Greg Inda: Photographer

Greg Inda is a Chicago Photographer focused on headshots and commercial photography. Check out greginda.com if you'd like to learn more.

[greginda]

Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss

In Iceland "foss" means waterfall. And you see foss everywhere, because in Iceland waterfalls are everywhere. And they are all amazing.

Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss are two very large and very well known waterfalls along Iceland's southern coast. They are only 30 minutes away from each other and situated near Þórsmörk Valley (which is deserving of it's own dedicated post soon). We stopped at Seljalandsfoss at the end of the day after exploring Þórsmörk. Seljalandsfoss is unique in that you can walk behind the cascading water along a rock wall. There is about 6-10 feet from the wall to the edge.

Lindsey and I really lucked out. We had very good weather as the evening progressed. And the view of the setting sun was perfect from behind the falls. We took in the experience and then headed to our hotel for the night. We'd see Skógafoss the following day.

The first thing you notice about Skógafoss is how huge it is. From the road. From the parking lot. Right next to the cascade. It's huge. There is a standard shot that everyone gets at Skógafoss. It's a solo shot of a person with the wall of water behind them. And it just reinforces how huge the waterfall is.

Skógafoss is a really fun waterfall to photograph. The stream that follows the falls is kind a dinker. It's very shallow, so if the flow isn't running too fast you can wade in and get some photographs with the stream in the foreground. The most difficult aspect is the sheer number of visitors the falls get. You need time and patience to wait your turn to get close to the falls. But once you do, there is so much to see and explore.

We spent more time than we should have at Skógafoss. It's hard not to. So many photographs to try and take. We set ourselves back by about 45 minutes to start the day and played catch up at all our stops until we got to our hotel. But ultimately it was worth it. I'll never forget my time at Skógafoss. And any extra time spent there was well worth it.

[greginda]

Horses of Iceland

Horses, the other animal in Iceland

Just as sheep dot the landscape (https://www.greginda.com/calendars/sheepoficeland), so do Icelandic horses. A genetically distinct breed, Icelandic horses were developed from ponies brought to Iceland in the 9th and 10th centuries. But calling them ponies now is a major faux pas. Icelandic horses have 2 gaits in addition to the walk, trot, and canter/gallop that most breeds develop.

From Wikipedia: "The first additional gait is a four-beat lateral ambling gait known as the tölt. This is known for its explosive acceleration and speed; it is also comfortable and ground-covering... ...The breed also performs a pace called a skeið, flugskeið or "flying pace". It is used in pacing races, and is fast and smooth, with some horses able to reach up to 30 miles per hour."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_horse

Icelandic horses are the only horses allowed in Iceland, and if an Icelandic horse is ever exported or taken someplace else, it can never return. This is on account of not wanting to introduce any diseases into the population.

The most striking thing to me were the amazing hairdos the horses had. So boyband. So middle school. Unkempt bangs. The horses also had so much personality. Very playful and interactive.

Lindsey and I had the opportunity to ride a bit and it's a memory I'll always treasure.

[greginda]

The Aurora Borealis and the Black Church of Budir

The aurora borealis is on everyone's bucket list. It's a natural phenomena that is scientifically amazing. And also has a deep folkloric mystical vibe. Every photo one sees of the "northern lights" is absolute magic.

Going to Iceland Lindsey and I knew we were on the early cusp of aurora season which *can* start in late August, but is most prominent from October to April. We were there in mid-late September. Every night we would check my forecasting app Aurora Pro, but we had cloud cover for so much of the trip. So our expectations were low.

My mom, who was on her own separate trip through Iceland concurrently with ours, went on several Northern Lights tours hoping to see them, but never did. They would typically stay out until 1am hoping to catch a glimpse, but every night they went was a bust.

The same for us through the first 10 days of the trip. It wasn't until we got to Snæfellsnes Peninsula and the Black Church of Budir that I saw something. We had rolled in earlier that day after gale force winds hit the peninsula. We had to hunker down in a town 90 minutes away, for about 3 hours, before we could even drive on the roads to the church (and our hotel which was situated next door). When we arrived near sunset I got a couple photos of the church before we unpacked and had dinner.

