Lifeline
Edition: 1/1
Maximum collection size: 9 NFTs
360 panorama made of 40 stitched exposures.
Attached file : 10000 x 5081 pixels Unlockable content : full size image 18500 x 9400 pixels

Story:
Glaciers have been there since ancient times. They are old guardians of our planet, witnesses of the changing times, and always played an essential role in the balance of our natural world. I’ve always been passionate about these giants of ice, and when I look at a glacier, I tend to see it as an entity rather a « thing ». Seeing the fast retreat happening these past years is something painful, as much as worrying for the entire ecosystem, human beings included. These past years I visited, explored, and crossed several glaciers, with always the same feeling of joy and gratefulness, melted to the sadness to constat the retreat from one year to another.

This image was captured in Iceland, in September 2021, at the Skaftafellsjokull glacier. I had made some google earth scouting before my departure and sorted a few ideas of panorama compositions, but I hadn’t really thought about the glacial river as an element of it. Remember it is a 360° panorama, which means that when you face the glacier, the river is actually spreading behind you. That day I was originally planning to stay in the Highlands, where I spent the last days, but Icelandic weather is capricious… A surprise storm was coming, and I decided to join the south coast to avoid strong rains. The plan was to stop at one of the locations I had on my list, depending on the weather. I ended up driving all day because of bad conditions, to finally arrive here around sunset time. It was overcast but subtle light was filtering and I started the walk to get close to the glacier. Quickly, I realized that I would arrive too late, and decided to stop and send my drone from there. The place was completely empty due to some landslides close to the glacier. What’s funny is that the idea of framing the river in the scene came because I was still far from the glacier, allowing me to consider a different approach on composition than what I had in mind. It’s a great example of how coincidences can become a decisive element in the creation of an image. If I arrived one hour before, I would have surely hiked up to the second glacier (Svinafellsjokul), and this image would have never existed. It’s also important to understand the documentary importance of glaciers images captured in our period. Glaciers are melting at an extremely fast pace, and the images captured today won’t ever be possible to reproduce in a near future.

Collection:
Each image in the collection is the result of the panorama stitching of up to 40 images per scene, in order to capture the largest angle possible. For that reason, these images can be viewed on a very large display, allowing you to dive deep into the details. The process of creation is extremely long and meticulous due to the stitching process and the high number of pixels, requiring to post-process the image further in the details.

Bio:
Armand Sarlangue is a full-time photographer for 15 years. Son of a photographer, visual arts have always been a passion for him since childhood, and it’s through nature photography that he expresses his creativity. Being alone in the most remote places, and translating the feelings of that moment through his images is what motivates him.
His nature images have been internationally awarded, exhibited in museums & major photography festivals, as well as published in 5 books, and media such as Natgeo, BBC News, and many others.

License:
The holder of this NFT is free to display the associated file privately and publicly, including in commercial and non-commercial settings, and in groups with an unlimited number of participants. The license includes unlimited use and displays in virtual or physical galleries, documentaries, and essays by the NFT holder. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works. Creator retains full commercial rights.