Unexpected Dumping of Dead Fish, a photo from Snaefellsnessysla, Vesturland

Photographer's Note

Malgo told me she wanted to see more natural landscapes from Iceland - so here you go Malgo :)

I actually had no intention of posting this photo today, but I thought you may like to see it.

The reason why i was initially hesitant to post it was because of the 50/50 split composition....i really don't like it. But if Malgo wants to see more landscapes then i'll try to help her out.

Perhaps the reason why i don't have as many landscape shots as one may normally have from Iceland is because of the weather we encountered. We visited in March, and the sky was usually very cloudy and grey, seldom did we encounter nice blue skies - only 3 out of the 10 days we were there. Also, the grass was always brown, not the pretty greens and bright warm colors. On the plus side at least it didn't rain or snow alot, and we did get to see alot of winter-frozen-ice type of landscapes.

We plan to return to Iceland in 2014 or 2015, but in the summer months, it will be interesting to see the changes.

What I remember most from this photo shoot was the nasty foul smell! There were thousands & thousands of dead rotting fish lining the entire shoreline!! It was freaking gross. When we pulled the jeep over to get out, we could smell it from far away. The worst part of it was that we had to walk through it to get to the POV you see here. For the life of me no matter how hard I tried, i couldn't get the fish parts out of the soles of my boots for at least a few days! it was EVERYWHERE! They were even stuck into my tripod legs! gross

I still don't understand why they had dumped all the fish parts along the shoreline - and yes, they were dumped there purposely. There were actually a couple of dump trucks parked here, and this was their duty.

Don't understand why??? Thank goodness they weren't actively dumping fish bones, and rotting fish when we were here. If anyone out there has a theory as to why this is purposely done i'd be curious to hear it.

As for the photo, the lighting was very harsh, but the landscape and scenery was sensational and beautiful.

I'll post a WS photo where you can see the layers of rotting fish

thanks for looking

rigoletto, ikeharel, snunney, annjackman, timecapturer, parvatibb, ChrisJ, worldcitizen, jjcordier, krzychu30, Royaldevon, tyro, Gigidusud, mkamionka, mkamionka, Hansaphotos has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mesutilgim (0) 2013-11-21 4:13

Hello Craig,
Another topclass capture from Iceland.
Perfect pov and layout. Nice reflections.
Simple but quite effective and nice.
TFS and have a nice day
MESUT ILGIM

lousat (138609) 2013-11-21 4:13

Hi Craig,a very useful pic to me too and not only for Malgo..ehee.you know how Iceland is onmy heart..ehehe...and the pic is really beautiful,the magic light of the north and fantastic reflections in a perfect symmetry,very well done in a magic atmosphere of peace and quiet! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

rigoletto (34279) 2013-11-21 4:18

hi craig. despite the gross rotten fish incidents, dull grey skies and the centered horizon, this photo is a very nice landscape from this cold, barren land (i don't think it is a must obey rule to put the horizon on the 1/3 verticals every time). also a proof that it is not necessary to see a beautiful blue sky or green grass in every nice landscape photo. happy that malgo insisted :)

Sergiom (117241) 2013-11-21 4:26

Bonjour Craig

Un vrai paysage de fin du monde. J'aime le grand espace laissé à l'eau dans cette composition qui pourrait être en noir et blanc tellement la lumière est fantomatique.

Amicalement

Serge

snunney (130967) 2013-11-21 5:11

Hello Craig,
Exciting stuff, wading through rotting fish! Anyway, you came away with a great picture. The placement of the shoreline mid-frame works well here, accentuating the symmetrical nature of the scene. I like the soft light and muted tones.

Kugart (1778) 2013-11-21 6:08

Hi Craig,
I like the horizontal symmetry about this shot. Perfect lighting and reflections. Superb Craig, Great shot,well spotted.
Regards
Arthur.

annjackman (23019) 2013-11-21 6:36

Hi Craig,
Well your title drew me to your picture! I rather like the split composition but I guess you could crop off some of the top if you wished. I do like the little triangle of stones in the corner which anchor the FG. Lovely soft colours as expected from the weather.
Very well done.
Kind Regards, Ann

timecapturer (49288) 2013-11-21 6:50

Hi Craig
great title it certainly is an attention grabber! As for halfway horizons I am never totally convinced as to why they are a No! No!, especially when they include a mirror like reflection as seen here. As for the fish, well if you squint your eyes really tight the image is decidedly fish-like, so something deep is going on here and in your subconscious the smell has made you compose this image. Yes OK enough of this bulls*it, I like the shot just as it is! Very Icelandic!

