Iceland review - 2016, Page 53

ICELAND REVIEW 51
Instead of avoiding difficult things, I
run toward them. I like challenges and
technology helps me overcome them.”
Over the years, he has learned that
his best photos are more the result of
intuition and feeling rather than a spe-
cific technique or approach. “I some-
times take my best pictures in horrible
weather and the worst conditions,” he
explains. “I try to find simple things
that look amazing. It’s about feelings
and light, not so much about places.
For me, photography is very personal.
I’m either in the right mood or not in
the mood. Things are happening or
they’re not happening.”
TRENDSETTER
Recently, Ragnar has been using drone
technology to take his photography
to the next level. His spectacular
aerial views of the Holuhraun erup-
tion, which were featured in the 2016
Press Photographs of the Year exhibition
at Perlan, and his mid-air views of
Reykjavík, have garnered a lot of atten-
tion in Iceland and elsewhere. Ragnar
started using drones in 2011, before
they became mainstream. “The US
Army was using them for warfare, so
I decided to replace the guns attached
to them with cameras. Drones revolu-
tionize my vision.”
Ragnar skillfully employs drones in
order to capture familiar settings in
an entirely new way; they enable him
to innovate instead of imitate, trail-
blaze instead of following the beat-
en path. “When you’ve been doing
something for a long time, you need
to renew your vision,” he describes.
“The danger is that you start repeating
yourself. In stock and nature pho-
tography, you never follow trends.
You have to invent things and become
a trendsetter. Drones are a welcome
new technology; they grant me a new
perspective, which gives me a lot of
freedom.”*
PHOTOGRAPHY
Opposite page: The glowing lava
stream of Holuhraun forms distinct
patterns on the rough surface. The
interplay between the orange of the
molten lava and the black of the
solidified lava isn’t visible in photos
unless they’re shot in the twilight
after sunset.
Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson.
A bonfire on New Year’s Eve at Geirsnef, Reykjavík. The people are standing in a circle, staring at
the fire, and the city is reflected in the Elliðaár rivers on either side. The different
temperatures of the illuminants paint the image in varied colors and the shadows create depth.