Experience with backpacking Laugavegur in Iceland

[lumpidu]

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Hi,

 

I am usually not too active in this forum, but I returned just home from holidays and thought I'd share my experience with backpacking Laugavegur in Iceland with my M8.

 

The Laugavegur => "washing way" is simply amazing. It's a 55 km trip in Icelandic highlands in vulcanic active area. Most people need 4 days from Landmannalaugar to Þormsörk (just below infamous Eyafjallajökull). Some do it in 2 days. Very few can do it in less than 3 hours in the Laugavegur marathon.

 

My wife and I were not in marathon alike mood and needed the full 4 days. At each end of the day we were happy to see the hut which promised us rest from the 6+ hours walk with our 20+ kg backpacks. Weather was amazingly good: mostly sunny, but at the third day when we paced through the sand desert "Emstrur" wind and clouds reminded us that in nordic climates hiking is not the usual sunny afternoon walk. Underestimating this climate can be very dangerous as sudden blizzards are not uncommon. So be prepared and pack your full Gore Tex, sweaters, underwear, Thermos with hot water, etc. into the backpack. This adds to the bulk, but one is grateful if one really needs it. On a stone 1km near Rafntinnuskjer hut a RIP sign remembers that guy in late June 2004 who couldn't make it in time when a sudden blizzard made sight and orientation impossible.

 

Then again you need to cross some rivers with bare feet, as no bridges are avail. So you pack those sandals and towel, which again add to the bulk. In fact 20 kg. is probably the least you need on such a trip. Going much lighter isn't possible without real compromises: you need food, water and have to take your waste with you again.

 

With all that in mind trying to figure, what camera equipment to bring into place is difficult. In the end I took my M8 with the Summicron f/2 35mm asph., the Summarit f2.5 75mm and one spare battery. I did not take the charger with me because of bulk (Leica, who needs those monster chargers ?). So I had to be veery careful with battery life. After I took a picture, I immediately switched off the camera. Only when shooting multiple exposures, I let the power switch on position S for longer. After some while this procedure got second nature and I could achieve 400 actuations per charge instead of just over 250 as usual.

I made mostly landscape photos from more distant objects. The frame lines were often way off and I had to recapture the frame. Probably I need to send in my M8 for a frame line upgrade. I seldom shoot close ups.

I wore the M8 always in my right hand with the neck strap curled around the wrist. I tried letting it hang around the neck, but together with the backpack it was simply too heavy.

 

By wearing it in hand I had to watch out my steps. Laugavegur goes up and down all the time, sometimes very steep. Slipping is very probable, so often I put the camera back in the pack and used both hands to save me.

Unfortunately the summarit stayed constantly in my pack. I thought I'd use it for close ups of cotton grass or something, but I didn't even use it once. Sometimes I did not want to exchange lenses because of dust when wind came up. But somehow it was really relaxing, going only with one lens and trying to adapt to its particular strengths or weaknesses. I think on my next hike, I'll go with one lens only and live with the compromises.

 

I have had my M8 for 2 years now and it truly amazes me. Looking at the pictures at 100% looks perfect. Although sometimes I would like to go wider than my 35 f/2 asph. can capture, I have adapted so well to it, I just try to step back. The Summarit got a lot of use in another hike I did and this is also a remarkable lens. Bitingly sharp on close ups. And I like the bokeh as well. But it normally gets only 20% of usage.

 

Here is a link to some pictures of Laugavegur trip:

 

Laugavegur 2011 - a set on Flickr

 

I used C1 v6 trial for developing that particular album. I like somehow the blues in the sky in C1 better than in Lightroom, although until now I used only Lightroom for development and got quite fond of it. But I find the standard look of my M8 pics in Lightroom in comparison to C1 (which I try from time to time) "boring" and wished especially the blues wouldn't look so cyan. Maybe it's the Uv/Ir filter I use. But the C1 look with the standard Uv/Ir ICC profile I like much more, also the micro details in C1 appear to me more pronounced.

If only the workflow issue of C1 and the price of the Pro version wouldn't be so awkward ...

 

But of course this is a matter of taste and just my personal opinion.

[Erik Gunst Lund]

Very Nice set, looks like a fantastic trip! Thanks for the inspiration

I would boost contrast in some of them but that's just my taste

[pgk]

So often more is less. The M8 with a 35mm lens is, as you have illustrated, a very versatile combination. Looks like you had a most enjoyable time in a stunning location.

[lumpidu]

Thanks for the friendly words.

 

In the meanwhile I rearranged some photos (@Erik: bumped up contrast a bit ) and added some subtitles.

 

Looking back I wonder, what should I have made differently photo-wise?

 

First as I mentioned: only one lens. Maybe even another kind of camera. The M8 is not at all light weight, even if paired with only a 35 mm lens. A small compact micro 4/3 with a pancake would have served me probably equally well with much less weight. But I do not own one, so I took what I've got.

 

Then the direction of the sun: we had mostly sun against us. This far north even at lunchtime the sun is not very high. It made photos in the walking direction almost impossible, although it's much more natural to take photos in the direction where your eyes look. Always turning around making photos from behind is odd. Consequence: we should have chosen to walk the other way around: Þorsmörk -> Landmannalaugar. I had a lot of either over exposed or under exposed shots because of that.

 

Then there are the things you cannot change:

It's all about the light, as Michael Reichman says on Luminous Landscape. That's certainly true. But when backpacking several days, you cannot wait for the right light to come, you have to carry on and reach the hut at the end of the day. You will not come back without the back pack later if the light is low taking the shot. You do not have the tripod with you (until you make compromises with your other equipment or food, or read further below) for low light situations and you are so exhausted that you are glad in the evening to get some food, go to bed and be refreshed for the next day.

As one must not make any noise in the hut before 7am, going for the early light in Icelandic summer is only possible if one stays outside in a tent. Which means: additional weight for the tent, sleeping pad, the Primus, dishes (as you are not allowed to use the hut kitchen when staying outside), etc.

 

We met a German pro photographer couple, which makes a 3 months photo trip through Iceland. They stayed outside in a tent and were fully equipped. Both had a Nikon DSLR and a zoom and a tripod with them. I asked them, how heavy their backpack was. Only 15 kg was the answer. What ??

They invested several thousand € for their outdoor equipment, going as lightweight as possible for having their photo equipment with them to get those low light shots.

So yes, it is possible. At a price .

[pgk]

It's all about the light, as Michael Reichman says on Luminous Landscape

His comment is true only in a perfect world. I would say its more about making the best of what you have - few photographers are able to wait for the perfect light and often to do so would only be possible with substantial pre-planning and investment in time and money. Waling inevitably places time constraints so shooting as you go is the only real possibility.