Nordvest Fjord

Photographer's Note

Another of my photographs which I took as an undergraduate during a two month university expedition to East Greeland in the summer of 1970. This picture has been scanned from a Kodachrome 64 colour slide and editing has mainly included trying to get rid of most of 40 years of accumulated dust. The photograph was taken using my Edixa Prismat totally manual SLR, probably with the aid of my old Weston Master III lightmeter, both of which I still have - and they both still work too!

The photograph was taken near the lower end of Nordvest Fjord, the longest fjord in the World, near to the little hut where were were camped out at Syd Kap - where you have already seen me as an intrepid young explorer.

What you see here would not nowadays be considered politically correct by any means. In those days, visitors to Greenland were so infrequent that people travelling on the very few expeditions that ventured to East Greenland were not prevented from taking firearms with them to allow them to source some fresh meat. This occasion, however, was a one-off and here we see our expedition leader (whom you have also previously seen here) with a fine goose which he has just despatched. Not surprisingly, it was left to me to pluck and disembowel the creature and cook it over an open fire - but I kept the best bits for myself - and it was delicious, making a welcome change from our usual dried expedition food.

You can see where we were if you click on Map:view but you might need to zoom out a little. If you click on the multicoloured "Google" logo in the bottom left of that map, it will open up a bigger map and, although the little yellow man won't be able to show you any roads (because there aren't any), you can move him over a series of blue dots which will then open up as photographs in the area.

holmertz, macjake, williewhistler, dta, bayno, agjika, SnapRJW, RhodieIke, delpeoples, saxo042, annjackman has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

danyy (0) 2012-03-28 7:21

Bonjour John,
quel bond en arrière, 40 ans, bien avant la photo numérique et bien avant internet. A ce moment, tu étais loin de te douter que cette photo serait vue par des milliers de personnes.
J'aime beaucoup le paysage à l'arrière plan, la beauté du Groenland.
Regards.
Daniel.

holmertz (26958) 2012-03-28 8:40

Hello John,
For the moment I managed to beat you by two years, but action in Greenland certainly beats Irish sceneries for exotism. This is a captivating composition and a photo which certainly must evoke strong memories for you. I might have considered some further adjustments to the colours, but that may be a matter of personal preferences.
Kind regards,
Gert

macjake (39235) 2012-03-28 8:51

Hi John
I couldn't believe this one was from 1970! doesn't look like it at all.
as i'm searching the scene, i'm trying to look for clues that its 40 years old, but i can't really find any.
Oh what a treat it would be to visit Greenland!
awesome shot
cheers
craig

chrisvek (5483) 2012-03-28 9:25

Hello John,

Very nice "vintage" shoot.It's like from nowadays!Very nice POV.Excellent result.Well Done.

Regards,
Chris

williewhistler (7283) 2012-03-28 11:31

Hello John,what a lovely clear shot,it has transferred from the slide perfectly.
You have captured the moment very well with the subject suitably equipped holding the catch aloft, in a lovely setting.
Best regards Les.

jemaflor (68943) 2012-03-28 11:47

Hi John,
great quality for an old shot, nice landscape with iceberg and a good moment I suppose with this fish, perfect light and colors.

Royaldevon (17791) 2012-03-28 12:36

Hello John,

I didn't realise that part of your medical training would be to pluck and disembowel a bird! Ha ha, a useful addition to your cv! Possibly, a much better qualification for your wife to appreciate! Speaking personally, I would much prefer my husband to deal with that part of meat preparation!