Regards - Brian.

Nicou (193806) 2013-11-21 7:47

Hello

un vrai miroir quelle vue sueprbe tout ce fond tout ce double et la forme de cette montagne ronde et pointue c'est splendide vraiment un autre monde.
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

holmertz (101988) 2013-11-21 9:02

Hello Craig,
Since I don't feel the stench of the rottening fish I can quietly enjoy this view. The striped grey and white hills have produced perfect refections in the very quiet sea. I don't knw about the dumping, but maybe they had caught too much and dumped the fish rather than dumping the price. Or maybe the fish was too small to be sold on the European market.
Kind regards,
Gert

No_One (4) 2013-11-21 10:39

Hi Craig,
The lighting was harsh, but I think that adds to the magic here. I actually love the 50/50 split on this, it seems to suit this mirror reflection so perfectly well. A really nicely spotted scene. When I read your note about the dead fish, it just proves the art that is photography. You took something most people would run a mile from and created this wonderful idyllic scene. Thanks as always for a cool shot and note!
All the best
Noel

parvatibb (1387) 2013-11-21 12:14

Cold, smelly and beautiful! So it is possible to have all adjectives at the same time :)
Amazing view!worth the efforts.
regards
bb

siudzi (34141) 2013-11-21 13:22

Hi Craig,
Wow! What a stunning mirror effect here! Amazing capture taken with a superb technique and composition. Cool work! TFS!

Best,
Gosia

ChrisJ (171222) 2013-11-21 14:11

Hello Craig,

It's not quite Jasper in Alberta but it is getting there! I know what you mean about the stench of dead fish. I have a shot from southern China and every time I start to do any pp work to load it I am reminded of the smell and switch to another image! Good reflections and monotones of blue white and black. Tfs!

worldcitizen (15956) 2013-11-21 18:42

Hello Craig,
Hmmm...there's something fishy going on here. ;-) It's a nice mirror image, and I can feel the cold in the air. I'm glad I don't have to smell the rotting fish, though! It's pretty gross that you had fish guts stuck to the bottom of your boots!! Grey skies can be nice, and this one matches the surroundings. You should write a travel book about your weird experiences around the world. :-)

adidas5nb (5743) 2013-11-21 20:36

the geography looks harsh,but you managed to make it look so beautiful and attractive.love the division of the frame and the symmetry it creates.
regards
dwaipayan

jjcordier (79299) 2013-11-21 22:46

Craig
J'aurais bien tenté un format plus panoramique en gardant le 50/50 pour mettre en valeur l'effet miroir tout en supprimant une partie du ciel et de la mer moins intéressants à mon goût? J'aime bien ton WS avec ton modèle préféré.
Amicalement
JJ

krzychu30 (15512) 2013-11-22 0:43

Hi Craig,
alone the title makes we want immediately discover the scene.
Just love how the scene divides into two parts-the "real"one and the reflected.Both are stunning!
Reading your note I think we should start giving additional points for take up a challenge and taking pictures in so "unfriendly" surrounding:)
Thanks for your sacriface.I can tell you-it was definitely worth!

Have a nice day
Krzysztof

Royaldevon (85606) 2013-11-22 1:54

Hi Craig,

Well, I wish I had a theory about the dead fish but sadly, no!
I find this a very interestingly angular subject, and if you look at it sideways, there is definitely a native face there, complete with ornate headdress. Now, I can't see anything else!!
The shingle in the r/h corner prevents it being completely symmetrical and helps create a sense of depth. I think a crop from the top would assist, especially if you are worried about the horizon line.

What you show us is an incredibly bleak scene and yet, there is raw beauty there. Summer shots will be an interesting contrast.

Have a great day,
Bev :-)

SnapRJW (31631) 2013-11-22 2:04

Hello Craig - A special medal for the intrepid and dedicated photographer! Smelly fish, yuck, fortunately you were the only one of us who had to wade through rotting fish flesh! As to the 'rules' of photography, they are only guidelines and in a case like this with excellent symmetry and balance really don't need to apply! Do you know how many times people stick mindlessly to the 'rules' without engaging their own ability to see if a shot works? Lots and lots, I see it all the time on TE. A delicate and beautifully quiet shot. Warm regards Rosemary

tyro (30513) 2013-11-22 2:11

Hi Craig,

What a fantastically interetsing note! I must say I can't really think of any reason why they should be dumping dead fish here - it sounds gross considering the price of fish here in Britain and how much trouble there seems to be caused by various fishing rights and so on in the North Sea and North Atlantic, what with the Brits, the Scandinavians, the Icelandics and the Russians all wanting part of it. What I do recall, however, from my trip to Iceland (on our way to East Greenland) over 40 years ago, is the sight of lots of wooden racks on little hills at the roadside, all draped with fish sitting out in the sun to dry. You could also see dried fish for sale in the shops in the town too - they certainly didn't look very appetising to me but I gather that they are a part of the staple diet there.

