Dog sledding in Greenland

April 18, 2021

Last year was rather depleted in terms of travel for all of us. To compensate, I spent some time with images I took in previous years and decided to put together a couple of photo-narratives on my past travels with the first one here on dog sledding in East Greenland. Growing up in cold snowy winters I do love travelling and photographing in the Arctic and getting back to the North is always a bit of a homecoming for me. This was my third time in Greenland after trekking and sailing visits in 2014 and 2017 and as I love dogs and snow it was only a matter of time that I did a dog sledding trip. My first attempt to do so failed in February 2018 due to severe weather. My second attempt had more luck even though our route and plans were changed due to the weather again. The week-long trip around Ammassalik island with its start at Tasiilaq - on the Sermilik coast with sledding to Tiniteqilaaq and back was a wonderful opportunity to once again see the area where I hiked first time in summer, only this time it was in the company of winter magic landscapes and hard working dogs.

Kulusuk - the gateway to East Greenland. Flying by airplane to this small island and switching to helicopter is the only way one can get to Tasiilaq in winter. Whilst there one may spend a few days waiting for the right weather, that is for low wind… — Kulusuk - the gateway to East Greenland. Flying by airplane to this small island and switching to helicopter is the only way one can get to Tasiilaq in winter. Whilst there one may spend a few days waiting for the right weather, that is for low winds and clear sky. The waiting was made easier by synchronised dog howling.

and some wonderfull northern lights shows to brighten up long nights. gfx50r + 63 f2.8

Finally we made it to Tasiilaq, a beautiful location framed by granite peaks. A few fishermen on ice, on the low right side, show the scale.

Winterland… three shots stiched pano, GFX50s + 100/200 f5.6. Two ravens in flight on the right side, but the true scale is shown by fishermen on ice on the low right side. gfx50s + gf100/200 f5.6

And we are off, with Egon Poulsen, the best (perhaps the only) Chelsea FC fan in Greenland :)

highway heading North… gfx50r + gf63 f2.8

Resting lines and drinking (eating) snow on a run below

The originally planned route was a five-days circuit around mountains of Ammassalik island. We managed to get only a quarter of our way into it when the weather turned foul and a strong wind called Piteraq that originates on Greenland's ice cap stopped us from going further. Temperatures dropped to low -20s Celsius and the wind speed reached over 100 km/h. So, we decided to stay at the camp at Sermilik fjord in a decent shelter and wait. Whilst we were waiting for the weather to improve another dog sled team joined us. The moment I saw the team approaching I grabbed my GFX50s camera with a long lens (GF100-200 f5.6) and ran outside. I managed to get to the nearest high point, where I was knee-deep in snow, under a barrage of wind, which was blowing ice into my face and my lens.

Raw power, dog team charging up a snow ledge, with a sequence of shots below. gfx50s + 100/200 f5.6

I saw the team approaching a snow ledge where the dogs would have to charge upwards and I started taking shots. The dogs stretched into a great line that was so organic in the immediate landscape and the lead dog powered his way up, so I was very happy despite all the Piteraq gusts and cold. Typically a sled team in Greenland has a fan formation unlike the line setup in Alaska or Siberia, which helps to sled on frozen sea surfaces, so seeing Greenlandic dogs in one nice line is not common.

Whiteout, Egon Poulsen and his dogs, gfx50s + gf100/200 f5.6

At some point in our trip we got over a ridge and this amazing view opened up with a frozen small plateau and path through the mountains all lit by a low sunset. By that time, we were probably 3-4 hours on a road and my hands and my cameras started to freeze (it was about -25C or lower plus strong wind) but the scenery was so moving that I just had to stand up on the sled, which at that point started to move fast downhill, with one hand on the sled and one with camera trying to grab a couple of shots - see below.

Way back to base at Tasiilaq. Below - turning left in wet snow takes extra effort gfx50s + gf63 f2.8

We have lift off… sometimes all paws are up in the air :) gfx50s + gf63 f2.8

Dog sled technology has its origin in Thule culture, which dates to 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. Dog sleds were further refined by the Inuit for travelling and hunting on the frozen waters and fjords in Greenland. The ones in the east are different from the ones in the west, because of the more mountainous terrain, compared to the flatness in the west. It is truly the perfect way to travel in Greenland. The Greenland Dogs were originally brought from Siberia to North America by the Thule people about 1,000 years ago, whilst the first sled dogs can be genetically traced back to 9,500 years in the Siberian Arctic. Greenland dogs are fully adapted to life in the Arctic, they have specific genes to cope with a high fat intake, as do humans and bears who live in the Arctic. They also have a genetic set up that allows them to cope with low oxygen conditions, which presumably contributes to fitness for the extreme demands of long sled-hauling trips. With daily average runs of 60-80km at 9-10km/h speed in freezing environments, across mixed terrain, they definitly need that.

