Iceland & Faroe Islands

[tsiklonaut]

Our discovery led us to the northern part of Streymoy island. One thing that you cannot rely on when on the Faroes, is the weather. It mostly seems to rain, with thick clouds enveloping the hills. The next moment you may see rays of light coming though. And although the rapid changes of the weather mean the dilemma of whether to pull those waterproofs on or not (everybody knows that sweating in the raingear is almost as bad as being soaked without it), they do make it all up with the added drama. You could easily spend hours just watching the clouds rising and descending the green slopes…

 

[tsiklonaut]

Can you spot the sheep?

 

[tsiklonaut]

A sideroad took us to the village of Saksun, which is located in a steep valley and boasts an interesting grass-roofed church and museum. The church was originally built in Tjørnuvík, but in 1858 it was disassembled, carried across the mountains and reassembled in Saksun. The museum occupies a seventeenth century farm house called Dúvugarður. The house belongs to the Dúvugarður farm, still an active sheep farm with approximately 300 ewes.

 

[tsiklonaut]

Saksun valley and surroundings:

The "red" dominated shots are from Kodak Aerochrome color infrared film. This photographic film was mainly designed to debunk enemy camouflage from areal spy shots during the Cold War. It sees green forest and grass in infrared light (shifted to red-spectrum), when it's a faked green by a camouflage it will show it in different shade that is easy to see by a human eye and thus US used to spot Soviet enemy positions this way. After the Cold War this film later found it's way into government forest surveys to map healthy and unhealthy forests from aerial mapping. I managed to get hold some rolls of this rare and very-hard-to-find film for that artistic visual photographic beauty it creates without any manipulation at all. Those pictures show exactly what you'd see observing my slides against the light.

 

[tsiklonaut]

Another great sidetrip is Tjørnuvík that reveals the stark landscape of the Faroes. On a messed up b&w film roll:

 

[tsiklonaut]

Then to Eysturoy island.

The road took us up to the fantastic setting of Eiði village, where we camped on old abandoned Viking ruins that stood there for eons. It was an amazing yet humbling feeling to know some Viking may had been shipwrecked or even willingly lived here, at this beautiful coast where the humid North Atlantic breeze softly touches your cheeks.

 

[tsiklonaut]

 

[farlymac]

You certainly picked the right cameras and film for that trip. Beautiful images so far, and good tips on the camping gear.

PF

 

[tsiklonaut]

You certainly picked the right cameras and film for that trip. Beautiful images so far, and good tips on the camping gear.

Not sure PF, but I've tried my best. I have no particular favourite film nor a developer combo, hence like to shoot with a variety of films and developers. I carried different cameras filled with chosen films to fill that purpose.

 

[tsiklonaut]

Eiðisvatn.

 

[tsiklonaut]

The slopes of the Faroes are just undescribable - unbelieavable at times, with just sheer vertical rocks penetrating the deep ocean - normal in nature, but your brain somehow just can't translate or accept that visual surreality.

 

[tsiklonaut]

Gráfelli rising.

 

[marcr1230]

Great thread, wonderful pictures, fantastic light

Did you take more than on body? How did you managE all the different film types?

 

[tsiklonaut]

 

[tsiklonaut]

Great thread, wonderful pictures, fantastic light

Did you take more than on body? How did you managE all the different film types?

Cheers!

I used two 6x7s, one Pentax 67 that is around as old as I am - bomb proof, the other was new to me 67ii body - this started to mess up rolls during the trip, not sure I'll carry it next time, a bit too much electronics I reckon.

I had infrared or b&w in 67 body (with waist lever finder) and color slides in 67ii body (better metering via TTL) for most of the time.

I ran both B&W and color in GA645i and Horizon 202. I switched films by "gut feeling" on knowing what's coming ahead 🙂

 

[tsiklonaut]

And a high-altitude road to the North-East of Eysturoy island, that turned out to be stunning.

Up by tsiklonaut, on Flickr

 

[marcr1230]

I love analog sunsets, none of the fried egg look of digital

Crossing the mildly salty Baltic Sea was the first step.

 

[tsiklonaut]

I love analog sunsets, none of the fried egg look of digital

Thanks, glad you enjoy 'em 🙂

 

[tsiklonaut]

Down from the utterly thick raincloud the road decended back to Funningur, I reckon it means "Fun Curves" in translation.

 

[tsiklonaut]

Once down from the high altitude the views got magical. I tried to capture it on Kodak Aerochrome color infrared film: