This is a photographic series about the sublimity and pure beauty of Iceland. During the trip I got more and more aware the fragility of this unique ecosystem and started realizing the impact of tourism for this small country and the environment.

This series is a documentation of my recent trip to Iceland in 2018. This was one of my dream destinations for years, but I was worried to get disappointed since the web is recently kind of flooded and super hyped by visual content about this spectacular country. I was imagining caravans of cars, mountains of waste and excessively instagramming crowds overrunning this island. But these ideas weren't able to discourage me.
Unfortunately most of my premonitions got partially confirmed as soon as we got on the ring road for the last few days to visit some of the sights. Therefore we changed our sleeping rhythm and tried to avoid peak times, which worked out pretty well.
Nevertheless Iceland is a country made for hiking and so did we. Bad weather conditions made the trails more calm and allowed us to enjoy the silence and beauty of Iceland's Highlands. These experiences made me go home with mixed feelings, appreciating the sublimity of this environment on the one hand and recognizing the huge and primarily bad impact tourism can have on the other hand – which made me feel guilty because of course I came as a tourist myself. It's crucial that everybody's aware of his impact, trying to minimize it and meet the environment with respect. Because we're all guests, everywhere. Thanks Iceland!

I shot with an Sony Alpha 7III and various objectives like a 70–200 mm, a 55 mm and a 16–35 mm. I then used Adobe Lightroom for editing the material. I focused on a natural look and tried highlighting the intensive color contrasts and spectacular light situations Iceland presented to my lens.

The reaction from most people was really thankful and empathic about the self-critical approach and background of this documentation. I think many really appreciate the story behind the series and got encouraged themselves to think about their impact when traveling. It was amazing to see the power of words and text. Because even though pictures speak louder than words, words can give a picture extra meaning – that is what I learned on this project.

This might sound obvious to most, but always keep in mind to respect nature and the country you're visiting. This is always a gift.

Felix Finger

Hey, my name is Felix Finger. I am a freelancing Creative Concepter, Designer & Photographer from Munich, Germany. I do love creating strong brands, my shutter's noise and icicles hanging from my nose. I am always excited about getting in touch with new people and do exciting stuff. Feel free to drop me a line!

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