Loved how the dog’s colour matched the colours of granite rocks

The path had a number of frozen lakes, such as the one above. gfx50s + gf63 f2.8

Down the hil in the fast lane… gfx50r + gf63 f2.8

Arctic express - Julius Nielsen and his dogs

Into the white - Julius Nielsen and his dogs gfx50s + gf63 f2.8

Julius Nielsen and his dogs gfx50s + gf63 f2.8

Egon Poulsen with his dogs. gfx50s + gf63 f2.8

Julius Nielsen and his dogs on the way back to Tasiilaq, gfx50s + gf63 f2.8

Coming home to Tasiilaq, gfx50s + gf63 f2.8

Gear: throughout the trip I used two Fujifilm cameras: GFX50s and GFX50r. One was equipped with a GF63 f2.8 prime (~50mm in FF) and another with a long zoom GF100-200mm f5.6 (~80-160mm in FF). For better ergonomics the GFX50s had a metal grip extension plate (Peipro, part of L-plate) and the GFX50r had LensMate XP2 thumb rest. Both cameras performed as Fujifilm cameras always do - flawlessly. Despite being used at very low temperatures, as low as -25-30C, under heavy wind and snow blasts I did not have any problems with their work and focusing. On one day, the battery in my GFX50r lasted for about 5 hours of use in bitter cold (lower than -20C) and I did not need to replace it. In fact changing it would have been tricky, as my hands were rather frozen by then. The 100-200 f5.6 autofocus locked onto the subject through blizzard’s drifts and the lens being rather light and compact for a medium format system is a wonderful versatile companion for travel where you want to have an extra reach, but do not want to carry a large heavy telephoto. These two bodies and lenses made up a nice compact (for medium format) system, which I kept in a Lowepro 102 slingshot (body+100/200) with a ThinkTank 20 holster (body+63) attached to it. At the end of the day/ride before moving into warmer (even +4C is much warmer than -30C) environment I would place the entire camera “belt” into a large Exped compression dry bag to slowly warm up for an hour or two inside before I would get gear out, if needed. This was necessary to avoid condensation build up due to the fast switch from cold and dry to warm and humid.

Greenland

June 26, 2018

Greenland has became a popular destination to visit. With its beautiful ancient granite mountains, amazing glaciers and icebergs and sense of remoteness it is a great country to visit and photograph. My second visit to Greenland was on an old beautiful two mast oak Danish built ship - Donna Wood. Sailing in the Arctic is something I wanted to try for a long time and when I had an opportunity to photograph Greenlandic unique lanscapes from a different angle, from the waters of the largest fjord in the world Scoresby Sund, I happily grabbed the chance to do so last August.

Throughout almost two weeks I used one X-T2 with the 50-140mm f2.8 lens (my main landscape lens) and a vertical grip. The second X-T2 body had the superb 16-55mm f2.8. After photographing extensively with a tripod and filters in Iceland, just before this trip, I decided to go free of those and only used a tripod when I played with long exposures and occasionally used a CPL when shooting icebergs. One amazing thing about Greenland is how much colour you get when the light is right. Given the right conditions all the kingdom of ice turns on fire and even in poor light icebergs come out in all shapes and shades of blue.

Here is the selection of my favourite shots from the sailing trip in Greenland that show once again how capable the Fujifilm X-T2 camera and lenses are. Handling two X-T2s with vertical grips in the confined space of a zodiac boat was easy. If I could change a few things I would have taken XF100-400mm f4.5-5.6 lens too, as some icebergs and wildlife in Greenland are at a distance. I had a 1.4x teleconverter with me, but it was not enough to bring some scenery closer. I would also like to have a descent drone with a good lens and sensor next time, as iceberg views from above are amazing - something you can see in this stunning clip made by Brynjar Ágústsson. Post-editing was done in Iridient Developer and Lightroom with Nik's collection plugins. Click on any image to adjust it to your screen size.

shadow of our boat at the bottom of the iceberg during sunset

Iceland

December 26, 2017

Time to wrap up this eventfull year with a couple of blogs on last summer's travels. I was lucky to visit both Iceland and Greenland again, this time with a pair of wonderful Fujifilm X-T2 cameras. Both parts of my trip were organised by Iceland Photo Tours. The Icelandic part of the trip was overwelming by its combination of magnificent landscapes, waterfalls, ever changing light and weather, textures and colours. Iceland Photo Tours named it an Extreme Iceland Highlands Workshop - I think it is safe to call it an Epic Iceland Workshop. Thank you very much Iurie Belegurschi and Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson it was epic! :) There is so much natural beauty on this island that once you have visited it - it will always stay in your heart and you will want to come back, and so I did. Finally at the end of my trip I was lucky to see Iceland from the air thanks to the best flying ace of them all #volcanopilot - thank you once again Haraldur - it was awesome!! Thor was not in a good mood though, so I will have to come back to fly again soon.

Throughout the few weeks I kept one X-T2 with the 50-140 f2.8 lens (my main landscape lens) and a vertical grip. The second X-T2 body had an L-plate and either the superb 16-55 f2.8 or on occasion the 10-24 f4 when the landscape was so epic that it would not fit into my idea of a wide view. To complement the kit I had 35 f2 and 14 f2.8 primes and a set of Lee filters for all those long and long-ish exposures of waterfalls, geothermals and waves. Of those I used mostly the little stopper (6 stops) and 3 stop hard and soft grad filters alone or combined and the CPL. The kit (including all extras batteries and cards, plenty of microfibre wipes and chargers) was all packed into the LowePro Wistler 350, which proved to be an exellent companion on this frequently dusty, cold and wet trip. My tripod was Gitzo GT2543L with superbly engineered RRS BH-30LR II Ball Head and L-plate for X-T2. The combination was perfect for the smaller and lighter than standard DSLR XT2 mirrorless system.

I took too many shots to place them all into this blog, so I hope you will enjoy the selection of my favourite shots from Iceland and hope they prove once again how capable Fujifilm X-T2 camera and lenses are - location, lens, aperture and focal distance are indicated where I think it could be usefull for those planning trips to Iceland. You would also probably notice that one area was by far my favourite on this trip and almost quarter of all selected shots come from Kerlingarfjöll.. Post-editing was done in Iridient Developer and Lightroom with Nik's collection plugins. Click on any image to adjust it to your screen size.