It is a good photograph though and shows amazing quality for a scanned shot! The focal figure is sharp and there is no doubt about his action and mood. (You are right about changes in attitude to this type of action.) I do like how the b/g is recognised as an important aspect of the shot, giving context and helping to set mood, without in any way distracting from the dominant subject.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

dta (51454) 2012-03-28 12:52

Hello John ;
I don't know what impresses me the most : the excellent composition , or the oustanding quality of this picture . Some oldies have a nostalgic charm ; with some grain , some old fashioned clothes ...
This one looks so modern ;
Incredible !
Regards

bayno (16209) 2012-03-28 14:02

Ciao John,
I have carefully read the note, and I agree with you on hunting as a hobby, although in extreme conditions like this I have nothing against it, the picture quality is great you did a great job in PP, light colors and are very special and natural, sharp images, the place is also very nice, I would cut a little piece of the picture by removing the leg and arm on the left a little disturbing, the rest is a perfect job...
have a good day...
Valter

emka (58152) 2012-03-28 15:20

Hi John, fantastic shot from the past. The quality is fantastic, the photo looks like a new one. Great colours and sharp ness, interesti ng scene. And I liked your note so much. haha, I can imagine you working with the goose :). Beautiful landscape here. With the icebergs it looks like in Patagonia.

Warm regards Malgo

agjika (4011) 2012-03-28 15:50

Hi John,

I would have never guessed that this was 40 years old. Well they were different times but I do not see a problem with it as long as you ate it!

The sun is so low almost coming from a lower position than the boat yet you have got detail on the dark part of the face.

Great shot and I am sure a souvenir for you.

Regards

Aleks

SnapRJW (18752) 2012-03-28 23:40

Hello John - A fabulous shot from the archives. Yes, times have certainly changed and I doubt whether hunting shots from Greenland are very prevalent today! Nicely composed too with the hunter and 'bag' situated well in the frame and allowing a good look at the landscape behind. Very nice quality too so well scanned! Warm regards rosemary
PS. Did dinner taste good?

RhodieIke (9207) 2012-03-29 1:53

Morning John, See you have been trawling too into your archives, this is fantastic especially from bygone years,(just kidding) sound like you had a great adventure your guide looks fun and crack shot, great for your dinner. Wonderful, well managed, Trust you have been enjoying the fantastic weather, Cheers Iain.

delpeoples (44960) 2012-03-29 4:11

Ciao Giovanni

Wow, nearly 42 years old this photo and it's quality is stunning. The colours, lack of noise and sharpness are impressive. It's also an historical document, showing us a life that rarely exists today - even in Greenland as it has now attracted more tourism than when you took the photo. What I like best about it is that it's, as you say, politically incorrect - and I mean that in a good way. And I also like your use of the word "crud" in your Note. When I was growing up, the word was used in a very different way to describe a red-neck or bogan. That it can be applied to a photographic process really floats my boat.

Thanks for sharing, have a lovely day
Lisa

lousat (57674) 2012-03-30 0:41

Hi John,what a perfect work of digitalisation,it seems a pic token yesterday! A great memory and the top quality of sharpness and colors,spectacular background too.Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

jester5 (1620) 2012-03-30 1:25

I love this shot John and you have done a very good transfer from slide too.So clean.Its going into my favorites,colours,light and subject are so vibrant.

mesutilgim (67982) 2012-04-01 9:03

Hello John,
Wonderfull capture with nice brigth colors, allthough been made more than 40 yeara ago.
Allthough I didn't mention in my intro the East German made Edixa was also one of my erarliest cameras. It was great to look from above, like on my Rolleiflex !
At that time I used a Lunasix (Gossen) as exposuremeter.
Last but not least Kodachrome 64 was a "topclass" film with the best red's !!!
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

saxo042 (31802) 2012-04-01 11:42

Hi John,
You must have told your leader here to hold the bird at exactly one third of the picture, it looks like he was instructed ; ) A very well composed picture with very sharp and fine colours. It must have been a great experience to visit this area. My brother-in-law was also here around this time, he worked as a teacher...
Kind regards
Gunnar

annjackman (13219) 2012-04-02 0:03

Hi John,
What a fabulous trip this must have been. Perfectly composed and lovely quality. It is good to see some older shots from TE members although they can take a while to clean up after the scan. Well done for getting rid of the dust. Many of mine are in glass mounts and mould can grow in those!
Best wishes, Ann