WINNER CATEGORY LANDSCAPE
Baard Næss | Black lava beach

Name: Baard Næss
Picture title: Black lava beach
Category: Landscapes
Nationality: Norway
Occupation: I am the owner and editor of the Norwegian magazine ‘Natur & Foto’ and I work as a nature and advertising photographer in Norway. I also organize and lead photo holidays around the world. I also make nature films for broadcasting.

Technical information
Camera: Hasselblad L1D-20c attached to a DJI mavic 2 pro drone
Lens: 28mm f2.8
EXIF: 1/50s – f7,1 – 400 iso
Accessories: None

Baard Næss says:

In my photography job I’m lucky enough to travel extensively and one of my favorite areas to work is Iceland. Iceland is a volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean. With open countryside, sea, fjords, waterfalls, mountains, glaciers, green plains and volcanic activity, Iceland has a lot to offer in terms of landscape. When the sky is blue and sunny, I don’t take as many photos. But when it’s windy, snowing and so-called ‘bad’ weather, then it’s good photo weather for me.

The photo of Black Lava Beach was taken in January 2024. It was quite windy and the waves hit the land hard. Then it started snowing. I noticed interesting formations in the sand and took quite a few pictures of it. I had a drone with me but was a bit unsure about how safe it was to send it up in such snowy weather with strong winds. Luckily I took the chance. I had the drone adjusted so that I was satisfied with the composition. The camera pointed straight down and that helped quite a bit in terms of not getting snow on the lens.

I like to play with contrasts. The white snow against black lava beach inspired me. It gave a nice gray scale and structure in the sand. When I look at the picture, it shows a lot of what Iceland is, but in an abstract way. The snow has created a pattern that resembles mountains and valleys. Iceland has a lot of water and sea, and not least a lot of stormy weather.

I am very grateful and happy that the jury has seen potential in this picture. It’s a slightly “different” landscape photo and perhaps a bit odd for some, but hopefully interesting and inspiring too.