Welcome to Iceland. Almost like on a stage two hikers meet on a backdrop of the morning light and steam from geothermal vents at Kerlingarfjöll. I took many shots at this location over two days and this was the one I took when all the tripod/filters… — Welcome to Iceland. Almost like on a stage two hikers meet on a backdrop of the morning light and steam from geothermal vents at Kerlingarfjöll. I took many shots at this location over two days and this was the one I took when all the tripod/filters shots were done. So I took my long lens and waited. And the theatre of nature and life did not let me down. (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 50mm 1/320 f7.1 ISO200)

Through the clouds. The shot was taken angled slightly upwards with a long lens thus the impression of standing and looking through the clouds opening. Was not a planned shot - just a quick click from a gas station, but thats how Iceland is - wherev… — Through the clouds. The shot was taken angled slightly upwards with a long lens thus the impression of standing and looking through the clouds opening. Was not a planned shot - just a quick click from a gas station, but thats how Iceland is - wherever you go there is always a moment of beauty waiting for you. (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 140mm 1/250 f8 ISO200)

Harpa, Reykjavik (XF 10-24mm f4 at 10mm 1/50 f5.6 ISO200)

sunrise at Jökulsárlón (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 120mm 13s f8 ISO2500)

A small hut next to Reykjafoss is dwarfed by the scale of this beautiful waterfall where Huseyjarkvisl river cascades down over 20 meters and two steps down. (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 17mm 15s f8 ISO100)

photographing sunrise at Jökulsárlón (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 140mm 1/1000 f11 ISO200)

through the clouds (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 140mm 1/250 f8 ISO200)

West Iceland coast line from above, shot taken from a small airplane (Cessna). A few flying birds on a left side for scale. (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 22mm 1/1000 f4.5 ISO800)

"close up" of Ófærufoss (The Impassable), Eldgjá Fissure. (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 50mm 1/320 f6.4 ISO200)

Photographing on Mars, :D Hverir (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 98mm 1/320 f2.8 ISO60) — Photographing on Mars, :D Hverir (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 98mm 1/320 f2.8 ISO60)

Highlands, Fjallabak, Hnausapollur area (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 58mm 1/60 f11 ISO200)

water and moss (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 44mm 1s f8 ISO200)

Highlands, Fjallabak, Hnausapollur area (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 115mm 1/125 f11 ISO200)

Ófærufoss (The Impassable), Eldgjá Fissure (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 50mm 1/100 f11 ISO200)

West Iceland coastal marsh from above, shot taken from a small airplane (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 34mm 1/1000 f5.6 ISO800)

At the end of the world. Hikers on the trail at the geothermal area at Hveradalir, Kerlingarfjöll (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 140mm 1/200 f10 ISO200)

Journey to the centre of the Earth. Two hikers descent at Hveradalir (the valley of hot springs), making it look like they are following Jules Verne steps... Kerlingarfjöll (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 50mm 1/80 f10 ISO200)

A photographer takes a shot from behind the main waterfall at Kvernufoss Falls, South Iceland (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 24mm 1/2s f10 ISO200)

photographer in paradise... Kerlingarfjöll (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 50mm 1/320 f8 ISO200)

West Iceland coast area from above, shot taken from a small airplane  (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 55mm 1/60 f4.5 ISO1000) — West Iceland coast area from above, shot taken from a small airplane (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 55mm 1/60 f4.5 ISO1000)

Paganel... something makes me think about the Jules Verne's character from the In Search of the Castaways novel when looking at this frame. Kerlingarfjöll  (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 50mm 1/320 f6.4 ISO200) — Paganel... something makes me think about the Jules Verne's character from the In Search of the Castaways novel when looking at this frame. Kerlingarfjöll (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 50mm 1/320 f6.4 ISO200)

Reykjavik, Harpa (XF 10-24mm f4 at 10mm 1/100 f11 ISO500)

Icelandic layers. West Iceland coast line from above, shot taken from a small airplane (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 23mm 1/1000 f7.1 ISO800)

This spirit of exploration. This gentleman was standing in such a classic Brunel-like, Victorian era pose that I thought about all those who boldly went to discover those new and amazing places we now visit as tourists... Hveradalir, Kerlingarfjöll … — This spirit of exploration. This gentleman was standing in such a classic Brunel-like, Victorian era pose that I thought about all those who boldly went to discover those new and amazing places we now visit as tourists... Hveradalir, Kerlingarfjöll (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 134mm 1/200 f8 ISO200)

Nature's synapse or a giant cobra's head? things can get pretty interesting from above. image taken from a small airplane (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 35mm 1/1000 f5.6 ISO800)

West Iceland coast line from above, shot taken from a small airplane (Cessna). Birds on a right side for scale. (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 44mm 1/1000 f7.1 ISO800)

Blue hour at the Jökulsárlón diamond beach. Probably the trickiest shot  I took ... camera was low on tripod, too close to waves for comfort, so every now and then I had to grab tripod and lift it up or run away from waves. Strong winds and low… — Blue hour at the Jökulsárlón diamond beach. Probably the trickiest shot I took ... camera was low on tripod, too close to waves for comfort, so every now and then I had to grab tripod and lift it up or run away from waves. Strong winds and low light, moving ice, moving sand, moving waves... and cold water in my boots, overall a full Icelandic experience :) but it was absolutely worth it! (XF 10-24mm f4 at 14mm 13/10s f10 ISO200)

Landmannalaugar, tiny hikers (bottom left) for scale.

blue strokes on green, shot taken from a small airplane (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 35mm 1/1000 f5.6 ISO800)

three sleeping swans, shot taken from a small airplane (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 35mm 1/1000 f5.6 ISO800)

on the top of the rock... Landmannalaugar (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 188mm 1/500 f6.4 ISO200) with x1.4 teleconverter.

flying above the birds, shot taken from a small airplane

ice and water, at the Jökulsárlón diamond beach (XF 10-24mm f4 at 16mm 1s f16 ISO200)

Dead volcanic craters, West Iceland. Aerial shot from small airplane. (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 24mm 1/1000 f6.4 ISO640)

Water forms beautiful pattern (very nordic) on the surface of the basalt column framed basin bellow the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall. Couple of hikers for scale. The waterfall, about 20m tall, is one of the most beautiful in Iceland (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 18… — Water forms beautiful pattern (very nordic) on the surface of the basalt column framed basin bellow the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall. Couple of hikers for scale. The waterfall, about 20m tall, is one of the most beautiful in Iceland (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 18mm 15/10s f11 ISO200)

