather, stay away from Vik. It seems to be raining there every time I drive through, on the other hand it's an awesome town that I highly suggest everyone visit. The black sand beaches and beautiful fog are worth your while. I like driving through this part of Iceland late at night when the weather is really moving around and the ocean waves are rising and falling just over the hill you can see in the distance.

Post Processing Info ( Grab some discount codes to the programs below at bottom of About Me Page )

Processing Time: 15 minutes

Music: Pink Floyd - The Final Cut

Drink: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

Lightroom 4  ( Check out my Learn Photography Page for all my tutorials )

1. Single Exposure at -1EV / f/11 / 1/6th of a second / ISO 100
2. Adjust RAW file in LR4 bringing out shadow details and highlights along with a small increase in vibrancy and decrease in saturation.
3. Export to JPEG.

Photoshop CS5

1. Midtones curves adjustment & bright highlights curves adjustment
2. Sharpen & noise reduction using Nik Software
3. DONE!

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And the Wind Spoke - West Fjords, Iceland

I met up with Jimmy Mcintyre and his wife Rachel last night to snap some pics & have some drinks. Eventually we got side tracked from the whole photography thing and ended up at a few bars. All around good times! I highly suggest checking out both of their blogs linked above, very inspirational. 

Keep in mind the Star Photography Workshop Give Away Contest is still up and running. You have another month to submit your best night shots for a chance to win free admission.

The Shot

One of the best parts about looking through pictures from trips of past is the sparking of memories that lead into more thoughts and often inspiration for new adventures. Here is one from the a night in Iceland that featured some of the best color I have ever seen. My girlfriend Meghan and I drove through the landscapes jaw-dropped for hours.

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In a Foreign Land - West Fjords, Iceland

I just got back from a weekend trip to the Gorge in Oregon. The waterfalls and spring greens were in full effect which made for some great shots. We also managed to get some star shots with a creepy old house that should turn out really cool. 

The Shot

Another shot from the beautiful West Fjords of Iceland. I processed this one using exposure fusion on Photomatix. If you like the results and want to try the program for yourself, head on over to Photomatix and use the coupon code DAVEMORROWPHOTO when checking out to recieve a 15% discount:)

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Icelandic House of the Dead at Mind - West Fjords, Iceland

Fridays from here on out the rest of the year I am going to post a new star photo to my website and all the social networks. This should be a fun and challenging tasks which will also keep me running around all week taking star shots. No complaints... For those of you that want to learn about star photography I offer a Free Star Photography Tutorial as well as In the Field Star Photography Workshops @ Mount Rainier National Park! Sign up today.

The Shot

As for today I have a really fun & somewhat creepy shot from the West Fjords of Iceland. It took me a while to finally get this one done in post processing, but here it is... Enjoy!

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5 Wise Guys - Vik, Iceland

I had a great weekend exploring the Olympic Peninsula and doing some camping at Crescent Lake & Second Beach. I would highly recommend each place to spend the night, make a fire and do some relaxing... I have provided the GPS coordinates and a fun iPhone shot from the weekend below. Just copy and paste the GPS into Google Maps and boom!

Second Beach - [47.887428,-124.624701]

Lake Crescent - [48.054261,-123.79976]

Saturday Morning sounded like a great time to adventure to Sol Duc & have some beers so why not mix and match.. Don't worry I provided a "REAL" shot for my daily post directly below this one:)

The Shot

Since I am sharing lots of water and ocean locations today, why not post a shot from an amazing small town on the Southern Coast of Iceland. If you go to Iceland, Vik is a must for their black beaches and famous little church that sits on the hill.

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Blue Dawn - Ísafjörður, Iceland

I have been working all morning to integrate an “On the Road” photo-stream into my website. Photos that I take with my iPhone when out shooting or on the road will now stream directly to the side bar of my website. I think this kind of stuff is really fun, I hope you enjoy it as well. Click any of the pictures to see them full size in the gallery. You can always come back to this gallery by selecting "On the Road -  iPhoneography" under "Let's Explore" in the right-hand sidebar.

There are some other fun functions that have been recently added to Dave Morrow Photography as well, including a Travel & Adventure Map which allows the you to view where all my photos have been taken on a user friendly map interface.  This has also been located on the bottom of the “Let’s Explore” section on the right-hand sidebar. 

The Shot

Deep in the North West Fjords of Iceland lies the Small town of Ísafjörður. This is about the closest to the middle of no where and the Arctic Circle that I have ever been. None the less it is an awesome town with beautiful Fjords rising up on all sides of it, if you ever travel to Iceland make sure to take this drive.

Dawn on the Blue Lagoon - Iceland

This weekend the moon sets just after midnight Pacific time which means I'll be out chasing the Milky Way around the Pacific Northwest. There are a few new spots including some old abandon houses that are on the to do list for this weekend, now we just need some clear skies. On a side note you can see some of my favorite places to photograph HERE.

The Shot

I took this around 4 am on my last day in Iceland. Walking around in the middle of no where surrounded by blue water in the early hours of the Icelandic morning is quite a surreal experience

The Gorge - Vik, Iceland

I really like having my photos shared online and make them very easy to share and enjoy, but when I see them shared incorrectly without providing my name & website next to the picture it makes me mad. Mount Rainier National Park is currently incorrectly sharing my picture on Facebook and will not answer me in email or twitter form. The best part is the White House Tweeted the picture on their twitter account which I do find really cool. The tweet below is interactive, go ahead and click...

RT @interior: One of the most stunning photos we've ever seen. The #milkyway over @mountrainiernps instagr.am/p/U7KGbSAu2Y

— The White House (@whitehouse) January 26, 2013

The Shot

This was the picture that I processed in my Free HDR Video Tutorial. I took it on the Southern Coast of Iceland near Vik. If you are ever in Iceland make sure you go to Vik, it is a really cool town with amazing black beaches, and beautiful landscapes. 