After we ate I looked out the window and the skies were clear. So I thought I'd try some night photography at the church. Lindsey wanted to stay in, so I headed up alone. I made a couple photographs that were ok, and was ready to head back to the hotel. As I looked off in the northern sky I could see the faintest discoloration in the sky, and a bit of movement. It looked more like a shadow in the sky than the brilliant green dancing lights you see in photos, but it was in fact the aurora. I set up my camera to take photo, and then immediately called Lindsey to say "get dressed, I'm coming to pick you up!" Then I drove down (literally just a hill, it was a 45 second drive or would have been a 2 minute walk) and fetched Lindsey. We drove back up to the church and enjoyed what faint light we could see.

The northern lights are attached to some amazing folklore. Firefoxes. Valkyries taking warriors to Valhalla. Dangerous omens. We quickly wondered what the deal was. The lights were so faint. But the folklore so rich. What were we seeing? Once we got back to the hotel we did our research and discovered that what we saw was a faint display. The displays of the lights varies. Sometimes faint. Sometimes wondrous. That is by no means me saying we were disappointed or underwhelmed. But it is interesting to see how photographs portray these lights and always so brilliant. It's easy to skew expectations.

The following day we drove around the peninsula, photographed at Kirkjufell and then drove back in the night. As we drove through a mountain pass we saw the most amazing display of the full moon and I thought that would be cool to juxtapose with the church. As we were driving up the road to the church we saw the light that typically illuminated the church was out. That seemed strange.

In the church yard were a dozen photographers. I didn't know what was going on. Was it a workshop? We parked and I got out of the car to scout things out. As I looked above the church I saw the faint lights dancing about, slightly more intense than they had been the night before. I quickly got my gear and set up.

The mood in the church yard was tense. Every photographer there was stressed and under pressure to get a good shot. One photographer yelled at me for parking in view of his shot, so Lindsey and I quickly had to move the car. Photographers were constantly carelessly walking in front of others shots (long exposures) because they were so focused on finding a better composition. Lots of apologies were offered in what ended up being about 40 minutes.

I managed to get a few photographs I was really happy with. Lindsey and I decided to get changed and then head back out to see if we could find any other viewpoints with the lights. We stayed out until about 2am before packing it in for an early morning that would take us to the Golden Circle and then back to Reykjavik.

Despite crossing the northern lights off of my bucket list, I think they are something that just stays in the bucket. So many experiences are wonderful no matter how many times you partake. And I'll always jump at the chance to see an aurora, even the faintest one.

[greginda]

Crocodile Rock

As Lindsey and I were driving through Northwest Iceland in the Akrahreppur region we were treated to some amazing light in this valley. I was actually kind of panicked because I could see this once in a lifetime light in front of us, but no good spots to pull off into to make a good photo. We pulled off the highway onto several first roads hoping to find something, anything, to use as a foreground for this amazing view in front of us. And there was just nothing.

For a photographer, it's tough. There is something about identifying yourself as a photographer that means sometimes you can't just enjoy and take in this epically beautiful sight before you, because "pics or it didn't happen." One of my favorite moments in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is when Sean Penn's character Sean O'Connell says "Sometimes I don't [take a picture]. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it, right there, right here."

I recognize a lot of truth in that line. But I also recognize my love of capturing those moments. And that the struggle is part of what gets my blood pumping.

We continued driving down the highway and passed by some construction. And luckily just past all that we found a pull off in the valley. I got out of the car and looked for compositions with my camera but there was no way to really capture it. I had to use my drone for this.

The highway and the streams created some amazing leading lines for the photos. My favorite though is this one where the Króká and the Heiðará converge, and the rocky landscape looks like a crocodile. Or maybe an alligator since the snout is rounded. But Elton John never wrote a song called Alligator Rock.

With the sun setting we got back in the car and pressed onward. A little more relaxed because we had captured a little bit of the magic.

[greginda]

Droning in Iceland

Aerial views of Iceland, September 2021: Skútafoss, Sveinsstekksfoss, Hvannagil and the surrounding area, Jökulsá á Fjöllum, a stop off in the Akrahreppur region in Northwest Iceland, the Skútustaðagígar Pseudocraters, Hverfjall Volcano Crater and surrounding area.

All drone footage: @greg_inda Edit/Color: @itslindseymarks

#iceland #icelandtravel #aerialphotography #dronevideo

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My partner Lindsey and I have talked a lot about fitting drones into my arsenal. How best to utilize aerial work while being cognizant of the ethics and how not to be a nuisance traveler. Below are some thoughts that Lindsey shared on Facebook, as well as some of my follow up and her follow up to my follow up.