Under the cloud, shot taken from a small airplane (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 32mm 1/640 f3.6 ISO800)

little house in Iceland (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 34mm 2s f11 ISO200)

Into the void. Lone hiker/photographer at the hills of Kerlingarfjöll during the blue hour. Longer exposure gave an extra mood and feeling to this beautiful place of geothermal activity with steam streaks and barren landscape making it look like a d… — Into the void. Lone hiker/photographer at the hills of Kerlingarfjöll during the blue hour. Longer exposure gave an extra mood and feeling to this beautiful place of geothermal activity with steam streaks and barren landscape making it look like a different planet. Kerlingarfjöll (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 38mm 6.5s f8 ISO200)

the hills are alive... Highlands (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 98mm 1/125 f8 ISO200)

birds, ice, sunset... Jökulsárlón (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 52mm 1/250 f8 ISO200)

Sunset alpenglow at Kerlingarfjöll (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 28mm 1/13 f13 ISO200)

Late summer (20th august) northern lights, geothermal Kerlingarfjöll. (XF 14mm f2.8 5s f2.8 ISO2000)

Ófærufoss waterfall at Eldgjá Fissure. Fast changing weather with showers and sun spells makes this place a brilliant scenery (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 16mm 2.5s f11 ISO200)

two hikers meet on a backdrop of the morning light and steam from geothermal vents at Kerlingarfjöll (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 16mm 13s f11 ISO100)

long exposure of a photographer taking long exposure of Kerlingarfjöll geothermals, Kerlingarfjöll (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 31mm 15s f13 ISO100)

Sunrise colours and wave motion at the Jökulsárlón diamond beach (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 30mm 1s f3.6 ISO200)

the engineer... the lone hiker standing next to the most powerful waterfall in Europe reminded me of the openning scene from the Prometheus movie. The Dettifoss fall is about 45m in height and about 100m wide. (XF 10-24mm f4 at 10mm 6.5s f11 ISO200)

Light and steam show -Kerlingarfjöll. (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 33mm 13s f11 ISO100)

Sunset reflection... Jökulsárlón (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 16mm 1/60s f16 ISO200)

morning at the diamond beach, Jökulsárlón (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 20mm 6.5s f16 ISO200)

Sunset at the Tall (High) Falls - Haifoss (left, second highest waterfall in Iceland) and Granni (Neighbour, on the right). The river Fossá, a tributary of Þjórsá, drops here from a height of 122 m (Haifoss). The view here is so huge and epic that i… — Sunset at the Tall (High) Falls - Haifoss (left, second highest waterfall in Iceland) and Granni (Neighbour, on the right). The river Fossá, a tributary of Þjórsá, drops here from a height of 122 m (Haifoss). The view here is so huge and epic that it is very difficult to get it all in one shot, so I had to use ultra wide lens. (XF 10-24mm f4 at 10mm 6.5s f11 ISO200)

Light and steam and tiny hikers - Kerlingarfjöll. (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 33mm 13s f11 ISO100)

Sunset at Haifoss, the river Fossá, a tributary of Þjórsá, drops here from a height of 122 m. This is the second highest waterfall of the island. (XF 10-24mm f4 at 10mm 1/3s f11 ISO200)

Þjófafoss shot in InfraRed using 720nm Hoya IR filter. Þjófafoss (Thjofafoss) waterfall is located on the river Þjórsá on the east side of the Merkurhraun lava fields in the south of Iceland (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 16mm 30s f5.6 ISO200)

sunrise... in the land of elves and trolls, Sigöldugljufursunrise... in the land of elves and trolls, Sigöldugljufur (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 20mm 1/2s f11 ISO200)

Beautiful highlands of Iceland. This is Bláhylur (Blue Pool) Hnausapollur Crater Lake, formed by eruption over thousand years ago it is located in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve area northeast of Landmannalaugar. The other lake on background is Ljótip… — Beautiful highlands of Iceland. This is Bláhylur (Blue Pool) Hnausapollur Crater Lake, formed by eruption over thousand years ago it is located in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve area northeast of Landmannalaugar. The other lake on background is Ljótipollur. (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 16mm 1/40s f11 ISO200)

Sunset at Þjófafoss. Þjófafoss (Thjofafoss) is located on the river Þjórsá on the east side of the Merkurhraun lava fields in the south of Iceland (XF 10-24mm f4 at 10mm 6.5s f11 ISO200)

Basalt columns frame the Skjálfandafljót river just downstream of the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall, which is most commonly the subject of photographs. The columns however are beautiful on their own. The river is fed by the Vatnajökull glacier. (XF 16-55mm… — Basalt columns frame the Skjálfandafljót river just downstream of the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall, which is most commonly the subject of photographs. The columns however are beautiful on their own. The river is fed by the Vatnajökull glacier. (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 16mm 25s f11 ISO200)

One to one with planet Earth. There are some places on our planet where you can be very close face to face to its soul, beauty and power. This is one of them - the geothermal area in Icelandic highlands. Absolutely amazing place. Sadly, like the res… — One to one with planet Earth. There are some places on our planet where you can be very close face to face to its soul, beauty and power. This is one of them - the geothermal area in Icelandic highlands. Absolutely amazing place. Sadly, like the rest of Iceland it is under severe pressure from ever growing tourism business. Hopefully its relative remoteness will allow some time to adjust and stay safe, and give visitors that unique feeling of being one to one with our planet. Hveradalir, Kerlingarfjöll (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 64mm 1/200s f10 ISO200)

Dettifoss - the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The Dettifoss fall is about 45m in height and about 100m wide (XF 10-24mm f4 at 33mm 6.5s f11 ISO200)

Water streams form beautiful patina on the basalt column framed basin bellow the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall on a rainy and windy day. Long(ish) exposure and filters made the colours pop though. The waterfall, about 20m tall, is one of the most beautiful… — Water streams form beautiful patina on the basalt column framed basin bellow the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall on a rainy and windy day. Long(ish) exposure and filters made the colours pop though. The waterfall, about 20m tall, is one of the most beautiful in Iceland (XF 16-55mm f2.8 at 16mm 15s f8 ISO100)

