Iceland part 3: from above!

21 April 11

The first few photos in this post are from the viewing platform at the top of The Hallgrímskirkja, the enormous church you can see from nearly anywhere in Reykjavik. We used it as a beacon whenever we got lost and the GPS was not co-operating with my attempts at Icelandic spelling.

The rest of the photos are from our helicopter trip! My mum, the adventure seeker, spent four days wearing me down before I agreed to go with her and the whole hour in the air practically hanging out of the window taking photos. I spent the first 10 minutes absolutely terrified and the next 50 trying not to puke. It was really cool to see stuff from above (more photos to come!), but the intense motion sickness was just too much for me. Thank god we didn't go for the 2.5 hour tour, I would have died.

btw, we went with this company, who were really great and only lightly made fun of me for being a total pussy (when they saw that we both had dSLRs, they offered to take the doors off for us for better pics and I squeaked 'NO, IT'S REALLY OK, KEEP THE DOORS ON!!!').

(all photos mine)

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Comments

You’re a tilt shift genius, Kris! All the photographs are absolutely breathtaking.

Kind wishes,
Antonia

Antonia at Swedish Love Affair replied about 12 years ago.

Iceland certainly looks like a bright, colorful place to be! The tilt shift effect really works with these.

Karly replied about 12 years ago.

If I hadn’t have flown over the country myself I would not believe it to be real. It looks like a toy model of a town! These are beautiful.

Meg replied about 12 years ago.

That’s insane, I at first thought the pics were of lil model homes! Great photos.

Lani replied about 12 years ago.

These photos look like little lego figurines should be in them. It looks like a model! But the colours are gorgeous!

Mini replied about 12 years ago.

Ahhhhh these pictures are glorious. Do you have a tilt shift lens or are you editing these?

Anna replied about 12 years ago.

Edited in Photoshop :)
kris x

kris atomic replied about 12 years ago.

wow gorgeous tilt shift, Kris! Love everything about these photos.

Shokoofeh replied about 12 years ago.

I love that you’ve used a tilt shift on these photographs. Makes them all that more perfect!

Michelle replied about 12 years ago.

These pictures don’t even look like they are real! They look like you were taking a picture of a little model of a city. Amazing!

Taylor replied about 12 years ago.

These images are absolutely stunning! Gorgeous colors! I’ve long been intrigued by Iceland, and it’s steadily been moving up my must-visit list, but after seeing these, I think I must visit asap.

Rachel Q replied about 12 years ago.

Ha, I love your response to the helicopter doors! I would have done the same thing.

Melanie Richards replied about 12 years ago.

Love love love!

karolina replied about 12 years ago.

truly amazing photographs. the depth makes the buildings look like doll houses.

sarah replied about 12 years ago.

god, these are just amazing. so great.

lau replied about 12 years ago.

[…] Krisatomic‘s Iceland from above, wonderful. I must get there […]

Five Things #17 | Lovelorn Unicorn replied about 12 years ago.

Beautiful! I love tilt shift photography!

Jene' replied about 12 years ago.

it’s just too cute ! Last week i had the chance to go on a small-plane tour above a part of Senegal, but i didn’t think about using the miniature effect :D Plus my camera is way less good anyway. Too bad you suffered !!

kakna replied about 12 years ago.

Gorgeous photographs. I love all the colored roof tops!

Sara replied about 12 years ago.

are they miniature or dslr effect? cool… love it! pretty cute & colorful…. I think i might try to take photo from above ‘Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia’ too… * still amaze !*

ern khusry replied about 12 years ago.

It’s just a fake tilt-shift effect I did in Photoshop :)
thank you! x

kris atomic replied about 12 years ago.

Why is Britain the only country that doesn’t paint its houses pretty ice-cream colours? so dull and bricky…

Katie replied about 12 years ago.

I agree some comments above, these photographs truly don’t look real, and look like little city ‘models’! Love them!
xx

Brigadeiro replied about 12 years ago.

Awww!Your photos are so amazing!I love them.I guess your travel to Iceland must be very interesting.But,could you tell me where is it in Iceland?
Best wishes to you,Krisatomic!