Anyway, Craig, this is a delightful landscape/seascape view and I'm sure that Malgo will love it when she sees it - I certainly do! O.K. the horizon does split the picture 50/50 but who cares? The lovely reflections on the still water give the image a wonderful symmetry, the light and colours are delightful and, of course, it's pin-sharp as usual.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

Gigidusud (21679) 2013-11-22 15:23

Hi Craig,
Splendid landscape with beautiful silver color and fantastic reflections. A real mirror, I like a lot!
Have a nice Week-end,
Gigi.

Silvio1953 (220605) 2013-11-23 6:34

Ciao Craig, fascinating landscape with fantastic reflections, wonderful natural colors and splendid light, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

emka (157280) 2013-11-23 23:36

Hi Craig,

hahaha, landscape from Iceland!!! And specially for me :). Many people are grateful that I a bit forced you to post it. I do not care if it is 50:50 or other proportion. It looks co cold there. very attractive with this perfect reflection. What a strange thing about the dead fish. Why they dump them there. Sometimes it is a good thing that we can transfer images, sounds but not smells. fantastic shot.
Warm regrads Malgo

delpeoples (60342) 2013-11-24 3:27

Gidday dear Craig

Well you get the prize today for the weirdest photo title, well done. And probably also for the most beautiful photo, but you knew that anyway. It's a humdinger and I reckon it will keep Malgo happy for a while. And me. And Tosca. Love those silvery blue tones and the definition of the mountain is stunning. Interesting to see you threw out the rules here by composing it half-half rather than thirds and I like it a lot. Also, the Horizon Police made a quick enquiry here but on closer inspection is looks like the right part of the landscape is not part of the horizon but is running towards you? Right? Or have I gone cross-eyed from watching too much Doctor Who this weekend? :D

Cheers
Lisa

claudeD (47754) 2013-11-25 6:23

Hello Craig,

wonderful reflection picture from Island. I like your composition and the fine light managment. Very well done.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

JC

ikeharel (112439) 2013-11-26 1:09

Hello Craig,
You managed a beautiful landscape photo inspite of the dreadful dead-fish smell, a great reflection over the calm water surface.
Picture halved nicely with the ridge between sea and sky, and the snow on the slopes is in fine contrast.
Best regards,
Ike

mkamionka (73374) 2013-11-28 6:28

Hi Craig,
speaking of Malgo: she has already phoned me today in the morning from England and in a week or so she will visit me here. I am wondering if and what she may post from this area?
Fantastic geometry here. Pity that sky does not have more features or that there is not much direct sunlight but the place still impresses the viewer.
I like the perfect reflection here and I think I would even make a close up of this triangular mountain with its reflection as the geometry is strikingly beautiful.
Excellent shot,
M

eldancer1 (36343) 2013-11-28 9:48

So beautiful and peaceful but it look so cold! I like the symmetrical composition. Good lighting in spite of what looks like a cloudy day and sharp details. Very well done, tfs.

Hansaphotos (11381) 2013-11-28 14:19

Hello Craig

Agree about the 50/50 split, but I also try to imagine this scene presented in a more panoramic format, leaving out some of the empty sea and sky, just a thought:) Interesting to read about the rotting fish. I`ve heard that a traditional dish in Iceland is dogfish, a type of shark, that have been buried for some weeks or months, and then they dig it up again and eat it. Well, I have never tasted it, and never intend to do so! I don`t think the smell you experienced was created by a fish going through this process, that must have been something else. I really love the serenity of this scene. Great work, Craig - and a great story to accompany.

Greetings, Erling

jemaflor (146280) 2013-11-30 23:39

Hi Craig,
Nice landscape well presented with thes ereflections on water, light is well managed, tfs.

dale54 (17750) 2013-12-09 12:23

craig hello..you've captured iceland's calm/peace of winter..beautiful landscape and reflection! tfs. dale