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 fissure in the ground ruptured on the Icelandic peninsula of Reykjanes, heralding the imminent eruption of a new volcano. This eruption has been eagerly awaited by photographers around 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 still had until April 18 to reach their destination and snap the long-awaited photo before their journey would come to an end.
Volcanic activity in Iceland in Reykjanes
The small peninsula in southwest Iceland is all too well known to travelers and tourists. It forms the foothills of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and is famous for its volcanic and tectonic activity. On March 19, 2021, the most recent outbreak of the Krýsuvík volcanic system on the southern slope of Massif Fagradalsfjall, around 30 kilometers southwest of the capital Reykjavik. This volcanic activity represented 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 cavorting around the said spot. It was possible to jump up to glowing lava to the scene approach, which benefited the two photographers. However, you had to walk to get there, which is why you compact travel tripod needed. The safety distance and a breathing mask because of the toxic vapors were of course top priority. Now it was time to make the first recordings.
Storm gusts and glowing lava
For years, Olaf Schieche has been using a tripod from the popular Rock Solid series. Of course he took it carbon tripod also to Iceland. The rugged Rock Solid Beta Mark II Olaf Schieche relieved Light painting shots enormously. Due to the location of the peninsula on the stormy Atlantic coast, the equipment had to withstand weather conditions - and of course the high temperatures caused by the flowing lava. His impressive pictures show how close Schieche really was to the glowing lava. Also helpful: The many setting options of the Rock Solid series enabled Schieche to align the tripod perfectly, even on uneven terrain.
When the wind is too strong, Schieche has the Hook on the center column used by the Rock Solid. Here you can easily attach a backpack and sturdy tripod too more stability help.
Perfect light painting shot
The absolute goal photo of the trip should be a light painting in front of the impressive volcano backdrop be. The conditions on site were quite demanding as there was a strong wind and the ground was extremely uneven. In addition, the glowing lava repeatedly caused difficulties because it severe overexposure the lava-spitting crater. By a long exposure combined with the live composite of the Olympus camera and a Soft GND16 rectangular filter were able to overcome the different lighting conditions and take a breathtaking picture of the Volcanic landscape combined with light painting become. The result is a unique recording from an interplay of light painting and active volcanoes, which has never existed 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 |