The Big Empty

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted November 29, 2015139 views8 comments

The hike between Landmannalaugar and Hrafntinnusker hut in the Icelandic Highlands was a vast and barren emptiness of snow and sky. As is common, low clouds and fog would flow in and totally obscure the trail and views. I spotted this lone hiker and noticed a sun spot moving across the snow toward the hiker. This natural spot light on the hiker and the clouds and sky hopefully gives a sense of this section of the Highlands.

Simple BW conversion in CS6.

Nikon 810, ISO 200, f8, 1/500 th sec., 24-120 lens

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on November 29, 2015 at 12:28 PM

The hiker has an amazingly strong presence give his size here, Harry. A neat view that works well in b&w.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Roel Wijtmans on November 29, 2015 at 1:12 PM

That is very well seen, the lone hiker in the spot of light is great. Works very well indeed to give a sense of the vastness of this landscape.

Registered on September 30, 2012, 116 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on November 29, 2015 at 3:26 PM

Harry,
This shot gives me the power of the sky and the sense of desolation for the hiker. The spotlight on the hiker gives it a bit of a spiritual feel as he is enlightened by the moment.

Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on November 29, 2015 at 5:07 PM

My thoughts exactly Patrick. Even though the area has an isolated quality of nothingness, the sun splashes gave a feeling of hopefulness to those that wander through this barren area - alone with one's own thoughts as there are no other visual distractions that much of Iceland is known for.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on November 30, 2015 at 7:52 AM

Beautiful shot Harry, definitely gives you a good feeling for the vastness and solitude. Makes we want to be that hiker!

Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on November 30, 2015 at 7:05 PM

I like it, Harry. It definitely conveys the sense of the large and relatively featureless expanse. I like the way the hiker is positoined in the sunlit patch.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Igor Doncov on December 1, 2015 at 8:54 AM

I like this a lot Harley. Many of my favorite Man and Nature images are ones where man is depicted very small in proportion to the canvas. This is about as small as you can get yet the figure immediately draws attention. Great work. Sometimes we don't put as much work into images in this forum as we do in Landscape and that's a shame.

Registered on November 22, 2014, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments

Comment posted by Marylynne Diggs on December 1, 2015 at 11:59 AM

This is fabulous. I love the tiny hiker, sun on him, big mean sky overhead. It tells a story.

Registered on December 14, 2010, 122 Posts, 1034 Comments