Northern exposures
Elisabetta Rosso loves using her Nikon to capture Iceland’s raw beauty
My first trip to Iceland was in August 2011. I’d been on photographic journeys to hotter climes such as Kenya and Brazil, but I’d always had a hankering to see the Northern Lights and discover what life was like nearer to the Arctic Circle. As soon as the plane landed in Iceland on a summer’s night I fell in love with the country. I’ve been back three times now and I never tire of it. It always feels like a fresh and different place to capture.
On my first trip I rented a 4x4 and hit the road. I had 20 days to explore the country, and it was an incredible journey. I started in Reykjavik and visited lots of incredible spots, from black lava sand beaches to the famous waterfalls in the south of Iceland. I especially loved meeting the friendly inhabitants of the Vik cliffs – these gorgeous puffins [4]. I spent hours there with a long lens, trying to capture the antics of these funny birds, using a high ISO and a short shutter speed to keep them sharp as they flew about in the sunshine. They’re addictively cute subjects to photograph.
Water, water everywhere…
Every time I’ve been to Iceland I’ve tried to capture the famous waterfalls in a different way. It’s harder to show their tremendous power and size than you’d expect! On one occasion I used