Lindsey: I'm really happy about how we approached getting the drone out on this trip. Greg is a thoughtful person and did his research, and I've redirected my "need-to-fix-my-anxiety problem" reactions when people I'm with are using drones to owning my thoughts as entirely reasonable personal stances. In Iceland we were fortunate to find areas that were extremely unpopulated and under trafficked. Some of these areas are publicly accessible but aren't really even tourist destinations. Some we were the only people in sight. There are areas that do not allow drones without a permit, but many main tourist attractions are drone-able...so it's on you to make decisions. We weren't 100% perfect, but I think we avoided disturbing people really effectively and I love what Greg got! Deepening that as a skill set would be pretty awesome and he's looking into the licensing process.

Greg: It really gets to be a complex ethical dilemma. Droning offers such an interesting perspective on the world. And as a photographer I constantly feel the desire to be elevated by about 10 feet. I remember reading about an Ansel Adams photograph, and he talked about standing on top of his van to get a slightly different perspective on some boulders (I'll try to find a link), and that story ALWAYS had me wishing for a car I could stand on top of. Or a moonroof. Or... a drone! It really is a visual game changer.

And then you read about drones landing in migratory bird nesting sites causing untold damage. Or someone using a drone to spy on a neighbor. And the whole notion just becomes awful.

And there is definitely a cyclical oneupmanship that happens. It's like when the selfie stick dropped and everyone got one.

One pull that I started feeling as we were droning in Iceland, and I guess something I've felt even droning here around the farm, is the need to share the experience. Share the literal experience of droning. Not hiding off in a corner trying not to be seen, but to share it. Show people in the moment what you're seeing. Even letting someone tell you where to go. Because then it shifts from a literal annoyance into something that multiple people can enjoy. Though I also felt the need to hide in a corner sometimes too. I felt both things.

As I progress down the path of licensed drone pilot, it'll be a lot to think about and consider.

Lindsey: That's an interesting perspective too, down there at the end on sharing! I did notice you had some people who were interested in and a bit excited about what you were doing, same when we were in Kentucky...and being closer in your launch point in those instances made it possible for them to approach you without being weird and feeling rude about encroaching on your space. I wonder if some of the nuance is being at say...a trail head "heading towards the thing"...vs. the endpoint where all focus is on the thing? Probably all just depends.

Hiding kind of gets to my "get over anxiety" bit. And I think that's a take up space issue that might not leave as much room for thinking about the positive interactions people have with other people using drones.

If I think about it really...part of my critique stems from, as a spectator in an area, I don't like drones being around, particularly because of the sound, which I find to be hyper grating and a little scary. Even with no one around.

Greg: I think its hard not to be totally annoyed by the sound. And in serene, remote places, sound is such a huge part of the experience. It's selfish to take that away from someone just because you have a drone and want to fly it.

But I'm sure that conversation will evolve and shift as they start to make totally silent drones... which will lead to other types of problems.

Or maybe they go the other way and add a boom box function to drones, or a megaphone. Drones flying overhead adding a sound track to your nature experience.

[greginda]

Powerstrips and Plugs and Traveling Every Day

One of the less glamorous aspects of our trip to Iceland was keeping everything charged and organized. We only had two night stays in two hotels on the trip. Every other stop was check in at night, check out in the morning.

I took “charge” of making sure we had fully charged batteries every night. Also had to power computers, ipads, charge phones. It could get to be a logistical nightmare. What you see in the photo is my Belkin travel powerstrip on the left. It has three regular outlets and two usb outlets. That is plugged into a two prong travel adapter that works through most of Europe. To the right is a Brookstone travel adapter that has adapters for every outlet in the world. It also has two USB outlets and one regular outlet.

Plugged in to everything are batteries for two camera systems, a drone, a battery pack for Lindsey’s heated vest, and my watch.

*quick aside, at one point the charger to the Fuji batteries stopped working. It was the only charger I brought for that camera system, and not being able to charge batteries would’ve rendered it useless. There are also only 3 stores in all of Iceland that might have carried that charger, and all were over 4 hours away… and no amazon prime available either. I did a deep dive on google and repaired it myself.

We were very lucky our luggage fit into the back of our rental car. Those bags were a tight fit every day, fortunately Lindsey did a great job reorganizing everything on our first day in Iceland, so we only ever needed to take one bag, or one bag plus a case. That made everything go a lot faster in the morning as we were trying to catch a sunrise or get to our destination on time.

This type of vacation came with a lot more logistics to navigate than a more relaxing type vacation. But Lindsey and I both thrive under that type of stress. It is its own type of fun.

