Back to Photographic Normality – Nicolas Alexander Otto

2022 was a fantastic year. After the Corona crisis, a lot of things got back on track; my photo workshops were better attended, and I had the opportunity to travel with my guests to many familiar and favorite places. One would think that after all these years of traveling to the same destinations, inertia and weariness would eventually set in, but for me, the opposite is true. Having traveled to all the places you see here many times – Lofoten, Saxony Switzerland, Faroe Islands, Senja or Iceland – it’s always a bit like coming home each time. However, there are still pictures that I chase after. I have new ideas for different angles, different focal lengths, different compositions, and techniques.
I’ve often had no luck with weather so I am always happy to return to these places for another chance to get the shots I had hoped for. It took me many years to finally capture the Northern Lights over Mount Vestrahorn in a beautiful form, and to get the right angle of the sun to reflect light in the calima dust of Tenerife.

Photography is a medium that fascinates me so much because after every picture I take, it feels like I already have 5 new images in my head that I want to capture. the photo workshops I hold include people who share my fascination with photography and also long for imagery that is something special. The second half of 2022 was marked by many beautiful, light moods, which I was able to portray.

Every photographer should have one or more places to which he or she returns again and again to pursue new ideas and approaches, to try things out and,above all, to experiment. Photography becomes easier and more relaxed when you already have a good picture of a place. Without pressure, you can approach the scene and think about how you want to tackle the creative process in your own personal way. And if you are not satisfied with your attempt it’s fine because you already have a solid image on handto fall back on. Places that are naturally dynamic and often change in appearance, such as the famous iceberg beach in Iceland, invite you to photograph them again and again.fFor example, in Fjallsfjara the icebergs, the water level, the position of the sun and the weather are changeable, so new image ideas can emerge again and again. That’s why I like to photograph beaches in general, buteven more stationary spots without changing tides alter their appearance depending on the season and angle of the light.

Seeing the sun set from the angle directly behind Mount Teide – the highest volcano in the Canary Islands – is only possible in November and December, so the season alone can inspire creative ideas and invite you to revisit the same place at different times of the year. I take pictures at least once a year in Saxon Switzerland, and while I always find new vantage points, even “old acquaintances,” like the foggy view over the “Kleiner Zschand”, can look different again every morning. Even though I have already stood on the ledges of the small winter mountain countless times, the intense pink of the morning that was reflected in the fog was something special, which I had not yet photographed. I look forward to visiting some of my old familiar places again this fall and photographing them with my travel companions.

Faroe Islands, Summer 2022
1/400s – 1/25s | f/11 | ISO 200 | 20mm

Cairns, the small rock piles that were once used to show hikers the way in bad weather, can also be found in abundance on the Faroe Islands. These specimens, however, found not far from the town of Klaksvik, seem to have been built by tourists, since finding two directly next to each other just off a hiking trail are rather rare. It is forbidden to build cairns that are not on the hiking route itself, because they can mislead inexperienced hikers. (Thankfully, there is GPS nowadays.)But these thoughts weren’t on my mind as I photographed this stunning sunset over the fjords.

Faroe Islands, summer 2022
1/250s /| f/8 | ISO 200 | 370mm

The dynamic weather in the Faroe Islands is part of their special charm. Due to the location of the archipelago in the middle of the North Atlantic, it often has its own microclimate, including cloud cover. This sometimes creates surreal light moods, like these rain showers illuminated by the glow of the evening sun setting in the northwest. A waterfall in the distance reflects the light while the black rock around it swallows it, so the tumbling water seems like a silver tail in the blackness. The small flock of puffins, which fly away again after breeding, completes this stunning impression.

Iceland, Winter 2022
10s | f/3.5 | ISO 1250 | 17mm

Aurora Borealis is one of the most fascinating natural spectacles that our planet offers us. On this moonlit night, due to the interplay of moonlight and northern lights, it doesn’t seem so dark, so you can even see your own shadow in the black sand.

Iceland, Winter 2022
0.5s | f/11 | ISO 160 | 20mm

Fjallsfjara, also often called ‘Diamond Beach’, is one of the most interesting parts of Iceland’s coastline. Here, pieces of ice, which are washed into the sea from the nearby glacier lagoon Jökulsarlon, are carried back to the beach by the waves. The result is a fantastic play of sand, water and ice that you want to watch for hours.

Norway, Autumn 2022
1s | f/11 | ISO 64 | 35mm

Rainbows in the light of the sunset are probably every photographer’s dream. Even more so when the Lofoten beaches add more visual drama with wild weather. Surely one of the most beautiful sunsets I experienced there.

Saxony Switzerland, Germany, Autumn 2022
0,5s | f/7.1 | ISO 100 | 170mm

After nightly rain showers, fog rises from the forest floor and veils the trees of the Großer Zschand and the rock formations behind them, while the first rays of sunlight give the swaths a delicate pink hue.

Tenerife, Autumn 2022
1/400s – 1/4 s | f/11 | ISO 64 | 20mm

This can only be seen during the autumn months, when the sun is already far to the south and even closer to the equator. Observed from the right angle, the sun sets directly behind the Teide making the Sahara sand visible, often found at higher elevations above the Canary Islands. On Tenerife it’s particularly beautiful to observe this phenomenon given its unique topography.

Tenerife, Autumn 2022
1/400s – 0,6s | f/16 | ISO 64 | 20mm

Opuntias are among the most widespread cacti species in the Canary Islands. Once introduced from South America, opuntias are still cultivated as host plants for slid lice for the production of dyes. However, they can also be found like this all over the islands, especially on Tenerife, as seen here above the gorge of Masca.

Norway, Autumn 2022
10s | f/2.0 | ISO2500 | 20mm

Above the peaks of Okshornan on Senja, the magic lights of the Aurora Borealis are dancing. Without the moon or stray light from surrounding cities, the night sky seems almost unnaturally dark. But it is during these nights that the lights come into their own.

Saxony Switzerland, Germany, Autumn 2022
1/1000s – 1/4s | f/11 | ISO64 | 20mm

Even the smaller formations of rocks in Saxon Switzerland can be rewarding with a beautiful view. As they are often swallowed in fog completely, on a beautiful fog-free morning like this it is enough to climb just a few meters to enjoy a nice view.

Nicolas Alexander Otto has been a photographer for more than 15 years, giving lectures on photography and working in post-processing at various public and private agencies.

He writes for different photo magazines and his images have been shown in several international exhibitions. His photographs capturethe areas of tension between remote landscapes and urban jungles, between nature and man. His ever-growing hunger for new experiences and new places drives him to venture out and capture these moments he can then relive on days spent at home.

In a world that is becoming ever faster and more hectic, Nicolas’ photos create a haven of tranquility for viewers. Whether long exposure shots at the coast, night shots in the mountains, the blue hour over a skyline or the sunrise in the forest, Alexander triesto immortalize those fleeting moments with everlasting precision in pursuit of perfection to s enrich the lives of others.