“The Falling Gods” | Godafoss, Iceland
This is the almighty waterfall where the Pagan Gods were discarded and abandoned, yet forever remembered as one of the foundations of the Icelandic collective unconscious.
This photo was made on the third day of the Iceland trip. After a second day with endless hours of driving, which ended with a photo session of the Hvitserkur rock formation, I decided to head to Godafoss during the night, so that I could have enough time to photograph it the next day and, hopefully, still be able to photograph Detifoss.
This image was made on the less touristy side of the waterfall, and it was one the most technically difficult places to photograph I’ve ever been to. The massive amount of water spray created by the multiple waterfalls made it feel like if it was heavily raining on that area. I had many microfiber large lens cleaning cloths with me, but all of them got quickly soaked. The only way to make a decent sharp photo on this place involves composing the image and always cleaning the filters between each capture. I used a 15 second exposure (instead of the usual 30), because the results were similar to a longer exposure (due to the quick movement of the water), and this allowed me to minimize the exposure to the water spray.
This was the my first time in front of one of the giant Icelandic waterfalls. To be in front of one of these “monuments” is an absolutely unforgettable experience, putting our place on Earth in perspective, a well as the forces which animate the power of Nature. A lesson of humility and sensory overload.
José Ramos ©
Technical data:
Sony a77 + Sigma 10-20mm
Exposure: 15 seconds
Aperture: f/14
ISO: 100
Filters: Formatt Hitech ProStop IRND 7 stops, 4 stop soft ND Grad
Manfrotto MT055XPRO3 Tripod + MH055M0-Q6 ballhead