In mid-November 2024 my wife and I went to Iceland, for our 9-day Workshop there and an extra 8 days dedicated to my personal work.
Out of all our late 2024 destinations, Iceland was the one that worried me the most. Snowy and icy grounds, high speed winds, sand, moving water when photographing in rivers, waterfall spray, ocean spray, snow and rain, made Iceland possibly the destination least friendly to 4×5” photography of all those we visited since I started working with 4×5” film in September 2024.
To prevent this, in Iceland I was even more careful than usual about my tripod technique. I used all the tricks I knew, and that paid off. We found seriously difficult conditions, and while I did end up losing some long exposure photographs to micro-movement, I lost way less than I feared I would.
I just posted a blog article about this trip, including a 16-photographs Portfolio and my recommended Workflow for maximising results when shooting in adverse conditions. You can find it following the link below:
Below you'll find a few photographs out the Portfolio for you to enjoy:
All photographs have been taken with Ilford FP4+, rated at 100 ISO, and developed in Pyrocat-HD for 12 minutes and 30 seconds, 30 seconds of agitation at start followed by 2 agitations per minute. The film has been pre-washed in water for 5 minutes prior to developing.
douter wrote:
Really like the first and third, Vieri!
Douglas
Hello Douglas, thank you very much, glad you enjoyed them! The first shot's phenomenon, while not unique, was something I saw for the first time in Iceland last November, whereas the third is one of those locations I am always looking forward to going back to, it's always different and always very inspiring for me.
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junglialoh wrote:
Stunning aesthetic art work - sublime image set
Thank you very much indeed, your kind comment is truly much appreciated!
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Karl Witt wrote:
Enjoyed each, #2 keeps making me look again Fine work on presentation and comps, visually interesting thank you!
Karl
Hello Karl, thank you very much! I love the location in number 2, it's one of my favourite in Iceland - I find the relationship between the sea stack and the faraway stacks, with the long, curving beach in between them, always very inspiring.
vieri wrote:
All photographs have been taken with Ilford FP4+, rated at 100 ISO, and developed in Pyrocat-HD for 12 minutes and 30 seconds, 30 seconds of agitation at start followed by 2 agitations per minute. The film has been pre-washed in water for 5 minutes prior to developing.
Vieri,
I am curious about your pre-wash of the film. I use T-grain film which some say is a voracious consumer of developer. I have read that some use Photoflo to pre-wet. What are your experiences NOT pre-washing. You use long developing times, so have you ever tried skipping the pre-wash?
Not questioning your approach at all. Genuinely curious about differences in people's workflow.
I am curious about your pre-wash of the film. I use T-grain film which some say is a voracious consumer of developer. I have read that some use Photoflo to pre-wet. What are your experiences NOT pre-washing. You use long developing times, so have you ever tried skipping the pre-wash?
Not questioning your approach at all. Genuinely curious about differences in people's workflow.
Chuck
Hey Chuck,
thank you for your message - and no worries, I am always happy to discuss workflow! When I decided to move to 4x5" film, I started researching developer / film combinations. Back in the day, I settled on 510-Pyro for my 35mm and medium format negatives; I loved the tonal range of Pyro based developers. Yet, I decided to experiment with a few different developers, and in all of the info I found online about developing 4x5" film I found a consensus on pre-washing it, to ensure a more even development and to remove the anti-halation layer. So, I used pre-wash for all my tests, and when I decided to settle for Pyrocat-HD (and D-23 as a second developer) I kept the pre-wash in my routine and have been very happy with the results. I never actually experimented with a side-by-side test with and without the pre-wash, but I might do so once I am back home after Easter.
orangecuse wrote:
These are great - i am heading to ICELAND this weekend
Thank you so much, happy you enjoyed them! Have fun in Iceland, I just left after a couple of weeks there and am currently on The Faroe Islands for three weeks, another incredible destination!
Erich6_ wrote:
Beautiful shots—Iceland is on my bucket list to visit and photograph.These pictures moved it up my list a few notches.
Hey Erich6, thank you very much, happy you enjoyed these! Iceland is simply amazing and a place I am never tired to go back to, I hope you'll be able to get there soon
Fine work on presentation and comps, visually interesting thank you!
