José Ramos 🌍 Landscape Photos

"The Unexpected" | This image was shot during the Midnight Sun in Iceland, right on the main access to the Skogafoss waterfall, as soon as you leave the Ring Road. Definitely one of my favorite shots of this Iceland trip! . It was shot in June 2016, at 3 am, when the sun was starting to wake up the skies with powerful magenta tones. As soon as you leave the Ring Road, you just know than in about 5 minutes you'll be standing in front of one of the most epic waterfalls in the world, so it's very easy to not even look around our surroundings. Fortunately on this day I did, captivated by gorgeous lupine flowers on the side of the road. The sky was burning with color, so I decided to leave the car and scout a bit, which allowed me to find this fantastic combination of lupines, river, mountain and sunrise light. . . Sony a7R + Sony 10-18mm f4 at 13mm | Aperture: f8 | Shutter speed: 1/15th second | ISO: 800 | Nisi 4 stop softs ND Grad filter . . . . #lupine #mountainlovers #iceland #earthpix

"The Natural Networks I" Entangled in the endless stream of thoughts, mirrored by the natural networks of the Earth, anger subsides and serenity finally prevails... . . Shot during the last day of a wonderful vacation in Vila Nova de Milfontes, in September 2012, when this place was still mostly unknown! Seven days filled with light seeking and wild beaches. This specific beach wasn't chosen until the last day, when Nature greeted us with a visual feast that I still can remember as if it happened yesterday. The light acted as a magnet during that afternoon end, and dozens of people rushed to see the gorgeous sunset. I feel blessed for having witnessed this. Needless to say that this is one of the most fantastic beaches I've ever visited. . Super magenta sky is courtesy of old traditional resin full ND filters and ND grads. For those who started photography recently, you don't know how easy you have it now! ;-) . . Sony a77 + Sigma 10-20mm Exposure: 30 seconds Aperture: f/8 ISO: 100 4 stops full ND, 4 stops soft ND Grad Tripod Remote shutter release

"Pareidolia" Elvas, Portugal | Being silent in the dark silent landscapes of Alentejo, right by the border with Spain, surrounded by all kinds of unidentifiable and ever growing animal sounds, everything becomes so much larger than us. As soon as the eyes adapt to such intense darkness, a surreal dome of stars fills the sky, and the elusive Milky Way progressively appears near the horizon, slowly rotating as the night advances. Even though the cold is slowly becoming too intense, winning the battle against the mupltiple layers of clothing, there's a purpose in the persistence of the visit: to unveil what lies beneath the dark, and enter a world where elephants drink on top of bridges, stars become near confident neighbors, and light expands through every corner of our Universe. . Technical info: Sony a7R + Venus Laowa 12mm f2.8 Aperture: f2.8 Exposure: 30 seconds ISO: 2000 Foreground light painting with headlamp Focus: Manual FLM Tripod Nisi Night filter . . . . . . #nightphotography #longexposure #earthfocus #landscape_lover #landscape_captures #elvas #portugal_photos #longexposureshots #awesome_earthpix #natgeolandscape #moodygrams #landscapecaptures #nightphoto #amazingearth #portugal_lovers #landscapes #landscape_lovers #colors_of_day #discoverearth #amazing_shots #earthpix #milkywaychasers #discoverglobe #longexpo #landscape_specialist #YourShotPhotographer #natgeoyourshot #portugalcomefeitos #alentejo #milkyway

“Life, Loss and Rebirth” | Aerial photo made in Iceland | NEW photography, paying homage to Nature and to a very special person, who is no longer among us: Haraldur Diego aka @volcanopilot . Get ready, this one is going to be long and deep... Iceland is the land of all possibilities, where the things we once thought to be exclusive of dreams, become materialized right in front of our incredulous eyes. This image is inhabited by an ensemble of memories, meanings and a very special spiritual soul I will mention at the end. It was made in July 2021, during my first ever airplane photo trip above Iceland. An extremely different experience from flying and photographing with a drone, way more intense, where everything happens at an incredibly fast pace. When the plane is properly positioned for shooting you need to act extremely fast, manually opening the window and starting composing and photographing non-stop, enduring the extremely strong wind and trying to make the best of the few minutes you have for each scene. It is hard to fathom that this is a photograph, as it rather looks like the detailed painting of a talented artist, but the truth is that aerial photos of specific areas of glacial river beds in Iceland create the most unbelievable patterns and shapes. Different types of sediments, water flow and mineral composition transform some areas into true works of art when viewed from above at specific angles and lighting. Even though I shot hundreds of images during the flight, only a few will be selected and published, the ones where light, composition, tones, focus and detail made justice to the witnessed beauty. Story continued on the first comment of this image

"Power and Fragility" | Iceland | Some of the most incredible places on earth are also paradoxically the most fragile. When I saw the first photos of this place I was obsessed with witnessing it in person, as it looked like the ultimate landscape design project of a talented God. A deep canyon, filled with lush greens, leading to a perfectly centered mountain peak covered in snow, almost looking too good to be true. Fortunately it was real... . This place has sparked some controversy three years ago, being called by many as the "secret canyon", with most photographers not wanting to disclose its location. I have always been absolutely against this type of secrecy, but for the first time I think I understood it was necessary for this specific place. Not only the whole ecosystem of the long walk until the spot is as beautiful as it is fragile, but also the platform from where this photo can be made is covered mostly in extremely fragile Icelandic moss, which when damaged takes decades to fully recover. . After witnessing what happened to similar places soon after they became famous, with access to the best viewpoints suddenly blocked for nature protection, I have started to realize we must draw a limit in disclosing some specific locations. Those who really want to find a certain place will put enough effort to actually find it, just as I did for this one, will endure the long and poorly signed hiking path that leads to the shooting spot, and will even eventually return there a second time (like I did too!), to finally shoot it in proper light conditions. . More important than all of the above, I hope that those who visit places like this one will not only elevate their spirits through the awe and wonder of the view, but also step on every inch of its land with all the reverence and care it deserves. During present days, it unfortunately became essential to start spreading this kind of message when creating and sharing landscape photography. #YourShotPhotographer #iceland #earthpix

"Altar of the Seas" | This is Capela do Senhor da Pedra, located near Porto (Portugal), set in a truly remarkable place, where Men has worshiped deities over the millennia, from Pagan Gods to Christian symbols, asking for protection and inspiration. . With so much natural destruction going on our planet, it makes sense to reflect on the delicate and sometimes overwhelming relationship between Men and Nature. The active conscience that one lives in a fully dynamic, unpredictable and ever changing ecosystem, channels our inner strength towards the notion that every single element on Earth depends on everything else which lies around. . Altars, prayers, sacrifices, thoughts, reflections and gestures can and should be part of our sacred relationship with Nature, as long as it's done with the conscience that Nature doesn't exist to serve and protect us, but rather to accommodate our existence in a mutual exchange that should be filled with respect and reverence... . . Sony a7R + Sony 10-18mm f4 | Aperture: f9 | Exposure: 1/6 seconds | ISO: 200 | 4 stops soft ND Grad (Nisi), 4 stops full ND (Nisi) | FLM Tripod