13.05.2022 Josselin Cornou

Capturing Iceland Breaking Into Fire With FUJIFILM GFX100S

Josselin Cornou

Josselin Cornou (aka Joss) is a French Australian Adventure & Landscape photographer & Software Engineer currently living in London, UK. 

Joss first picked up a camera in 2012, months after starting his new job as an Engineer. Photography was a means for him to continue nurturing his creativity, and being able to slow down and journal, while waiting for the perfect lights.

By 2017 Photography led him to travel across all continents. Visiting Antarctica was a chance to pivot his photography, with an aim to focus on sustainability, education & the environment, leading him to have his body of work recognized and published worldwide (e.g. National Geographic, Committee of Space Research 2021, World Photography Awards, Australian photography magazine, etc.). Josselin uses the GFX system as his main camera system, due to the advantages of shooting Medium format. 

The thought of visiting Iceland again is something I dream of almost every day. The undulating frigid island is iconic with its awe-inspiring auroras, storms, and momentous snow. For a landscape photographer, it’s a playground and I find every trip feels like I’m visiting a new country for the first time.

What took me to this notably distant land this time was a motivation to capture a pristine environment once more from a different perspective. Previously my pursuit for the perfect landscape has taken me abroad in many environments and this trip, in particular, reminded me of a recent trip to Vanuatu. You see, it was there I beheld a volcanic eruption. Where I saw new earth created.

Watching the strength of the earth expel violent columns of magma into the air was something to marvel at. As landscape photographers, we strive to capture these conditions. I felt fortunate to be in the same situation this time around in Iceland. Snow had turned to fire, and I didn’t have to go considerably far to capture the spectacle – only half an hour from the airport.

After filling out what seemed to be reams of paperwork to travel during a pandemic, I embarked on a seven-day field trip. Preparing my camera equipment was methodical; each lens had to serve a purpose in my mind. A wide lens was employed to capture the epic scenery, a second lens to exclude distracting peripherals, and a third allowing distant objects to become more intimate. Paperwork complete and bag packed, I headed to the island with a FUJIFILM GFX100S and the following three lenses:
(1) FUJIFILM GF30mmF3.5 R WR
(2) FUJIFILM GF80mmF1.7 R WR
(3) FUJIFILM GF23mmF4 R LM WR

My muscle memory had always reached for the FUJIFILM GF23mmF4 R LM WR lens, but this trip was different. I wanted to explore the possibilities of telling a different story through my images. For that reason, I opted for the capable FUJIFILM GF30mmF3.5 R WR and sturdy GF80mmF1.7 R WR. Using these lenses was interesting as they offered a completely new field of view and experience to capture the surroundings.

Being fairly biased towards using ultra-wide-angle photography, I was especially excited and interested in testing both the 30mm and 80mm for my landscape photography.

Photographing Fagradalsfjall

When I first heard about the volcano erupting in March 2021, I knew I had to be there. If you ever get the opportunity to visit Fagradalsfjall when it is erupting, don’t think – go. Visiting this volcano is currently one of those ephemeral top destinations for any landscape photographer. It’s one of those places that takes your breath away, regardless of an eruption.

I found the conditions perfect for visiting in June earlier last year. The weather was clear and void of snowfall. I could take advantage of getting within walking distance with my camera in hand to see the crater with my own eyes. All it took was an easy-to-moderate, 1.5- to 3-hour round trip. I also took the opportunity to see the eruption from air too.

While nature has its beauty, it also holds darkness. Conditions around volcanoes can change rapidly, and the gases released can be highly toxic. This can have a drastic effect on air travel. So, if you are ever considering visiting this place, make sure to check Safetravel for safety information and Verdur for a forecast and information about gaze dispersion.

Given how magnificent this volcano is, I ended up visiting this volcano four times this trip: three by foot, and one by air.

FUJIFILM GFX100S + GF30mmF3.5 R WR - F4.5, ISO 100, 1/105 sec.

