Iceland – Always Try New Things

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Photographer Ragnar th Sigurdsson loves to use studio lighting on location. It’s one of his trademarks.  He showed me how he does his magic at midnight on Iceland’s Jokullsarlon or glacial lagoon, a 10 kilometer lagoon chock full of icebergs that pour out into the sea. With simple portable strobes and flashlights we lit up dozens of icebergs, painting light on incredible forms in the middle of the night at a truly fantastic location. It was truly exciting. And the company simply can’t be beat.
Ragi’s scheduled a repeat performance for all of the participants in my Focus on Nature workshop tonight at midnight. Hopefully none of them will check my blog before then because it’s a surprise. It’s just one of many we have in store for them this week.
Wow! I’m still saying wow! Because of one evening, I’m thinking about light differently now.
Get priority status in my 2010 Iceland workshop.
Email info@johnpaulcaponigro.com.

Iceland – Focus On Nature (August 10-14, 2009)

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Focus On Nature’s Einar Erlandsson asked me about my thoughts on my past (2008) and future (2009) workshop in Iceland, as well as my approach to teaching.
Here’s an excerpt.
Q: Do you see the light in Iceland as being different in some way?
A: Iceland’s light is ever changing. It moves so fast you have to stay alert.
Q: What in the landscape inspires you?
A: Extreme variety. Intense energy. Challenging complexity.
Q: Do you feel that the Icelandic workshop is different or has a character you can explain in few words to participants?
A: Iceland, both the landscape and its people, has a unique character. It’s very complex landscape with astonishing geologic variety – rugged seascapes, glacial lagoons, active volcanoes, Europe’s largest icecap, Europe’s only desert. The culture is simultaneously ancient (oldest European language, isolated genetic strain, different surname conventions) and high tech (cutting edge geothermal and computer technology). The people behind Focus on Nature are all professional photographers each with a lifetime of experience in Iceland. They know all the ins and outs of the place, the hidden spots and unusual people who would go unnoticed by someone without that experience. They’re extremely gracious. When it’s cold, Raggi pulls out a surprise stash of Russian Cognac. When it’s raining, Einar is suddenly found standing next to a student – with an umbrella. Everyday you’ll be surprised. You’ll get lost in Iceland. Be careful. If you go, you may not want to leave and you’ll definitely have to go again.
Read the rest here.
See my past Iceland blogposts including participant work here.
Space is still available. 10% discounts apply through April.

Focus On Nature – Iceland Journey 2008

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“Excuse me sir. Could you help me get lost in Iceland?”
And we loved every minute of it.
If you want to get lost in Iceland, go with the pros; go with Focus On Nature.
We covered some territory and put in some long hours. And yet we feel we’ve only just begun to experience Iceland. Columnar basalt seashores, geothermal hotsprings, volcanic craters, lava beds, glaciers, glacial lagoons, black beaches strewn with ice, waterfalls, wide river deltas, lush river valleys, high deserts … but wait there’s more! But we’re out of time. We’ll have to wait – until next year.
Focus On Nature has been a great experience. Fantastic landscape! Great people!
Find out more about Focus on Nature here.
Get Priority Status for all 2009 workshops now by emailing einar@focusonnature.is.

Get Local Information – Part 4 – Gudmundur Ingolfsson

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Focus On Nature’s creator Einar Erlandson enlisted professional photographer Gudmundur Ingolfsson to help guide us on location in Iceland. Gudmundur is a veteran photographer. His passion for photography started when he was a young boy. He started learning English by reading photographic magazines. So what do you talk about for two 16 hour days while driving through the stunningly varied and complex landscape of Iceland? Susan Sontag and Roland Barthes. Eliot Porter, and Joel Sternfield. View cameras and CCDs. Climate change and vulcanology. Jim Jarmusch and Aki Kourismaki. Vivaldi and Dave Brubeck. You know light conversation. The funny thing is we were always laughing. Gudmundur’s drove us in his modified desert exploration vehicle, an old orange rig high enough to go across rivers and rugged enough to go over volcano beds lying between glaciers. We never would have gone to the places we went without his able guidance. When local’s share their experiences you learn, experience and share more. My advice? Get to know the locals. And have fun doing it! You might make great friends.
Find out about Gudmundur Ingolfsson here.
Find out more about Focus on Nature here.
Get Priority Status for all 2009 workshops now by emailing einar@focusonnature.is.

Get Local Information – Part 3 – Ellert Gretarsson

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Focus On Nature’s creator Einar Erlandson enlisted professional photographer Ellert Gretarsson to help guide us on location in Iceland. Ellert recently won the … in the … He’s enchanted with the colors of nature. So, he guided us to his hot spots in Iceland. It rained all day. We got soaked. And came away with gold, and blue, and red, and green … you get the idea. He was able to describe how the colors changed in varying weather and light conditions. It’s clear that Iceland is not only incredibly rich visually but that it’s also highly changeable. It’s going to take more than one trip to Iceland to experience all that Iceland has to offer – maybe a lifetime. When local’s share their experiences you learn, experience and share more. My advice? Get to know the locals. And have fun doing it!
Find out about Ellert Gretarsson here.
Find out more about Focus on Nature here.
Get Priority Status for all 2009 workshops now by emailing einar@focusonnature.is.