Iceland Dreamland: A Solo Cycling Journey with @petitechaton

In the post-apocalyptic video game Death Stranding, a delivery man traverses a wide-open world filled with snow-covered mountains, rapid rivers, wide plains, and man-made highways to deliver resources to the remains of humanity.

The photos in this album by Lomographer Etienne (@Petitchaton), entitled Iceland Dreamland, are reminiscent of the game's environment. Through the pictures he was able to take with his trusty Lomo LC-A+ with the Wide Angle Lens Etienne takes us on a two month solo journey by bike across the rugged yet mystifying landscape of Iceland.

Tourism in Iceland has been on the rise in the past 15 years, with the 2 million mark being reached in 2015. Iceland caters to everyone, from those who want to seek relaxing days frolicking in hot springs, to the more adventurous tourists who want to check out the various waterfalls, gorges, beaches, and rock formations. For Etienne, he takes it to the extreme as he decided to go on a cycling tour, complete with camping out in the wilderness.

It was really tough, I made the whole tour on my bike. The wind is heavy. It is the hardest thing on a bike in Iceland. You have to be motivated to fight against it. But you know on a bike, you take the time to appreciate every moment of the day, especially in summer when the sun goes down after midnight. Beautiful lights of the sunset and after the sunrise. You don't even see the darkness of the night which we are used to seeing in France in summer.

For this trip, Etienne brought with him the Lomo LC-A+ with the Wide Angle Lens, LomoChrome Purple, Lomography Redscale, and a Fujicolor 200. These three films showcase his journey in different aspects. The use of LomoChrome Purple and Redscale gives the environment a new color and a new way of seeing and feeling the journey he went through.

Talking about some of his experiences from this trip, Etienne shares the stories behind his favorite photos.

It was on the southeast, almost at the end of the trip. I just stopped on the side of the road and took the shot. The other good thing on a bike trip is that you can stop everywhere to take pictures. I really like the purple light leak and the big cloud coming from the sea. I'm a big fan of the cloud.

Another photo is this picture where the purple worked really well. The moss in Iceland is crazy, it covers a lava field. And it's crazy when you think how big some of the lava fields are.

Sharing his biggest realization from the trip Etienne talks about a milestone decision he made one night.

I had a vision in the desert in the highlands when I was really deep in it and really alone. This picture was taken during the evening when I had the revelation. I knew I wanted to get married to my girlfriend. I had never thought about it before. And I never thought I would get married in my life. But this revelation of the desert broke everything in my mind. I came back to France and I asked my girlfriend, who said yes. We just got married on the 1st of October this year. And the week after I will go back to Iceland with my wife but this time with the power of a 4x4. Much easier. So all I can say is that sometimes it is good to travel and to be alone. It can clear your mind and open your heart!

We congratulate Etienne on getting married and thank him for sharing his amazing journey with us. Watch out for photos from his return trip on his LomoHome and you can check out the video he made for his trip here. Got any stories of solo traveling? Share it with us down below.

written by rocket_fries0036 on 2022-12-29 #people #places #nature #summer #trees #bike #snow #environment #iceland #lomo-lc-a #lc-a-wide-angle-lens #offroad #lomography-redscale-xr #lomochrome-purple