Around the World in Analogue: Iceland on LomoChrome Purple

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In this edition of Around the World in Analogue, film photographer Iosune de Goñi recalls her spiritual trip to the Nordic island country of Iceland. From her brief visit to Reykjavik, to experiencing the midnight sun in Gullfoss and more, she talks about the moments that made her trip magical and enriching.

We've previously featured Iosune and her artistic creations with Lomography film including the LomoChrome Purple. This time, she returns to the magazine for a poetic and inspiring account of her journey made with fellow artists.

Credit: Iosune de Goñi

Name: Iosune de Goñi
LomoHome: @iosunedegoni
Social Media: Instagram: iosunedegoni
Cameras: Canon EOS 3 + Canon EOS 300
Films: LomoChrome Purple, Psychedelic Blues Film, Fuji Velvia, Kodak Portra 400
Location: Iceland

In June 2023, during the summer solstice, I went on a trip to Iceland with three people I didn't know. All of them were artists, storytellers, and sensitive souls deeply connected to nature and the wild. We had followed each other on social media for some time but had never met in person before. Their names are Dara Lobeira, Tania Barrenetxea, and Carolina Gabaldón.

The trip was organized by Dara, a Spanish writer and photographer fascinated by the northern lands who usually makes these kinds of trips with other artists. During the previous months, I had been visualizing myself going to Iceland, renting a car, and taking photographs of glaciers, mountains, and waterfalls, but also meeting new people.

I did that every day for a whole month and then returned to the same vision from time to time as part of a healing practice in which I was trying to connect with the parts of myself I had forgotten. So when Dara shared a story calling for people to go on a trip to Iceland, I felt it was some kind of magic. I immediately wrote to her and said I wanted to join.

Credit: Iosune de Goñi

During the trip, we rented a car, made a brief visit to Reykjavik, and then explored the Highlands and the south of Iceland. We ate in the car, didn't sleep much, and spent most of the time driving, hiking, and taking photos. As most of us were photographers, we helped each other with our projects, made some collaborations, and talked about our creative process.

As I said, all of us felt a magical connection with nature, and we shared a similar view of the world as something alive, interconnected and always changing. What we found in Iceland was what we had been weaving in our visual and written works for years: the feeling that we are more than ourselves, that we belong to the rivers, fjords, and infinite plains, that the flowers and rocks are our sisters.

Credit: Iosune de Goñi

I learned a lot from the land of ice and fire, and I also learned many things from my companions. We experienced several magical moments, such as when we visited Gullfoss under the midnight sun or when we wrote down our favorite words and kept them in a box while visiting Svínafellsjökull.

But I would be lying if I said that everything was wonderful. We had an argument under a storm, got lost in the middle of the Highlands, cried, forgot about eating, and spent several days with wet feet. Even though it was summer, there were many times when we couldn't leave the car because of weather conditions or arrived at a glacier fighting the wind and the rain and couldn't see anything because of the fog.

Iceland is a beautiful and wild place. A dangerous one too. But that is one of the things that attracts me most from the country. When we were in the Highlands, walking around a narrow, windswept ridge, I was possessed and fascinated by that feeling that's called the call of the void. I felt it saying my name, drawing me to the depths.

Credit: Iosune de Goñi

That experience obsessed me, and when we came back from the trip, I started writing a poetry book based on that idea. In autumn 2023 I got a grant to work on the project during an artistic residency, and now I am planning to go back to Iceland so I can learn more about its culture, language, and landscapes. And of course, to take more photographs.

During our stay in Iceland, I shot 11 rolls of film. Three of them were LomoChrome Purple, which has long been my favorite choice because of the dreamlike atmosphere it creates. Psychedelic Blues Film is another of my go-to films for the same reason. It takes you to another world, and I found it works pretty well with the Icelandic landscapes.

Credit: Iosune de Goñi

Although my main idea was to take self-portraits, mixing my body with the more-than-human world, the weather was a challenge, and my health got worse some weeks before the trip, so I couldn't take my clothes off and pose for too long. However, in the end, I really liked the photos I took, even though they weren't what I had planned. I think that every photo you take in Iceland can be wonderful and require very little effort because all the places are just breathtaking.

That said, my advice for photographers planning to go to Iceland is the following: don't have rigid expectations. Iceland will always surprise you, so be open to that uncertainty and let your intuition guide you. Or just close your eyes, listen to the call of the void, and follow the voices of the hidden people.

Credit: Iosune de Goñi

We'd like to thank Iosune for sharing her photos and stories with us! To keep in touch, visit her LomoHome or Instagram Page.

Want to take us Around the World in Analogue? Drop a line to aj.bajo@lomography.com with the subject Around the World in Analogue and share your unforgettable travels with the rest of the community! Read the guidelines here.

written by sylvann on 2025-01-12 #gear #places #around-the-world #iceland #lomochrome-purple #around-the-world-in-analogue

LomoChrome Purple Film 100-400 35mm

This unique color negative film will astound you by transforming natural tones of your photo into new eye-popping hues. A revival of the psychedelic infrared look from the Kodak Aerochrome film we all love, this film guarantees astounding photographic results.

3 Comments

  1. hervinsyah
    hervinsyah ·

    Dream place to visit woth Bjork and she her concert at her hometown 🤍❄️

  2. hervinsyah
    hervinsyah ·

    Sorry typo, I mean Dream place to visit with Bjork and see her concert at her hometown 🤍❄️

  3. sylvann
    sylvann ·

    @hervinsyah that would be so interesting and fun to see! :)

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