Two-Years Ago (29-July-2013) — Iceland

Gone to See Iceland 2013 Photography Safari with Mike Hagen. Day 0: Reykjavik.

The day before the Iceland Photography Safari started, I went on a walkabout in Reykjavik. The morning was cloudy with some light rain when I came across a cat sitting in front of the famous Hallgrímskirkja (church of Hallgrímur). In the evening, I walked along the harbor to see Sólfar, the Sun Voyager steel sculpture. From wikipedia “Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun. Intrinsically, it contains within itself the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom.” The sun didn’t set until after 22:00 (10 PM).

Cat in front of Hallgrímskirkja (church of Hallgrímur) in Reykjavik, Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens with an Olympus FCON-T01 fisheye adapter (ISO 160, 7.5 mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Cat in front of Hallgrímskirkja (church of Hallgrímur) in Reykjavik, Iceland. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens with an Olympus FCON-T01 fisheye adapter (ISO 160, 7.5 mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Sunset Along the Reykjavik Harbor Walkway. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 160, 10 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). The foreground is a water fountain, and the bicycle rider just happened to go by as I took the image. (David J Mathre)
Sunset Along the Reykjavik Harbor Walkway. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 160, 10 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). The foreground is a water fountain, and the bicycle rider just happened to go by as I took the image. (David J Mathre)
Silhouette of Sun Voyager (Sólfar) at Sunset. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 160, 10 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)
Silhouette of Sun Voyager (Sólfar) at Sunset. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V2 camera and 10 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 160, 10 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (28-July-2014) — Russia

Gone to See Europe 2014. Day 58: Semester at Sea, Summer 2014 Semester Voyage. Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Lighthouse at dusk in the Gulf of Finland Near Kronstadt Island from the deck of the MV Explorer as we departed Russia. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/2.8 VR lens (ISO 1600, 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro, Focus Magic, Nik Define, and Photoshop CC.

Lighthouse Departing Russia. View from the deck of the MV Explorer while departing St. Petersburg. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. (David J Mathre)
Lighthouse While Departing Russia. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (24-July-2014) — At Sea

Gone to See Europe 2014. Day 54: Semester at Sea, Summer 2014 Semester Voyage. Baltic Sea Approaching Russia.

Time-Lapse Video of Noctilucent Clouds taken from the deck of the MV Explorer while traveling across the Baltic Sea. Images taken with a Nikon Df camera with a 24 mm f/3.5 PC-E lens and a Fuji XT1 camera with a 23 mm f/1.4 lens. Images processed with Capture One Pro, Photoshop CC, Premiere Pro CC, and After Effects CC. I used the warp filter in  After Effects to stabilize the images  taken on the deck of a moving ship.

One-Year Ago (02-July-2014) — Bay of Biscay

Gone to See Europe 2014. Day 32: Semester at Sea, Summer 2014 Semester Voyage. At Sea.

Sunset on the Bay of Biscay from the Deck of the MV Explorer. Semester at Sea, Summer 2014 Semester Voyage. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 70-200 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 200 mm, f/16, 1/60 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro and Photoshop CC.

Sunset on the Bay of Biscay from the Deck of the MV Explorer. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 70-200 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 200 mm, f/16, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Sunset on the Bay of Biscay from the Deck of the MV Explorer. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 70-200 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 200 mm, f/16, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (20-June-2014) — Portugal

Gone to See Europe 2014. Day 20: Semester at Sea, Summer 2014 Semester Voyage. Portugal.

The Semester at Sea MV Explorer was docked in Lisbon, but we were not allowed off the ship since it was a classroom day. These images were taken early in the morning from the deck of the ship. We were docked right next to the Lux nightclub where there was loud music all night, and it didn’t close until nearly 06:00. By the music was loud, I could hear and feel the rhythmic thump, thump, thump  in my cabin all night. When I got out on deck to capture the sunrise I saw a long line of taxis waiting to take the night club folks home (many staggering and not able to stand up). At breakfast, the Semester at Sea shipboard administration folks were concerned what would happen when the students were allowed off the ship with a night club this close. The chatter on the ship was women (appropriately dressed with a short skirt) could get into the Lux for free, but men had to pay a 200 EU service charge.

Nightclub Lux closing at 06:00. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 80-200 mm f/4 lens (ISO 800, 116 mm, f4, 1/15 sec) (David J Mathre)
Nightclub Lux closing at 06:00. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 80-200 mm f/4 lens (ISO 800, 116 mm, f4, 1/15 sec) (David J Mathre)
Dawn and Sunrise over the Tagus River in Lisbon, Portugal from the deck of the MV Explorer. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 80-200 mm f/4 lens (ISO 100, 200 mm, f8, 1/125 sec) (David J Mathre)
Dawn and Sunrise over the Tagus River in Lisbon, Portugal from the deck of the MV Explorer. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 80-200 mm f/4 lens (ISO 100, 200 mm, f8, 1/125 sec) (David J Mathre)
Dawn and Sunrise over the Tagus River in Lisbon, Portugal from the deck of the MV Explorer. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 80-200 mm f/4 lens (ISO 100, 200 mm, f8, 1/250 sec) (David J Mathre)
Dawn and Sunrise over the Tagus River in Lisbon, Portugal from the deck of the MV Explorer. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 80-200 mm f/4 lens (ISO 100, 200 mm, f8, 1/250 sec) (David J Mathre)