#simeon patarozliev

DarkfallbySimeon Patarozliev

I’ve seen a single photo of Aldeyjarfoss before departing for Iceland. I thought it looked quite apocalyptic and I should definitely see it with my own eyes. It’s situated just 40km south of Goðafoss. There are two gravel roads on both sides of the river that seem to lead to the falls, somehow. I check my map, I check the quality of the road on both sides and choose the one I think will be more used by tourists. There are but a few farms around here and I have no hopes of any locals picking me up. After 30 minutes of waiting, I decide that there is no point in standing like a statue and I start walking. As it happens often, after the first 200m., a car stops beside me - it saves a few hours, probably some walking in the dark and gives me an opportunity to photograph the sunset.

In a way, the feel of this place is very close to my initial impression. But it’s not so much the waterfall - it’s the surrounding landscape. A vast desert. Magma rock that has dried a long time ago, black sands, an occasional patch of moss, a few blades of yellow grass here and there, the wind… and me. It’s actually a lot for a desert, a place one would usually associate with nothingness. The lack of a sunset doesn’t stop me from taking a photograph.

I remember a few years back, seems like a lifetime, lying in a hammock near the sea shore in a small forest. A friend told me that the sound of the sea was calming. I thought it was noise. Now I’m setting up my camp here, just twenty metres away from the waterfall. It’s not the biggest waterfall I’ve seen or camped near, but it is powerful, to say the least. The whistle of the wind, the sound of the little black grains of sand hitting the walls of my tent, the melody of the raindrops, the rumble of the falling water. I sleep like a baby. Things don’t change, but perspectives do. On the next day, I walk the forty kilometres back.

This photo is part of my ICELANDproject.

Take a tour in the INTERACTIVE MAP of my journey.

SilkbySimeon Patarozliev

A few weeks before I left Iceland I’ve spent a night near Godafoss. It’s an amazing waterfall but I never had the intention to camp there or to take a photograph of it. Still I somehow ended up at this place quite late during the day and decided to stay. While I was at it I’ve also decided to at least take a shot or two for my family. It was in mid-October so at that point there weren’t many people around which was great. Found this small mossy stone and set up my tripod into the water. As I was making some tests a guy popped out of nowhere. He came next to me, said “Hello” and asked if he could put his tripod next to mine. “Sure” I said, but “Why the fuck?” I thought…

So he puts his camera right next to mine, the legs of his tripod crossing mine, adjusting the angle while looking at my display. I don’t say a word, after all that’s his choice. At some point he starts talking to me: “The sunset is boring. (I don’t answer) Now is not a good time to photograph this place. In winter there is so much more water here, it’s more beautiful.” I think to myself: “Then what are you doing here now, man…” Then he draws a smartphone out of his pocket and opens up a whole gallery of photos taken from the exact same spot, with almost the exact same composition, obviously from different times of the year and from different authors. “See, these are way better.”

I silently packed my stuff and left the place. I still can’t understand this.

This photo is part of my ICELANDproject.

Take a tour in the INTERACTIVE MAP of my journey.

September SongbySimeon Patarozliev

I was having a very bad hitchhiking day, moving ever so slowly, not too many cars, going through very short distances. A car left me on this spot and as I stood there I was thinking that I’m having a really tough day. And then the view just hit me. I was in the middle of nowhere, facing this black pyramid-looking peak and the light was dancing on the hills showing so many colours, layering the autumn in front of my eyes. I just put my tripod and spend some thirty minutes just trying to capture this dance, forgetting about cars, transport or where I’m going. In the end it wasn’t a really bad day after all.

This photo is part of my ICELANDproject.

Take a tour in the INTERACTIVE MAP of my journey.

Five Little SheepsbySimeon Patarozliev

Camping on Loðmundarvatn lake near Landmannalaugar, Iceland. Had the chance to see a little arctic fox while taking a walk to a nearby mountain which is lucky considering these animals are quite shy in these parts of the island. The morning was fresh and calm and it was a pleasure observing how the light dances following the shapes of the mountain while some sheep were leisurely grazing on the opposite shore. The weather in Iceland is so dynamic that you can rarely get enough of if when it comes to landscape photography. Enjoy your travels!

This photo is part of my ICELANDproject.

Take a tour in the INTERACTIVE MAP of my journey.

Desert LifebySimeon Patarozliev

The weather in Iceland is so dynamic that sometimes you have to force yourself to stop shooting otherwise you could stay in one place for ages. The clouds on this particular day were moving so fast, light playing with the green mossy mountain, showing different accents every 5 minutes or so that, although I had to rush, I couldn’t just pass by this magnificent landscape. The contrast between the seemingly lifeless black desert and the small tufts of wildflowers growing in between the stones was really captivating. I was stopping every 200-300m. to take a photo from a new vantage point and capture a completely different light shining down on the mountain.
Somewhere on the Laugavegur trail - my advice is to buy some plane tickets (or ferry perhaps) and check out for yourself where that image was shot :) Happy travelling!

This photo is part of my ICELANDproject.

Take a tour in the INTERACTIVE MAP of my journey.

Beyond the Dying LightbySimeon Patarozliev

I hardly had good weather for photography when I was travelling around Torres Del Paine. Yet, on my last day there, just before Christmas, I woke up to witness this view. It was a nice present for the upcoming holiday :)

Descending LightbySimeon Patarozliev

Another landscape from my travels around Iceland. After a very windy evening calmness surrounds the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. Such tranquillity really makes up for a nice walk after setting up my tent and as the ice reflects in the still waters one can reflect upon oneself.

This photo is part of my ICELANDproject.

Take a tour in the INTERACTIVE MAP of my journey.

The Wild Bunch bySimeon Patarozliev 

It’s strange when you come back home, review your photos and find out that this one shot that you really liked isn’t really yours. You’ve seen it somewhere and have forgotten but it always stood somewhere in the back of your mind. Anyway, this is my version but perhaps the first one to really make an impression with a photo from this vantage point was Marc Adamus - so thank you :) This is the massif of Monte Fitz Roy - some of the hardest to climb and some of the most beautiful peaks in Patagonia. It’s worth it to go and see them, experience a night or two below them and feel their majesty. A photograph for me could never be compared to the real feel of a place but hopefully, could act as a trigger for people to go out and explore these landscapes themselves :)

So buy these plane tickets and go travelling!

Empyrean GlowbySimeon Patarozliev

Travelling around Iceland was an experience of a lifetime. Camping every night at some of the most breathtaking landscapes like Skogafoss waterfall is something irreplaceable. I’ve always loved the idea of implementing something human in my landscape photography not because I want to show “how small people are in the face of nature”, but instead that we are only part of something much bigger. We are nature, after all.

This photo is part of my ICELAND project.

Take a tour in the INTERACTIVE MAP of my journey.