Highlander... "In the end, there can be only one."  a lone hiker on the top of the hill in the midst of the beautiful geothermal Kerlingarfjöll (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 50mm 1/60s f11 ISO200) — Highlander... "In the *end*, *there can be only one*." a lone hiker on the top of the hill in the midst of the beautiful geothermal Kerlingarfjöll (XF 50-140mm f2.8 at 50mm 1/60s f11 ISO200)

London from helicopter - 2

May 28, 2017

Summer is coming and so it is the time for the last checks on my equipment before the travel season begins. A second doors-off helicopter flight (link at the end of this blog) over London was on my list to test two X-T2s with 50-140mm f2.8 and 16-55mm f2.8 lenses side by side. Both X-T2s were with battery vertical grips, as both lenses are rather large and heavy (by Fuji standards) and it is easier to handle the X-T2 body with one of the pro zooms when you have an additional grip. The flight was at about 5 pm, so we were expecting a lot of light and of course great scenery. The weather was (as usual) changing fast, but went into a very cooperative mood once we were in the air with some nice clouds lining up in the sky after a strong shower.
It was my second time in the doors-off flight and I wondered if I would get more used to it, doors are off to provide for the best quality shots and better freedom of view. For obvious reasons no lens changes can be made in the air and the same goes for hoods and loose filters being taken off, as no one wants anything to fly out of the cabin and hit the blades... Ideally one camera with one lens is the best option. It may give you less freedom of zooming, but whilst switching between cameras you may miss a good shot, as everything moves really fast and you do need both hands to support the camera when framing and shooting in strong wind and vibration. Both cameras were set at 1/1000s shutter speed, auto ISO from 200 to 800 and I only changed the aperture depending on the shot/light. EVF on the X-T2 is a great help to see what you get whilst shooting, that is if you can hold camera to your face in that vibration, but the X-T2's EVF is large and bright making it easy.

Post-editing was done in Lightroom 6 using Fujifilm Classic Chrome profile with some further adjustments. BW conversion - with Nik's SilverEfex. Click on any image to adjust it to your screen size.

The big view - with 16-55mm f2.8 @20mm, f4, iso200, 1/1000s

Urban grid, Fulham -with 50-140mm f2.8 @50mm, f2.8, iso200, 1/1000s

I found myself using both 50-140mm f2.8 and 16-55 f2.8 lenses pretty much equally. The former has IS but I switched it off, as for the speed of shooting (1/1000s) it makes no difference. I did not note any difference in quality of shots, as both lenses did a superb job. In an ideal world I'd rather have one pro zoom, something like 23-70mm f2.8, that would cover most of my needs. Using joysticks for choosing focusing points was very easy, especially in a heavy vibration situation and both cameras were very comfortable to use. I used vertical grips on both bodies and that helped a lot as my hands are large and even with smaller primes I tend to use those grips, or a minimal leather half-case from Garitz when I want to travel light. Speaking of grips - I accept all the benefits the new X-T2 VG gives me, BUT I do miss the old X-T1 grip. In my opinion it was much better designed from an ergonomic point of view. There is not much difference between them (size and weight wise) but ideally (if Fuji is listening :) ) I would love to have the option of a lighter smaller vertical grip for the X-T2 (similar to the old X-T1 VG). Also, as much as I love the joystick on the X-T2 - dear Fuji - please put it higher, swapping it with the Q button, in the next version of the X-T body. It is so well positioned on the X-Pro2. I would rather have the Q button elsewhere too. The same goes for the movie mode on the left subdial where the brackets used to be on the X-T1. It would make much more sense to place it with the other trendy consumer extras on the right side of that dial together with panorama, filters etc.

Anyway, the test and flight were great. Second flight was much easier and both cameras and lenses performed well. The 16-55 f2.8 is a brilliant stellar lens - fantastic for aerial shooting and I would certanly fly again with it. Thanks for visiting and maybe see you on the next flight!

The Tower Bridge - with 16-55mm f2.8 @55mm, f4, iso200, 1/1000s

Home of Champions, Chelsea FC -  with 50-140mm f2.8 @115mm, f2.8, iso400, 1/1000s — Home of Champions, Chelsea FC - with 50-140mm f2.8 @115mm, f2.8, iso400, 1/1000s

Urban living - boat houses on Thames - with 50-140mm f2.8 @50mm, f2.8, iso250, 1/1000s

Science quarter - Natural History museum, Science museum, Imparial College and Royal Albert Hall, Hyde Park on the background - with 50-140mm f2.8 @140mm, f2.8, iso200, 1/1000s

Westminster - with 50-140mm f2.8 @98mm, f4.5, iso400, 1/1000s

House Guards Parade and Trafalgar Square - with 50-140mm f2.8 @115mm, f4.5, iso250, 1/1000s

St. Paul's Cathedral - with 50-140mm f2.8 @115mm, f2.8, iso400, 1/1000swith 50-140mm f2.8 @64mm, f4.5, iso200, 1/1000s

Buckingham Palace - with 50-140mm f2.8 @94mm, f4.5, iso250, 1/1000s

South Kensington - with 50-140mm f2.8 @60mm, f2.8, iso200, 1/1000s

Urban jungle - City of London - with 50-140mm f2.8 @50mm, f4.5, iso64with 50-140mm f2.8 @115mm, f2.8, iso400, 1/1000s0, 1/1000s

St Paul's Cathedral - with 50-140mm f2.8 @64mm, f4.5, iso200, 1/1000s

Walkie-Talkie - with 50-140mm f2.8 @50mm, f4, iso200, 1/1000s

The Tower of London - with 50-140mm f2.8 @50mm, f4.5, iso200, 1/1000s

St Katharine dock marina - with 16-55mm f2.8 @36mm, f2.8, iso200, 1/1000s

Welcome to London- Canary Wharf and beyond - with 50-140mm f7.1 @52mm, f2.8, iso320, 1/1250s