In addition to setting up this charging station every night, i also had to transfer data from all the cameras to the computer so we’d have clear cards every morning. Some nights I would have that work overnight (because transfer rates could sometimes be over an hour with some of the larger video files we got). We actually had almost no time to review photos on the trip. Because so much time was spent transferring.

Suffice to say we relished the two nights we spent at the same hotel. It was our opportunity to recharge ourselves, enjoying a chance to sit and look out a window (like the window in the third photo!).

[greginda]

Fagradalsfjall

The above photo may be one of the best photos I've ever taken, and might be one of the best photos I ever take in my lifetime. And it's also a photo that leaves a lot to be desired.

On our trip to Iceland, we got to see Fagradalsfjall twice. The first was 3 days into the trip and we hiked to the lava flow in the valley. The weather was spotty. Sun for brief moments, but mostly clouds that brought a light rain. The cold rain hitting the freshly hardened lava produced cool looking bits of steam throughout the lava flow.

We were able to get right up next to the flow and see beautiful color contrasts of red rock on the black. And some cool bits where rock was engulfed by the lava to become something new. The whole area felt very primal. Our hike took us about an hour plus the time we spent photographing. But we inevitably cut things short because of the rain and we had to get to our next spot before it would get too dark. That meant not climbing the hill that would lead to a view of the crater.

Our second visit was 13 days into the trip and the day before we'd leave Iceland. We were lucky to get a spot on a helicopter that would take us over the crater and land near by. Again weather would be a crapshoot as well as the conditions of the volcano, would it be erupting? Tracking the weather that morning it looked like some ugly stuff would be coming in near our take off time. But luckily it held off just long enough for our flight.

The volcano was not erupting that day. It had just gone dormant after several days of erupting. While that was disappointing, it's really no less incredible. I think we're all intrigued and attracted to moments of chaos and color, which is what an active eruption embodies. Molten magma is just fun to say. But the results of the fury and fire are also breathtaking. The black trail of scorched earth and the discoloration left from the lava. The tiny bits of new growth that had taken root. It was an amazing sight of the life cycle earth has been experiencing for 4.5 gigaannum.

One thing I did not expect when we landed was to step on the scorched moss. Throughout Iceland there is moss everywhere. It is an important part of the ecosystem. To walk on it is spongy. You can imagine just laying down and taking a nap it's so comforting. The scorched moss near the volcano's crater was no different. It had just as much bounce as the green moss had.

From our landing spot we had a view overlooking the lava field we had hiked to just 10 days earlier. It was cool seeing people moving around down there. So tiny. Next to this volcano we are all tiny.

My best photo came after we took off again. Earlier I had been in one of the 4 seats in the back of the helicopter. But on the way home I got to sit in the co-pilots seat. It was from that vantage point that I got to frame up the crater and the other helicopter levitating amongst the smoke. The helicopter gives the whole thing a sense of scale and again that feeling of smallness. The photo would certainly be more dynamic with an erupting crater and flowing lava. But as is it's still incredible. And I'm proud of it.

[greginda]

Huginn or Muninn?

Whilst hiking on Vatnajokull glacier we were visited by this raven. The guide joked that two ravens often accompany the glacier expeditions and they must be Odin’s ravens Huginn (meaning thought) and Muninn (meaning memory or mind). Odin would send his ravens out to report on what was happening in the world. On this day they would send word that an American tourist got very tired of wearing crampons, but successfully hiked the glacier.

I can’t imagine that Odin would care too much about my accomplishment, despite it being (for me) a life highlight.

I love this photo and I love the blue reflection in the raven’s eyes. As though they are communicating with a deity.

[greginda]

Birds and Waves on Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Snæfellsnes Peninsula is on the western coast of Iceland to the northwest of Reykjavik. It consists of a national park on the westernmost tip, and beautiful scenery throughout. The coast is rocky and has the typical violent, crashing waves seen throughout the island.

On the trip Lindsey and I kept saying "this area is known for a black sand beach, but it's dangerous to get too close to the water." And what I want to note is that ALL the beaches (that we saw) in Iceland had black sand or black rock, and they were ALL dangerous. So one could just call them all "dangerous beaches" and drop the black sand descriptors.

All the beaches were known for "sneaker waves." At most beaches the biggest waves occur every 7 or so waves. It's rhythmic, cyclical. But these sneaker waves come out of nowhere and scurry up the beach past where any other waves went, and sometimes are large enough to pull unsuspecting people back into the surf. As we were planning the trips I did get a bit cocky thinking "that's only dangerous for other people. I'm gonna do what I want." But I watched enough youtube videos that humbled me back to a space of caution.

