Atlantica No. 4, 2010, July-August - Iceland Review

On the FlyDivineLightsThe incredible aurora borealis, volcano shots, geothermal energy and the Icelandic horse in itsnatural surroundings are to name but a few themes in an amazing photographic exhibitionby two Icelandic award-winning amateur photographers. The exhibition is held atCity Hall in Reykjavík 3 – 18 July.Olgeir AndréssonOlgeir Andrésson is a fisherman turned photographer who specializes in winterphotography. One of his night shots of northern lights over Thingvellir won firstprize in a photo competition held by the Danish photo magazine Zoom in 2008.“This is my contribution to promote Iceland in winter and to show how beautifulthe aurora borealis is,” says Andrésson.He has been on the hunt for years to capture the northern lights in all theirglory. “It can get very cold, waiting for exactly the right moment to take theperfect picture as the northern lights most often show on frosty, clear nights.But I have seen amazingly beautiful things. Divine, in my opinion,” he says.Jóhann Smári KarlssonJóhann Smári Karlsson works as a painter but has always been interested in photography.In 2009 he took part in Zoom’s Photo Grand Prix and won first prize infive out of six competitions. He then bagged the first prize of the year for his contribution.Many of his photos show horses and landscapes, which Karlsson says isa coincidence, “Because in 2009 I was driving back and forth between Selfoss andReykjavík for my job and there are horses everywhere along the way.”His themes are varied and he mixes in people and animals which are nearlyabsent in Andrésson’s work.“I am very fond of my country and its natural elements, geothermal power, animalsand the landscape which offers endless motifs. When I got a decent digitalcamera a few years ago my interest in photography developed into a craze. I nowspend more time taking photographs than doing my job,” says Karlsson. BB a18 atlantica