Iceland review - 2016, Page 52

50 ICELAND REVIEW
VIEW FROM THE TOP
When Ragnar Sigurðsson was 12 years old, he
bought his first camera—a purchase that would
ignite his lifelong passion for outdoor pho-
tography and eventually propel him to the forefront of his
profession as a nature photographer. “I wasn’t interested in
learning what I was [supposed to be] learning at school at
the time,” he explains. “I had fallen on hard times, and one
of my teachers could tell I wasn’t feeling too well. Finally,
she told me one day, ‘Quit school today and go learn
something you want to learn.’ The following week, I was in
Sweden to study photography. I just needed a push. I don’t
regret that decision for a moment.”
TACKLING CHALLENGES
Ragnar, whose wide-ranging career includes working
as a photographer for the Icelandic women’s magazine
Vikan, gathering stock photos for Getty Images and Arctic
Images, and doing PR work and press photography for var-
ious news outlets, recently celebrated his 40th anniversary
in the profession. He is a photography pioneer, routinely
experimenting with new technologies to produce uncon-
ventional and innovative photographs. “I like technology,”
he explains. “If I run into a problem, I like to attack it.
Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson tells
Elliott Brandsma about his prolif-
ic 40-year career at the cutting edge
of nature photography, as well as his
stunning drone shots including the
2014-2015 Holuhraun eruption.
PORTRAIT BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON. ALL OHER PHOTOS BY RAGNAR TH. SIGURÐSSON.