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Adam Pierzchala

Now retired, I have more time to enjoy being out with my camera looking for scenes and subjects that pique my interest, especially coastal, woodland and close-ups. Although I still have several rolls of 35mm and MF film in my freezer, I shoot almost exclusively digital now

flickr.com

I was very fortunate to be on an expedition cruise recently to Scoresby Sund in Greenland, the very large and complex fjord system. On some days we sailed along sections of the fjord system in rather dark, foggy conditions with periods of rain, sleet and snow, precluding the possibility of zodiac landings. Shooting hand-held from the schooner, there was scant opportunity for composition: getting “my view” was down to thinking in black and white, selecting the subject and getting the timing right as we sailed by. Oh, and trying to keep the horizon level! The higher reaches of the mountains often literally disappeared into the fog, while at sea level there were streaks of low lying mist obscuring some of the shore. The vast scale of the land and waterways often required longer focal lengths which, with the dull foggy conditions, necessitated a higher ISO and faster shutter speeds. All this resulted in a filmic grainy look, which I exploited with monochrome processing. The four shots here, a small fraction of the wealth of material before us, aim to show the feeling of isolation and the stark, raw beauty of the region under 30-40cm of snow.