Together with the experienced volcano photographer Adrian Rohnfelder Olaf Schieche spontaneously decided on April 8th Iceland trip to compete. A few weeks earlier, a small crack in the ground on the Icelandic Reykjanes Peninsula broke open, signaling the impending eruption of a new volcano. This eruption has been eagerly awaited by photographers all over the world for two years.
Despite all the difficulties that Corona caused the two photographers, after five days of quarantine and several PCR tests, they were finally able to make their way to the long-awaited volcano. Rohnfelder and Schieche had until April 18th to reach their destination and take the long-planned photo before their trip came to an end.
Volcanic activity on Iceland in Reykjanes
The small peninsula in southwest Iceland is only too well known among travelers and tourists. It forms the foothills of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and is famous for its volcanic and tectonic activity. The most recent outbreak occurred on March 19, 2021 Krýsuvík volcanic system on the southern slope of the Mountain massif Fagradalsfjall, around 30 kilometers southwest of the capital Reykjavik. This volcanic activity was the first volcanic eruption in over 800 years and was therefore on everyone's lips.
Immediately after the first volcanic eruption, the Icelanders were already milling about the place in question. It was possible to go straight to the glowing lava to the scene of the incident to approach, which benefited the two photographers. However, you had to get there on foot, which is why you took a compact Travel tripod needed. The safety distance and a respiratory mask because of the toxic fumes were of course top priority. Now it was time to take the first shots.
Gusts and glowing lava
Olaf Schieche has been using a popular tripod for years Rock Solid Series. Of course he took it Carbon tripod also to Iceland. The robust one Rock Solid Beta Mark II Olaf Schieche made it easier Light painting shots enormously. Due to the peninsula's location on the stormy Atlantic coast, the equipment had to withstand weather conditions - and of course the high temperatures caused by the flowing lava. In his impressive pictures you can see how close Schieche actually was to the glowing lava. Also helpful: The many adjustment options of the Rock Solid series enabled Schieche to align the tripod perfectly even on uneven terrain.
If the wind is too strong, Schieche has it Hook on the center column used by Rock Solid. Here you can easily attach a backpack and a sturdy tripod more stability help.
Perfect light painting shot
The absolute destination photo of the trip should be a light painting in front of the impressive Volcano backdrop be. The conditions on site were quite challenging as there was a strong wind and the ground was extremely uneven. In addition, the glowing lava repeatedly caused difficulties as it closed severe overexposure the lava-spewing crater. By a Long exposure combined with the Live Composite of the Olympus camera and a Soft GND16 rectangular filter But we were able to overcome the different lighting conditions and get a breathtaking shot of the Volcanic landscape combined with light painting become. The result is a unique recording of an interaction between light painting and active volcanoes that has never been seen before.
| camera | focal length | ISO | cover | exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympus E-M1 Mark III | 14mm | 200 | F/6.3 | 1/3.2 seconds Live Composite |
| camera | focal length | ISO | cover | exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympus E-M1 Mark III | 24mm | 200 | F/7.1 | 1/1.3 seconds Live Composite |