Canary Wharf - with 16-55mm f2.8 @20mm, f2.8, iso200, 1/1000s

KAyakers at Canary Wharf - - with 16-55mm f2.8 @16mm, f4.5, iso200, 1/1000s

Millennium Dome - with 16-55mm f2.8 @31mm, f5, iso200, 1/1000s

Royal Docks - - with 16-55mm f2.8 @47mm, f4.5 iso320, 1/1000s

Tide is coming... River Thames Barrier - with 16-55mm f2.8 @23mm, f4.5, iso500, 1/1000s

Shard and bridges - with 16-55mm f2.8 @28mm, f4, iso200, 1/1000s

Charlton Athletic ground, The Valley -  with 16-55mm f2.8 @55mm, f3.6, iso200, 1/1000s — Charlton Athletic ground, The Valley - with 16-55mm f2.8 @55mm, f3.6, iso200, 1/1000s

Old Royal Naval College, Greenvich- with 16-55mm f2.8 @42mm, f5.6, iso320, 1/1000s

Isle of Dogs and Greenvich- with 16-55mm f2.8 @30mm, f4.5, iso200, 1/1000s

Old Royal Naval College and the Queen's House, Greenvich- with 16-55mm f2.8 @45mm, f4.5, iso200, 1/1000s

Over the prime meridian, Greenvich- with 16-55mm f2.8 @31mm, f4.5, iso200, 1/1000s

The big view from above the Canary Wharf - with 16-55mm f2.8 @20mm, f4, iso200, 1/1000s

Chameleon - The Shard - with 16-55mm f2.8 @23mm, f4, iso320, 1/1000s

Westminster - with 16-55mm f2.8 @32mm, f4, iso200, 1/1000s

Buckingham Palace - with 50-140mm f2.8 @140mm, f5.6, iso500, 1/1000s

The Waterloo Station- with 50-140mm f2.8 @58mm, f5, iso500, 1/1000s

Over the London eye - with 16-55mm f2.8 @42mm, f3.2, iso200, 1/1000s

Battersea Park - with 16-55mm f2.8 @16mm, f8, iso800, 1/1000s — **Battersea** Park - with 16-55mm f2.8 @16mm, f8, iso800, 1/1000s

Battersea Power station being redeveloped into luxury living complex - with 16-55mm f2.8 @28mm, f6.4, iso500, 1/1000s

Battersea Park - with 16-55mm f2.8 @38mm, f8, iso500, 1/1000s — **Battersea** Park - with 16-55mm f2.8 @38mm, f8, iso500, 1/1000s

The London Helicopter

London from helicopter - 1

January 15, 2017

Time has come to upgrade my old trusty pair of X-T1s so what better place is to test new X-T2 than a doors off helicopter (link at the end of this blog) ride over London? After some thinking and web searching I opted for the X-T2 (with battery grip) and 50-140mm f2.8 lens combo, and X-Pro2 with 35mm f1.4 as a second camera, as I wanted to test a fast prime and was not sure how much light we would get at the end of the flight. The flight was planned for just after 3pm and the idea was that we would fly over the Tower Bridge about half an hour before sunset. With luck we would have good light and great scenery. In fact we (three photographers sharing the flight) were very lucky and the dull grey sky broke into clouds and gave us what we were hoping for.
To get the best quality shots and relative freedom of view one needs to take doors off. This requires a proper secure harness with several attachments points to the helicopter, plus safety belt, plus both camera straps having to be secured by carabins too. Despite all that, being strapped to a chair 1600 ft in the air still makes you being rather cautious when you lean out to take a shot. Having dual cards slots in both cameras and extra batteries in X-T2 comes handy as changing anything during the flight is not allowed, as no one wants anything to fly out of the cabin and hit the blades... for the same reason the lens hoods were removed too. Once in the air you get very strong vibrations, noise and wind so my cameras were set at 1/1000s shutter speed, auto ISO from 200 to 800 and I would only change aperture depending on the shot I was taking. Saying that, and you can see from the shot info I attached to each image, most of the shots were made with large apertures. I stopped down both lenses ocassionaly and only once used f8 when light was hitting me too hard - EVFs on both cameras are great to see what you get, that is if you can hold camera to your face in that vibration.

Post-editing was done in Lightroom 6 using Fujifilm Classic Chrome profile with some further adjustments. Click on any image to adjust it to your screen size.

London's golden hour; X-T2 ISO640 50-140mm f2.8 1/1600s

I found myself using both X-Pro2 with 35mm f1.4 and X-T2 (with vertical grip) and 50-140mm f2.8 lens pretty much equally. I did not note any difference in quality of shots as both cameras (and lenses) did a superb job. Using joysticks for choosing focusing points was very easy, especially in a heavy vibration situation and both cameras were very comfortable to use. The only thing I would have liked differently is a tighter aperture ring on 35mm f1.4 - it is too soft, so it is too easy to move under helicopter flight conditions. And yes, here comes a small rant, Fuji - why still only three frames per bracket? And why put movie mode onto the left subdial where brackets used to be on X-T1? It would make more sense to place it with the other extras on the right side of that dial together with panorama, filters etc. Also it would make sense if info icons on EVF were to have the same locations on both X-Pro2 and X-T2, for the sake of clarity and simplicity ... and finally, how about an option of saving your camera body settings onto an SD card as a file so you can quickly set up another new one? Anyway, would I fly again - absolutely yes (see link below), would I take the same cameras - yes, may be swapping 35mm to 23mm f1.4 or 16-55 f2.8 lens.