NEVAEH replied about 12 years ago.

These are from Reykjavik and nearby.
Kris x

kris atomic replied about 12 years ago.

Oh,thank you tell me about that.I think I will go there some day cause it’s so beautiful a place!

NEVAEH replied about 12 years ago.

What a great perspective of Iceland! So use to seeing nature pictures only :) AMAZING PHOTOS indeed!!!

susi replied about 12 years ago.

I really always love your photos & other work. You’re truly an artistic inspiration and aesthetic relief.

Claudia replied about 12 years ago.

Wow, it looks fake (in a gorgeous way!!!)

Lissy replied about 12 years ago.

wow. you’re pictures are amazing. Iceland huges like a big ‘playnobile’ city! x

Harriet replied about 12 years ago.

These look so much like a toy town! It’s so pretty.

Becky replied about 12 years ago.

precious, kris- like a little train-set of a village. thanks for sharing-

richerred replied about 12 years ago.

These tilt-shifts are really great!

Lovisa replied about 12 years ago.

Never ever heard of tilt-shift until now, and I think it’s BRILL.

I was like, “I don’t remember a model museum of RVK anywhere.” And then I read your actual copy and realized it was real.

I miss RVK so much.

I hope you stopped in the Emami store.

xx{ish.},
Mae Lu @ thereafterish.!

Mae Lu replied about 12 years ago.

Wow!!! These pictures have brightened up my day! I also thought they looked like little model homes :) Great photoshop effect xx

Trixie replied about 12 years ago.

Your photos are brilliant!!!

Adeline replied about 12 years ago.

tilt shift lens was such a perfect lens to use for these shots! love the miniature feel!

Janis replied about 12 years ago.

These are fabulous, you are really handy with a camera :) Everything looks so dinky.

Gracie replied about 12 years ago.

I love the tilt shift effect! So cute.

Meanz replied about 12 years ago.

wow!! i can barely believe my eyes! looks so magical. love the tilt shift!
j.

Jennifer replied about 12 years ago.

lovelovelove tiltshift <3
urgh, makes me want to make my icelandic dream come true even more!
gorgeous photos <3

cait replied about 12 years ago.

Amazing photographs. The vivid colors of the houses and rooftops is incredible. I will have to add Iceland to my wish list of places to visit.

Nita replied about 12 years ago.

What a vibrant colour! It’s like a mixture of lego and polly pocket! hehe :D

Elly Owl replied about 12 years ago.

I love those pictures, they look really cute.

S* replied about 12 years ago.

Beautiful! Your skills are so amazing! I especially love the first 4

Vanessa replied about 12 years ago.

The city looks beautiful and toy like. Is it like this a street level too?

Niamh replied about 12 years ago.

OMG… those little house look fake! I thought you made a little playhouse society or something. LOVE IT!

Jeanee replied about 12 years ago.

wow!
at first i thought the houses were miniature models!
they are all so aligned and straight, and colorful!
so lovely

maria replied about 12 years ago.

oh wow!! those pictures look out of this world!! They are absolutely amazing!!!!!!! Want to see more!!!

diarte replied about 12 years ago.

perfect shots to use the tilt shift effect for, makes iceland seem completely surreal!

kitchu replied about 12 years ago.

Lovely to see the old home streets from this point of view.

Very beautiful and glad you see it in sunshine.

Anna Emilia replied about 12 years ago.

i can’t believe those pictures are real/ i could have sworn they were doll houses.
so glad you took that helicopter ride— although i too would have been horrified!

xo
sami

ps. check out my giveaway!
http://glimpseofglamour.blogspot.com/2011/04/love-ly-giveaway.html

sami replied about 12 years ago.

Thank you for allowing me to see my home town in a completely fresh way – you really capture the varied and dynamic light, which is the element that is truly unique about Iceland, and it seems to me you actually see Reykjavik for what it is – a slightly surreal and unformed settlement of people who have a slightly vague sense of identity :) Lovely pictures – and I have to find out more about this tilt-shift effect you´re using. This artificial twisting of the images somehow seem to fit the hazy outlines of the city perfectly.