Akin to Mordor, the Sindarin Black Land of Middle-Earth’s Lord of The Rings, Fagradalsfjall Volcano arose from the mystic plains. The tentacles of fire tattooed the land and fixated my vision from the small, winged plane. Utilising the GFX100S along with the freakishly sharp GF30mmF3.5 R WR, I dropped the camera’s shutter speed to rely on the brilliant In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS), which was put through its paces because of the fraught turbulence as a result of the high toxicity in the air.

To be exact, I had a small window of opportunity at each pass, 10cm x 10cm. Let’s say it took a few errors on my part to perfect the technique and timing. However, efforts were made easier thanks to that smooth IBIS that accepted a 1/105 second for sharpness.

Aside from timing, in the end, my favorite composition from the air required a rather technical exposure, one for the ash-filled land and another for the floating sky. The resulting two photos were married by quickly bracketing at precisely EV +1/-1. to ensure correct exposure of the sky and landscape.  Luckily the sensor stabilisation did incredibly well – even at 1/125 sec. – and the photos came out sharp and full of details.

 

FUJIFILM GFX100S + GF30mmF3.5 R WR - F3.5, ISO 500, 1/1000 sec.

While some would think that 30mm could be fairly narrow for landscape photography, it’s not. The 4/3 aspect ratio of the GFX100 typically renders wider frames, leading to photo equivalent to 24mm in length and 21mm in width (compared to a 36x24mm sensor). This focal length, in turn, is the perfect companion for aerial photographers, especially those who wish to compose panorama photographs.

Turning my attention to the sharp GF80mmF1.7 R WR, the lens helped create a different ‘compressed’ perspective. The longer focal length was used when visiting the volcano on foot for the majority of the time. The lava had just shut down the main trails, which limited the viewing angle of the volcano. However, when in the air, it helped portray a different story. I was able to get a much closer perspective of the molten flow around the crater, as demonstrated in the following photos.

Putting the other lenses away for a few shots really allowed me to nurture my creative mindset. While I tried to take similar shots with my drone (28mm 1inch sensor), the medium format camera allowed much greater dynamic range, and 80mm really made details of the scene pop, unearthing the cracks of this volcano.

FUJIFILM GFX100S + GF80mmF1.7 R WR - F11, ISO 50, 2.3 sec.

FUJIFILM GFX100S + GF80mmF1.7 R WR - F1.7, ISO 125, 1/1000 sec.

On The Road

Fujifilm’s heritage is impressive. Its innovation in creating a portable product still astounds me. Having previously used Hasselblad, Sony and others, there’s something about medium format (or large format in Fujifilm’s terms) that makes these cameras the perfect tool for landscape photographers; the colour science, form factor and quality all rolled into one camera.

When out on the road, it’s a pleasure using the stylish cameras and lens combination. They were never a hindrance in any way. In combination with a small-footprint medium format body, the short focal lengths were a pleasure to travel with – especially on the road.

Talking about roads, Iceland has them, but it seems the landscape tries to overrun them. It’s a given in such extreme environments. While undulations on the road are constant, the landscape is forgiving. This was especially true in 1973 when a navy plane from the US crash-landed upon a beach at Sólheimasandur. Part of the wreckage remains and is almost the postcard of the island.

FUJIFILM GFX100S + GF80mmF1.7 R WR - F1.7, ISO 100, 1/5000 sec.

Continuing my journey, I found myself standing on the edge of a cliff listening to the bombardment of pounding water. Its compounding flow was a barrage of mesmerising destruction. The resulting drifting mist was fog-like, hiding distant canyons from sight. The scene before me was pristine and something I longed to capture. The slow shutter chosen was an ideal measure to portray the power of the melting torrent. Visiting this place was worthwhile as it put into perspective the diversification of the growing island, filled with what seemed to be every weather event possible. I felt lucky to travel to such a destination and even luckier to witness the land of ice on fire.

FUJIFILM GFX100S + GF30mmF3.5 R WR - F32, ISO 100, 1/3 sec.

It felt quite enlightening being able to go and capture this magnificent landscape once more with the 30mm & 80mm, and I have to say, those two focal lengths appear to suit photographers really well. Over the following month, this really allowed me to step back and try going out of my photographic mould, to explore what I could create with such versatile, yet incredibly sharp lenses.