St. Katharine Docks Marina; X-Pro2 ISO200 35mm f2.8 1/1000s

Wapping area; X-Pro2 ISO250 35mm f2.8 1/1000s

Canary Wharf; X-Pro2 ISO200 35mm f2.2 1/1000s

Waterloo Station; X-Pro2 ISO200 35mm f3.6 1/1000s

IMAX cinema, Waterloo Station; X-Pro2 ISO200 35mm f3.6 1/1000s

Over the Archbishop's Park, Lambeth area; X-Pro2 ISO540 35mm f3.6 1/1000s

Oval cricket ground X-Pro2 ISO320 35mm f3.6 1/1000s

Battersea power station being redeveloped; X-Pro2 ISO640 35mm f5.6 1/1000s

Battersea park; X-Pro2 ISO2800 35mm f5.6 1/1000s

Battersea park; X-Pro2 ISO400 35mm f2.0 1/1000s

Parsons Green, Hurlingham Park; X-T2 ISO800 50-140mmf5.0 1/1000s

Battersea area; X-Pro2 ISO800 35mm f4.5 1/1000s

Saint Mary's Church, Battersea Church Rd; X-Pro2 ISO400 35mm f4.5 1/1000s

Battersea area opposite Imperial Wharf, X-Pro2 ISO400 35mm f4.5 1/1000s

Battersea Park; X-T2 ISO800 50-140mm f5.0 1/1000s

Barnes Wetland Centre; X-T2 ISO640 50-140mm f5.0 1/1000s

Imperial Wharf, Chelsea; X-T2 ISO200 50-140mm f5.0 1/1000s

Lots Road Power Station, Chelsea Creek. Originally allowed to switch District line trains from steam to electricity. Being redeveloped now. X-T2 ISO800 50-140mm f5.0 1/1000s

Worlds end estate, Chelsea; X-T2 ISO800 50-140mm f5.0 1/1000s

South Kensington; X-T2 ISO800 50-140mm f5.0 1/1000s

Palace of Westminster - House of Parliament, Bridge and London Eye; ; X-T2 ISO200 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

Westminster Cathedral, Victoria; ; X-T2 ISO250 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

Palace of Westminster - House of Parliament; X-T2 ISO200 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

HM Treasury and HM Revenue & Customs (left) and Foreign & Commonwealth Office (right). Grey building on the right - 10 Downing Street.  X-T2 ISO200 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s — HM Treasury and HM Revenue & Customs (left) and Foreign & Commonwealth Office (right). Grey building on the right - 10 Downing Street. X-T2 ISO200 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

Buckingham Palace and St. JAmes Park; X-T2 ISO3200 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

Centre Point (left) and Central Saint Giles (colourful buildings) ; X-T2 ISO200 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

British Museum; X-T2 ISO200 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

Aldwych, Strand meets Kingsway; X-T2 ISO200 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

St. Paul's cathedral; X-T2 ISO320 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

Looking north between Bank and Moorgate. Guildhall bottom left,  Finsbury Circus (right)X-T2 ISO200 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s — Looking north between Bank and Moorgate. Guildhall bottom left, Finsbury Circus (right)X-T2 ISO200 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

walkie talkie - not the prettiest skyscraper in London even from above .. X-T2 ISO320 50-140mm f3.6 1/1000s

London City; X-T2 ISO800 50-140mm f3.6 1/1250s

London Shard and renovated London Bridge Station; X-T2 ISO800 50-140mm f2.8 1/1600s

Limehouse area; X-T2 ISO800 50-140mm f3.6 1/1250s

Canary Wharf; X-T2 ISO800 50-140mm f3.6 1/1250s

Millenium Dome (The O2 arena), North Greenwich; X-T2 ISO250 50-140mm f2.8 1/1000s

London City Hall, X-T2 ISO800 50-140mm f2.8 1/1600s

Grand Finale - every cloud has a golden lining in London :) X-Pro2 ISO200 35mm f8.0 1/1000s

The London Helicopter

Iceland

September 4, 2016

This is the second part of my retrospective blog about a trip that took place in Greenland and Iceland two years ago. Equipped with X-T1 and X-E1 with 55-200, 14, 18-55 and 35mm lenses and little prior experience of landscape shooting I trekked some of the most beautiful landscapes on this planet. The trip was organised by Icelandic Mountain Guides. The Icelandic part of the trip was overwelming by its combination of increadible landscapes, light, weather, textures and colours. There is so much beauty packed on this island that once you have visited it - it will always stay in your heart. I was surprised to find out that X-T1 with vertical grip and 55-200 lens attached to it was used most of the time to reach as far and high/low as I could when in the mountains. 14 and 18-55mm lenses were used on a few ocassions when a grand view presenteditself. I guess it also reflects my personal vision of landscapes too. Also my apologies for those who expect large waterfalls - I have not selected any for this blog. The idea was to show Iceland the way it looks from a trek, on the go without a tripod, away from the main tourist path. Post-editing was done in Iridient Developer and Lightroom 6. Click on any image to adjust it to your screen size.

Our first camp was at Þórsmörk, south of Iceland between the glaciers Tindfjallajökull and Eyjafjallajökull, the latter home for the famost trouble maker Eyjafjallajökull vulcano. Þórsmörk is a beautiful mountain ridge that was named after the Norse god Thor with breathtaking views.

One of the Þórsmörk glaciers under the clouds, the glacier ice folded and scrambled like a frozen image of crashing waves.

Layers of ice and rock….  Þórsmörk — Layers of ice and rock…. Þórsmörk

Glacial ice contrasting with the rock of the mountains and the green moss and grass, Þórsmörk

Our second camp was at Skaftafell, south east of the Vatnajökull national park. The only heavy rain we had during the trip gave way to a beautiful sunset. The following days we trekked along some spectacular routes.

Ice and fire - sunset at Öræfajökull and Hvannadalshnjúkur as seen from Skaftafell.

The great skua is a pirate of the seas, deliberately harrassing birds as large as gannets to steal a free meal. Jökulsárlón area.

On the way to the third camp and Landmannalaugar.

Landmannalaugar highlands was our final destination and a base for the third camp.

