“The iron remains on the beach are from a British trawler, the Epine GY 7, which was wrecked east of Dritvik on the night of 13th March 1948. Five of the crew of 19 were saved. Rescue teams from Arnarstapi, Hellnar, and Hellissandur came to help, but conditions were difficult with bad weather and heavy seas. Members of the crew could be seen on the forecastle and the wheelhouse and tied to the rigging. The tide was coming in, and huge waves broke over the ship. One man was washed up on the beach, still alive. After the tide turned, it was possible to shoot out a line that the crew managed to tie to the mast, and the four men who were still alive were pulled to safety in a rescue seat. “ [Tourist information sign at the site]
I came across the site of the shipwreck on the beach of Dritvik, Iceland, in the summer of 2021. The shooting conditions were not ideal, with the wind and rain pummeling the site. I was immediately taken by the scene in front of me with the scattered remnants from the ship scattered over the beach. The contrast of the rusted metal forms against the black lava beach was striking. Each scrap of the destroyed ship seemed to be imbued with the weight of the memory of this catastrophe. I have isolated the pieces of metal in order to emphasize their role as commemorative relics of the event. I also decided to treat the images in black and white to emphasize the sculptural forms of the metal pieces, but more importantly, to express the sense of desolation and loss that this scene of wreckage conveys. I feel that these images are a poignant reminder of the potentially destructive forces of nature and our fragility in the face of them.
What do you think are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!
The composition, and the texture, which gives the image a tactile quality
If you would be able to make this photo once again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?
I feel that this particular image from the series is successful since I managed to capture what I was after. However, I would love to revisit the site under better conditions so I could have more depth of field, or at least have had a tripod when I did shoot there.
Catherine Marcogliese shared this photograph in the FRAMES Facebook Group.
Photographer
Catherine Marcogliese, France
Equipment and settings
Fujifilm GFX 50R + GF50mm F3.5 R LM WR
1/35sec, f/16, ISO400
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