There is an Icelandic saying that can be roughly translated as “Keen is the eye of the visitor” – “Glöggt er gests augað” in the original – and your pictures are ample proof of that. Loved them!

Halla Sverrisdóttir, resident of Reykjavik

Halla Sverrisdóttir replied about 12 years ago.

How cool! And yet I would’ve had the exact same reaction as you, hate the traveling part of traveling (unless I’m driving) for just that reason! But at least you had the perfect lens to get the dollhouse look! :) Such great photos!

Trude replied about 12 years ago.

I think I’m in love with your blog. I just went through all your entries (in one sitting … ) and I was just amazed!
Congratulations! A big hug from Mexico.

Mot replied about 12 years ago.

I totally feel like a useless photgrapher whenever I check out your blog… you never cease to amaze me, really!

Melwa replied about 12 years ago.

These look so great. I now have a rather large hankering to go to Iceland. Though, my money is already spend on planned trips to Amsterdam, Snowdonia and possibly Venice etc :/

Felicity replied about 12 years ago.

Wow, those tilt shift pictures are wonderful!!!
I am in love!

kristina replied about 12 years ago.

Wow…these are beautiful photos. Is it just me, though, or do a lot of them sort of look like they’re of an elaborate model, rather than a real, life-sized, city?

andrea replied about 12 years ago.

It’s not just you, it’s the tilt shift effect ;)

kris atomic replied almost 12 years ago.

These pictures are so amazing – they make the houses and streets look like a pop-up book. Very lovely.

Tracy Thunderbolt replied about 12 years ago.

Do you digitally alter your photos in any way or are these raw images? They are so incredibly color saturated!

Jaimi Ryan replied almost 12 years ago.

Oh no, I edit! I shoot in raw and edit all sorts in Lightroom.

kris atomic replied almost 12 years ago.

Your blog is so inspiring. Whenever I visit, I want to get to work on a project. Thank you for sharing so much beauty. I love how these photos give the effect of toy houses and cars.

Jane S. Kim replied almost 12 years ago.

Nice photos! and fun to read and see blog :)
I my self have a photoblog, it’s all in icelandic, check it out if you like!

Edit replied almost 12 years ago.

Gorgeous photos! I especially love the helicopter shots. Really amazing.

Down and Out Chic replied almost 12 years ago.

Whoops, sorry, I thought this post ran in with the previous post. Hope my other comments wasn’t confusing!

Down and Out Chic replied almost 12 years ago.

Wow, first without reading I wasn’t sure if the houses are real! It looks like a minature – lego city, I want to go there, thank you for shearing these photos.

Kamila replied almost 12 years ago.

It looks like pictures of a miniature model city, I couldn’t believe it was pictures of real Reykavik! The pictures shows Iceland in an adorable way and I just moved Iceland up a bit on my “places I have to go to”-list.

Anna replied almost 12 years ago.

[…] Iceland series at Kris Atomic: part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, […]

Oh wow these photos are so stunning! Well done for standing up there!

I love the tilt shift effect! It’s so well done I thought it was from a tilt shift lens!

I really need to brush up on my tilt shift! I try it in lightroom but its never as good as I want it to be. Any tips on how to get it great in photoshop? I REALLY love all your photos!

I love taking photos for a hobby with my canon 500d and I’m so wanting to get a 5d, well at lease a 50mm f1.4 lens. I know a few people who have the 35mm l series f1.4, what are your thoughts on the difference? i think your photos are pretty amazing so I might just get the 50mm. I have the cheap 50mm f1.8 and I’m so in love with it! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful photos! They are really inspirational!

Eloise replied almost 12 years ago.

[…] Krisatomic‘s Iceland from above, wonderful. I must get there […]

Five Things #17 | Pocket Witch replied over 10 years ago.

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Hi, I'm Kris. This is an archive of my blog as it was from 2007 to 2014. It's no longer updated but feel free to browse through the past.

 

You can find my recent work at krisatomic.com, or drop me an email and say hello. 

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