Two hikers "lost" in the vastness of the Landmannalaugar Highlands.

Trek with a view... Landmannalaugar Highlands

The colourful mountains of Landmannalaugar Highlands

Nature's palette, amazing colours of Brennisteinsalda Mountain, Landmannalaugar Highlands. For scale reference - there is a tiny speck of a hiker on a trail just left of the hill's top.

Beautiful colours and patterns of Landmannalaugar Highlands

Layers of colour and light, Landmannalaugar Highlands

A fellow hiker walks on the backdrop of Landmannalaugar Highlands, Iceland - one of the most beautiful places to travel to and have a hike among spectacular landscapes.

So, what is next? Definitely more trips to other parts of this beautiful island in the nearest future. I am also looking forward to using the new X-T2 cameras with new weather proof 50-140 f2.8 and 16-55 f2.8 lenses. Having two camera bodies with dedicated lenses works best when trekking, unless one is pressed for weight. In that case X-T2 with 50-140 f2.8 will do just perfectly for me. Changing lenses on the go, with winds carrying dust and volcanic ash is complicated. The new combo may not be as light as the kit that I had on my first trip, but it certainly gives a huge bonus of weather sealed lenses and superior optics combined with bigger sensors of XT-2 and dual cards - less card swapping on the go. Looking forward to writing a new blog next summer.

Icelandic Mountain Guides

Greenland

August 14, 2016

This year I could not travel far, so this is a retrospective blog - two years ago I took my then brand new X-T1 and X-E1 (as a backup) paired with 55-200, 14, 18-55 and 35mm lenses and went trekking in Greenland and Iceland for three weeks on tour organised by Icelandic Mountain Guides. At that point I had little experience in landscape photography and did not know Fuji X series cameras very well. But they were light, compact with great quality sensors and importantly all this gear could fit into one Lowepro 102 AW sling pack withND filters, SD cards and 12 extra batteries. Long distance hiking for days puts certain demands on weight and size and for that Fuji X cameras were ideal. I had X-T1 with vertical grip and 55-200 attached in the main compartment of the pack and X-E1 with 18-55 in the smaller top compartment. The sling pack was always slung on my front, over the rucksak shoulder straps (38l Osprey Kestrel) on my back with my day gear. The combo was very comfortable and well balanced, so I had no restrictions in movement and could get either of the cameras out quickly to take a shot.
Post-editing was done in Iridient Developer and Lightroom 6. Click on any image to adjust it to your screen size.

Our first camp was at the Karale fjord, a few hours motoboat ride from Kulusuk. The day we arrived the weather was rather grey, but gradually changed to sunny with blue skies and stayed so for more than a week. The granite mountain peaks of East Greenland are about 1000-1500m high and though they look deceptively young they are actually very old having been protected from erosion by an ice cap that is retreating from the coast line now.

Knud Rasmussen glacier, the magnificent glacier flows into icy waters of Karale fjord, East Greenland. The glacier is named after a similarly magnificent man, Danish polar explorer Knud Rasmussen

the turtle-like granite rock comes out of the glacier like a giant prehistoric animal awaken after an ice-age. Image taken at Karale fjord, East Greenland.

fjord patrol, arctic fox in summer coat, Karale fjord area, East Greenland

small icebergs on the way to Kuummiut, the intense blue once were flipped over recently

Our second camp was set in the fjord near the Kuummiut village about 50 miles down south. And the final third stop for a few days was at Tasiilaq - the biggest town (1,800 inhabitants) of East Greenland and has some spectacular views of the fjord with icebergs near by.

I see you -  arctic fox was resting in the shadow of a boulder when I found her/him — I see you - arctic fox was resting in the shadow of a boulder when I found her/him

iceberg near Tasiilaq. the fishing boat gives you an idea of scale

The trip was fantastic and using X-series cameras was a joy. This year the new X-T2 is coming, so I will have even better cameras on my future trips paired with new fantastic weather proof and super sharp 50-140 and 16-55 lenses. Finally, I would also like to stress two points that rarely come up in Fuji promotions and advertising. First - that apart from being amazing in quality, well priced and drop dead gorgeously looking, and supplying endless fun whilst shooting - Fujifilm cameras, especially X-T1/2 and X-Pro1/2 are fantastic for learning photography. They certainly taught me a lot in a very short period time. In fact I learnt on the go whilst trekking. Having everything being done via dials combined with the fact that EVF gives you a live view of any changes is a brilliant interactive educational tool. The second point is that although it is important to showcase work of professional photographers who uses x-series for weddings, events, fashion etc, it is also important to show what one can do with these gems of cameras on travel. Combining travel with learning photography results in the never ending fun during and after the journey e.g. this blog entry.

Icelandic Mountain Guides

London from an air balloon

July 11, 2016

I waited for this flight for a year but it was absolutely worth the wait! The air balloon flights in London are restricted to weather, early mornings, wind directions and speed. The link to the air balloon company site and more information on air ballooning is at the end of this blog. So after seven or eight cancellations, we finaly flew over London from Hyde Park to Wanstead Flats. Starting at about 5:30am the flight lasted for just under an hour. I took my usual trusty Fujifilm X-T1 paired with Fujinon 50-140mm f2.8 and my new best friend - X-Pro2 paired with 16-55mm f2.8. The images below more or less reflect the flight path and have area and building annotations. The general direction with a south westerly wind was from Hyde Park - Marble Arch, Marylebone towards Fitzrovia and Kings Cross, flying further towards Angel and Islington, then swinging towards the east over Hackney and Victoria Park, over the Olympic Park at Stratford and landing at Wanstead Flats, between Forest Gate and Manor Park. I found myself using both X-Pro2 with 16-55 f2.8 and X-T1 (with vertical grip) and 50-140mm f2.8 lens, with slight preference to X-T1 once in the air. Post-editing was done in Lightroom 6. Click on any image to adjust it to your screen size.