NATURA

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Image 35. Photographer Aldís at work.
Image 37. Erla being photographed. [Non-marked]
While this was being done, a makeup artist and a hairdresser
were preparing two models for the next project.
This was a front cover and pictures for a special issue on
weddings, to be published with Nýtt líf. The photographer
was Aldís Pálsdóttir. Aldís started her career as a freelance
photographer but got her job as a full time photographer at
Birtingur a few years ago. Her work started with a meeting
with the stylist about in what order to do things, which
model to use first and in what order they should dress. Then
she made the background ready and set up the lights. For
the next hours I found out how much work this was, I was
surprised on the work Aldís had to do with making decisions
about what dress to wear and with what. Should there
be a necklace, ring, earrings or should the model be in this
jacket or not? I would have thought that the stylist would
make these decisions, with the photographer just giving
comments if something was not working on the picture.
After a few hours taking pictures of the brides, the stylist
started preparing the next model. This was doctor Erla
Gerður Sveinsdóttir. In the next magazine of Vikan there
will be an interview about obesity, and Erla runs a company
helping people to live a healthy lifestyle. Erla will be
on the front cover of Vikan. Even though Erla did well in
front of the camera, the difference from trained models was
obvious. Erla just stood still in a position Aldís told her to,
while the models where constantly moving in smooth motion.
I also realized the challenge of creating the impression
Erla wanted to make: she wanted her image to be reliable,
pleasant and friendly. So Aldís had to keep that in mind
while shooting. While this work was done I had the chance
of asking both Hákon and Aldís about the business environment
for photographers in Iceland. I did learn a lot and
enjoyed this day.
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Image 36. Models working at Birtingur, Iceland. [Non-marked]
Image 38. Aldís, work well done.
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