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| Fire and Ice - the country of extremes captured with ZF Lenses |
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It was love at first sight when Sabine Unterderweide traveled to Iceland for the first time back in 1997. The landscapes on this indescribable island fascinated her so much that she just had to go back. However, she would not return for another five years. Since then, the master photographer has used every opportunity to visit – three times in 2007 alone.
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| Makro Planar T* 2/100 ZF, f /2,1/60s |
What makes Iceland so fascinating is not just the extraordinary scenery and its inhabitants, but also the fact that there are practically only two seasons, summer and winter. The light conditions are always something special – vivid to spectacular.
Fascinating lighting situations
This picture of the evening twilight was taken with the Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF at full aperture and a shutter speed of 1/60s. In the background you can see the "Vatnajokull," Europe's largest glacier, on the southeast coast of Iceland. For her photos, Sabine Unterderweide relies on various Nikon cameras equipped with grid screens to precisely align the horizon and the elements vital to the picture. She preferably takes pictures using the manual exposure function and pre-selects 1/125s to ensure that her photos are always reproducible. She needs this shutter speed to achieve shake-free exposures without a tripod. “I can work more spontaneously and with more concentration if I don’t use a tripod,” she says about her preferences.
Amazing play of colors
There is a 3 km wide peninsula embedded in the Heradsvötn river delta on the north side of the island. The Tröllaskagi mountain chain is located in the background. “The weather can change extremely quick in September. We were standing on the sunny peninsula as a thunder storm engulfed the mountains in the background," she remembers. This picture, which captured the mood of the moment, was taken with the Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF at aperture f/1 and a shutter speed of 1/125s. As a result of its high color saturation, the slide film used enabled very authentic rendition of this fascinating situation.
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| Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF, f/11, 1/125s |
Unreal landscapes
The landscape around a large lake is marked by lava, and black and red rocks along the Valagia gorge. This image shows the crater in the background. The Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF enabled moderate condensing of the perspectives here.
“A sudden sandstorm surprised us when we were standing at the edge of the crater in the middle of this very unreal landscape consisting of nothing more than ash and sand. The wind strength suddenly increased to level six to eight. It was no longer possible to get ourselves and equipment to safety. We were mercilessly pounded by the sand," says Unterderweide today. "We even found sand under the pressure plate inside some of the cameras. Needless to say, there would be no more picture-taking. My lenses crunched as soon as I turned the focus ring. Only the Distagon T* 2,8/25 ZF just mounted on the camera withstood these conditions. All functions, including the focus, worked as reliably as always,” says Sabine Unterderweide. This is why she added several ZEISS lenses to her range of equipment.
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| Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF, f/8, 1/125s |
Razor sharp success
Thanks to the high speed of the ZEISS lenses, the bright rangefinder is an extremely important aid when it comes to analyzing a scene. With this animal portrait, it was very difficult to recognize the details as the contrast was very low. The Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF reached the close-up range of approximately 50 cm. Focusing at this distance was very difficult as the horse was very agitated and was constantly moving. “I still succeeded – the horse's eye is razor sharp. Because of the low contrast and mane, an autofocus lens would not have had a chance”, explains Unterderweide.
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| Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF |
High contrasts
There are some pictures that you can only take once. In such moments, you must be able to rely on your equipment. “In June 2006, the glacier ice was so thick that you couldn’t even see the caves,” remembers Sabine Unterderweide. “We walked around the ice without even seeing them." In this case, a glacial cave is shown as it was in June 2007. Despite the difficult light conditions, it was possible to take a high-contrast, once-in-a-lifetime photo.
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| Distagon T* 2,8/25 ZF, aperture f/8, 1/125s |
One perfect moment
At 5 a.m., the spray of the Godafoss waterfall in northern Iceland created this rainbow. Such a photo can only be taken in June as the sun has to be in the north. Sabine Unterderweide needed four years to capture the magnificence of this natural event. “The weather was bad two years in a row. The third year, the show was over at 7 a.m. Only in June 2007 was I able to complete my mission," says a happy Sabine Unterderweide. This moment was captured using a Distagon T* 2,8/25 ZF at aperture f8 and 1/125s. Even the rocks deep in the shadows and the weeds can be seen thanks to the high dynamic range.
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| Distagon T* 2,8/25 ZF, aperture f/8, 1/125s |
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| | About Sabine Unterderweide
Sabine Unterderweide is a master photographer and regularly holds workshops for photo enthusiasts in Iceland. Visit her website at: www.unterderwei.de |
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May 2008 |
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