32 Hours & Counting - Kirkjufellfoss, Iceland

I was thrown a few curve balls today which may allow me to have off work for an extending period of time in the near future... And I can't wait! I know most of you may know about this, but I really want to make sure no one misses my Under the Stars Summer Workshops.

The Shot

I would consider Kirkjufellfoss my second favorite waterfall in Iceland. On the other hand I have not seen them all which means a trip back to the island seems perfectly necessary. I took this one after being up for hours on end. As soon as the sun was up we set up shop at the bottom of the falls and got some sleep.

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The Streets of Reykjavik

Just got done driving the Road to Hana and caught one of the best sunsets I have ever seen. WOW what a night...

The Shot

While walking around Reykjavik Iceland I found an outdoor park that served beer and had a dj and on the turntables... pretty sweet spot actually. There was graffiti all over the place, here was one of my favorite captures of fat pig that I usually find ruining all the fun. What started as a few beers and some music eventually turned into a great night of bar hopping. When the sun never sets it's hard to stop, that being said, Iceland got the best of me. 

I Can't Get No Sleep

Some weeks I just can't sleep and things get really strange, but for some reason I process a lot better pictures during those periods of time... Strange huh?

The Shot

There are only 2K or so untouched pictures from Iceland on my computer, maybe Ill get some of them processed this winter. This one was taken somewhere in the West Fjords around sunset.

On the Road in the West Fjords of Iceland

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately on what does & does not bring inspiration into my life. I feel that social networks for the most part destroy my inspiration on a daily basis due to the fact that there is so much “junk” included in most posts.  On the other hand they are a great way to promote photography and see a few good pictures. As a photographer what would happen if you completely quit the social networking sites you currently use and put all that time directly into your work? I bet great things would happen, but less and less people would see those great things. I guess we have to pick a middle ground and enjoy what we have.

The Shot:

This is more of a fun/travel shot than anything, I processed it with Lightroom 4.

When in Iceland, days/nights seem to run together, so it's hard to pin down when and where this picture was actually taken, but it was somewhere in the West Fjords... 

Alone in the High Deserts of Iceland

If you missed my last post on Awesome Tutorials & Useful Links make sure to check it out after your dose of the Icelandic picture below. I think you will find the links helpful in your photographic journey. Not a photographer? Pass it on to your photo-crazy friends:)

The Shot

Traveling through the West Fjords of Iceland is an amazing experience. At times you are completely alone for a day or two. It's an erie feeling at times, but something I really enjoyed. Something about beautiful landscapes, with no one to bother you for hours on end is hard to beat. I took this shot just after escaping the Fjords and making my way to higher ground. 

Lost in Iceland

Do any of you guys/gals use Reddit? I have been posting my star images on there lately and WOW, what a reaction. Granted most of them are hit and run but it's still nice to see all those views:)

The Shot:

Driving to Vik is terrific and my favorite part of Iceland minus the West Fjords.  The coast was especially awesome in June because the Lupines are blooming and they light up the once green fields with blue. Some of the most amazing landscapes I have ever seen came on this long stretch of road, here is one of the shots I captured just after the sun dipped below the horizon around midnight.

The Final Product

Processing Technique for the Picture Above:

Lightroom 4:

Minor white balance and contrast adjustment.

Photomatix:

Process 7 exposures in -3EV to 3 EV.

Photoshop 6:

-Blend Photomatix layer with 7 exposures -3EV to 3EV to bring out dynamic range.

-Lumonsity Masks on midtones, darks and lights to bring out detail and saturation.

-Saturation masks(to desaturate) & Vibrance masks(to saturate).

-Color Balance for small color adjustments in the sky.

-Nik Color Efex Pro Contrast 

-High Pass Filter on Soft Light blend mode to sharpen entire image.

-Nik Define for local denoise.

-Free transform to straighten the horizon.

-Final saturation painting on the lupines and desaturation on the road.

-Brighten the center line on the road with curves

-Save as Jpeg.

Before the Magic

After Midnight at the Hallgrimskirkja

When exploring the country of Iceland in the summer months it's hard to keep a real sleep schedule. There is so much to see, that at times, you just get lost in it all. I took this one in Reykjavik late one night when wandering the city looking for cool things to shoot.

On a side note Royce Blair just did a really cool article on my star photos, you can find it here:

Night Sky Photography on the Edge of Reality

Lost in Iceland

Sitting at JFK Airport outside of New York City waiting to board another plane back home. And now for the good news, I filled up 100GB of photos on my hard drive this weekend so there should be some fun new content from the Big Apple surfacing here and there. Here is a fun one from Iceland that I took right after midnight. By this time in the trip(my last day) I was delirious from no sleep, this shot almost seems like a dream, but then again, Iceland is a dream.

Dawn on the Blue Lagoon - Iceland

I remember preparing to leave for Iceland, browsing through pictures online & looking for great spots to shoot. These wild pictures of bright blue water would pop up on my laptop and I would think, "No way, that isn't real!". Well guess what, it is. I didn't have a chance to swim in the waters, but did sneak in around 3 am to watch the sunrise, which was much better. Alone in the middle of Iceland watching the sunrise over blue waters, you really can't beat that.

Exploring the West Fjords

Have you ever arrived somewhere and had to pinch yourself because it hardly felt real? For me that was everyday in Iceland. This place is absolutely surreal and 24 hour daylight does not help the case. I snapped this one off on the most Eastern tip of the Island. Talk about the Middle of nowhere.