Darkelf Photography

Whispers of Time

Saksun is a lovely small village located in the north of Streymoy Island in the Faroe Islands. We visited this place during our first trip but we did not get a chance to really explore around it. We only walked through the village and concentrated on the church and the iconic houses. I did walk down to the lagoon but the tide was rising and I was not able to venture out too far. The second time around we spend a beautiful day walking around the tidal lagoon at low tide and also hiking the surrounding mountains. That helped to discover photo possibilities in case we decided to come back one more time, which we definitely did. This time it was in the evening with hope of either a great sunset or moody conditions. In the end moody conditions won.

It was an overcast but reasonably peaceful evening, if we ignore a small herd of horses which decided to leave their enclosure and roam wildly about the village. There is a small bridge to cross when going to the main part of Saksun and it was quite a sight with five or six horses rushing towards our car at full gallop. Luckily, they passed by without any incident and were then chased further by the locals following right behind them. Still, it was quite a welcome.

I photographed the grass thatched houses previously and it was not the right time to visit the lagoon, so I decided to climb a little further above the village to see whether it was possible to possibly find a stream or a waterfall to use in my composition. There is a larger waterfall flowing just behind the village but it was a bit risky trying to get to the side which would have worked for the composition I had in mind. It wasn't actually that easy to find a composition because most decent streams were hiding away from the view of the lagoon. I just could not find the right angle. This was one of the better compositions I could find with just enough of the view below to make it work (in my mind anyway). The clouds worked nicely as well, and long exposure gave them a dreamy feel which is something that I was looking for in this image.

Blue hour mood was definitely prevalent by the time I was able to take photos. It was getting steadily darker but I had enough time to work with a few different compositions. I also took a number of different exposures to see whether faster or slower shutter speed worked better for the waterfall. I decided to stay with the full long exposure setting because the flow was very delicate and silky rather than powerful and that silkiness worked better for my vision than strong textures. That is of course up to individual taste and discretion. There was no need for multiple exposures to be blended for this image. I had enough details all around to work with in a single frame. Single long exposure worked out just perfectly.

I greatly enjoy photographing in conditions similar to these. I love this atmosphere and often find that most people disappear back to their accommodation as darkness comes earlier in the day. I usually end roaming freely and on my own, even in the most touristy of landscape locations. That was such a quiet and peaceful evening. I was also certainly very glad that the wind kept quiet as on a couple of occasions it was so windy here that we had to turn back and come up with an alternative plan. This time I was just able to enjoy the mood and a moment of solitude.

ISO 100 | f/8 | 240 sec | 15mm

Reaching for the Light

We have returned from our latest trip and it is time to get back into posting. I started sharing photos from Faroe Islands before my little sojourn on the east coast of Australia and I shall resume with that theme at the moment.

This is a long exposure taken from the top of Klakkur mountain near Klaksvik. It was one of the hikes what we really wanted to do and set time aside specifically for that purpose. It is a reasonably steep but not a long climb. It can take around an hour to get to the top. Terrain can be very muddy and slippery though, especially after recent rain. It was more than a little muddy when we went up there but overall it was quite alright and we took our time to enjoy the views over Klaksvik and surrounding landscape on the way up.

There was a lot to enjoy because the views from the summit were spectacular. You get pretty much a 360 degree overview of the area around Klakkur. Mountains, cliffs, fjords, city of Klaksvik, and sheep -what else could one want? We could see a few of the other isles in every direction. It was the kind of a view that one could not get enough of. It looks great in the photos but it is just something else altogether in real life. If the weather did not deteriorate overnight and we did not have many other places to visit, we would have definitely climbed up there again.

Conditions were very much on the moody side but while it was overcast, the visibility was very good in all directions. It was also very quiet with just an odd fellow traveller around at the time we were there. Light was just teasingly hinting at bursting through the small gap over the horizon. Standing at the top of the ridge felt like I was reaching out for it but it just slowly faded away. However, the view and atmosphere were well worth the steep climb and getting dirty in the mud.

There were many composition possible from many great points on the mountain. Reaching the very end offered best views towards the north with islands of Kalsoy on the left and Kunoy right ahead. I went for wider perspective with this composition to get the foreground cliff in the frame as the anchor point, to get the entire Kunoy headland without cutting it off, and to have enough space for the clouds for long exposure to work its magic up there. With moody light and blue hour setting in, it was an easy choice for me to go for extended exposures to align with my "artistic" vision for this location.

It is amazing how much these "little" islands have to offer. This was one of the highlights from our last visit. I have more highlights coming up soon. Stay tuned!

ISO 50 | f/16 | 240 sec | 15mm

Just Around the Corner

Back in 2024 we visited Faroe Islands for about two weeks which gave us a chance to thoroughly explore these small volcanic islands in the North Atlantic. I was especially keen to discover all the coastal spots accessible by roads, and there was much to find there indeed. Weather can be quite fickle in this region so having two weeks gave us enough time to wait out any adverse conditions, and that extra time was definitely needed.

At the beginning, we stayed in the capital, Tórshavn, on Streymoy island and it was only natural that we would start our exploration around there. When we went to Streymoy previously in 2019, weather was very dreary and we only skimmed the main parts of the island before moving on elsewhere. Later on weather improved and we did manage to return, but still there were places which we had to leave for another time with a solid promise to return. Small village of Sydradalur was one of these locations and this is the road leading up towards the settlement which is hiding somewhere ahead between the sharp edges of the mountains.

The road was not frequented by vehicles on the day so we had the freedom to stop almost everywhere to take in the sights and a few photos as well. Every corner and every bend in the road would bring a new perspective and something different to discover. It was windy with passing showers with the odd moment of sunlight as the light pushed past the clouds. I liked the atmosphere that these conditions created. When I think of Faroe Islands, this is what first comes to my mind. Cliffs rising over the fjords into the distance, cool air, clouds hanging over, and also feeling of peace and silence. Very much like it was on that day.

When we saw this view, I immediately knew we had to stop.There was a little bay on the side just up the road where I was able to safely get my camera out and walk down the winding path to find an interesting composition. This scene offered good leading lines, as well as wonderful depth created by the light and shadows over the mountains. Because the clouds were moving fast, I had to wait for the right light. I was especially looking for a bit of sunlight on the distant mountain just to provide nice separation between the cliffs. No tripod or multiple exposures were required here. Beautiful landscape and light did most of the work for me in this instance. Then it was time to get back on the road and find out what the next corner would reveal.

ISO 400 | f/8 | 1/400 sec | 63mm