At Djúpalónssandur beach on the peninsula I immediately noted where the safety ring buoy was just in case, and tried to find good compositions. Then this bird situation happened, arching across the sky and it was a stunning thing to witness. I think it's interesting how, especially with photography, one is often juxtaposing moments of chaos with moments of serenity. And that's one of the things that makes Iceland so compelling photographically, is that everywhere you look there is chaos next to something serene.

[greginda]

Kirkjufell on Iceland's Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Kirkjufell (Church Mountain) is on the north shore of Iceland's Snæfellsnes Peninsula and is probably one of the top 5 most photographed places in the country. If you search photos of Iceland, you'll immediately see it and the two nearby waterfalls.

For a photographer in Iceland, this is one of those bucket list locations. I'm not proud to say that I had a lot of anxiety in photographing this location. I've never felt like a very talented landscape photographer. I never felt like that side of my work ever really connected with people, in the same way that my performance work had. But I also felt like I knew the techniques. And I've seen this photo taken by so many other photographers that I felt like, if I could nail the techniques then I'd have at least an image I could hold up for comparison. And at least find some validation that I could make something at an equal level.

That's also a pretty unfair thing to put upon one's self. So many factors come into play. The weather for one could literally be anything. The day before this was gale force winds and snowy. The day after was icy rain. But this day we actually got to see a sunset, and we got some color in the skies.

Personally I have no shame attached to photographing popular spots. I think walking in another photographer's shoes and seeing the scene the way they did can be incredibly helpful. And ultimately I'm proud to have gotten this shot, even if it is the same.

[greginda]

Þingvellir National Park in Iceland is one of the main attractions on what is called "The Golden Circle", which includes Gullfoss and Geysir. Þingvellir is in a rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, and push each other up. You can walk directly where these two plates meet in what resembles a small canyon.

Here is where we took a small hike to Öxarárfoss waterfall. In my photo, I've tried a new photoshop technique for doing a sky replacement. So what you see in that photo is fake. The sky more closely resembled the photo of the couple walking the path. The weather was rainy that day and we very nearly cancelled our plans to head to Geysir and Gullfoss on account of icy roads. But after a lunch of potato chips and candy, things started to clear just enough that we continued the journey.

Þingvellir, sometimes spelled Thingvellir, is also known as the "Fields of Parliament" as it's where the early viking inhabitants held the Althing. It is regarded as the oldest parliament in the world having started in 930.

It can be an incredibly difficult spot to photograph without the capability to do aerial photography. Looking over the large gash in the earth must be amazing. But even without the view, standing there feels primal. And ancient.

[greginda]

Interviewed by Shoutout LA!

I had the opportunity to share a few thoughts with Shoutout LA about habits I’ve built as a photographer. Check out the full piece here!

[greginda]

The BBC and Chicago Pedway

I'm excited to say my photos made a major news network. I'm fortunate to have had my Chicago Pedway photos accompany a BBC article written by Ella Buchan, which you can read here. 

They used a good chunk of my photos, but I've got an expanded gallery here for you to check out. The Chicago Pedway is truly an amazing place within Chicago. As Margaret Hicks says in the article, “I really do think the Pedway is one of Chicago's neighbourhoods." It is. It has it's own feel separate from any other place in the city.

I encourage everyone to take a day and check it out. Click on any of the images below to view the full, un-cropped photo.

[greginda]

Portland Head Lighthouse

Portland Head Lighthouse in Maine

[greginda]

National Parks Tour

Earlier this month I was fortunate to go on a small National Parks tour with a good friend of mine. We started in Yosemite, and then drove east through Death Valley, and finally ended up in Zion. It goes without saying that this trip was incredible. Not only for the amazing natural beauty that we saw, but also for personal reasons. I've got stories and stories and stories from this trip, but one of the biggest accomplishments was overcoming a fear of heights that I've had for over 20 years.

Below are some images I captured in the parks. All of these are available for purchase, feel free to contact me for details.

[greginda]

Stephanie

Stephanie needed some new headshots for Linkedin/Facebook/Twitter etc. This is what we did.

[greginda]

Pismo Beach

On my west coast trip I got to visit Pismo Beach! Deja Sue and her husband took me out for a wonderful dinner and an amazing sunset over the ocean.

Thanks for checking out my photos. Here is a metal flower this woman offered me at Pismo, I didn't have any place to put it, so I took the picture instead.