Gúndi Vigfússon

Life on the Corner

vigfusson — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 02:56:59 +0000

Once again Sam Harnett and I teamed up to do a story for The Bold Italic. This time around we interviewed a few cornerstore owners in the Western Addition.

Read it here!

Mr. President

vigfusson — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 23:46:06 +0000

My first real job as a photographer was for a start-up daily newspaper in Reykjavik called Blaðið, which translates to “The Paper”, effectively differentiating itself from the other two newspapers called Fréttablaðið or “The Newspaper” and Morgunblaðið or “The Morning-paper”. Whoever said Icelanders are unimaginative would be wise to reconsider.

The time spent working as a press photographer I consider to be the best education I’ve ever had. We were overworked and under staffed, shooting up to 10 assignments all around Reykjavik over the course of the day. A typical day would consist of a few portraits, the odd corporate handshake photo, possibly a sports event and if you’re lucky you’d get to shoot the restaurant/food coverage (always try to line those up at around lunch or dinner time, for obvious reasons).

I was lucky enough to get to cover a number of presidential events. Now, the Icelandic equivalent of the White House is nothing like the actual White House. You’re actually able to drive up to it, park your car in the back, knock on the front door, and if you’re suitably dressed they might even let you in …I almost blew my first assignment for not wearing dress pants. Which feels a bit odd now that I think about it, for such a casual office to be overly strict on wardrobe, although Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (president) is an extremely stylish guy.

Below I have a random assortment of pictures from various assignments. I know you should always put your best foot forward, especially when it comes to presenting your work. But after looking through my archive and coming to a rather startling revelation, I decided to forgo my best foot and share this revelation; President Ólafur Ragnar seems to be in a perpetual state of show and tell, he truly likes to point things out.

Please enjoy this mix of non-pointing favorites and presidential show and tell.

Cheers!

[Show as slideshow]

Keflavik Kingston

vigfusson — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:03:41 +0000

In November of 2010 my first book, Keflavik Kingston, got published.

It’s a non linear documentation of Iceland’s most popular reggae band Hjálmar. For little over 6 years I’ve partied, toured, and hung out with them. Always with a camera around my neck, I documented everything from their first studio session in Keflavik to their latest session which took place in Kingston, Jamaica, hence the title “Keflavik Kingston”.

Below is an edit of some of my favorite shots, taking you on a mini tour from the early days in Keflavik to where we departed in Kingston.

Enjoy!

Commercial Work

vigfusson — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:30:55 +0000

Not much to say about this post, just more of the same old shameless self promotion …hey, that’s what blogging is all about right? To inflate the ego and help oneself to a digital pat on the back.

This time it’s all about the print ads I’ve made in the past. Here I give you a few of my favorites.

[Show as slideshow]

SWQ

vigfusson — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:22:27 +0000

The Shotgun Wedding Quintet’s latest album “Tales From the Barbary Coast” just came out. I shot the cover and press images.

Here is my edit and a couple of out takes.

[Show as slideshow]

Magazine Covers

vigfusson — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:12:08 +0000

A few years back I worked as the photo editor for The Reykjavik Grapevine. At the time they were a pretty low budget publication so I, more often than not, doubled as a photographer as well.

Since then they’ve come a long way and are now considered to be the cornerstone of Icelandic travel publication and the very best source of all things Icelandic for the independent traveler.

Below are a few of the covers I shot during my time with them.

[Show as slideshow]

The Standing Dead

vigfusson — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:40:59 +0000

Just did another story for The Bold Italic. This time Sam Harnett and I took a closer look at the abandoned theaters in San Francisco.

Check it out.

Candidates

vigfusson — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:36:43 +0000

In 2007 I was commissioned by The Left Green Movement in Iceland to shoot their campaign for the national elections. We decided to photograph their entire roster of candidates, a group of little over 100 people nation wide. The art direction was simple, white background, no wardrobe styling and minimal makeup. Our aim was to portray the candidates as solid individuals who looked friendly and approachable …sort of like every other politician, come to think of it.

Because of the number of people we were photographing my producer and I decided to start each session with a mug shot of sorts, where the candidate was holding a piece of paper with his/her name and district written down. I would ask them to hold it up and told them the photo shoot would begin after this first frame, which was being shot only for archival reasons. In this first frame I often found them unguarded and absent minded, a rare thing when it comes to politicians.

This is a collection of my favorite first frames.

The Jazz Mafia

vigfusson — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:10:18 +0000

Tomorrow (February 19) I will be escorting The Jazz Mafia to Folsom where they debut their brand new symphony, “The Emperor Norton Suite”, at Folsom Lake College’s Three Stages.

If you’re in the area go see the show …better yet, branch out and just go see it.

The photos are from when they performed at The Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, that show was fantastic. Since then I know they’ve rehearsed at least a couple of times, re-strung the viola and buffed the trombone, it can only be better this time.

[Show as slideshow]

Radio Dazed

vigfusson — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:31:27 +0000

Did a series of portraits for The Bold Italic last week.

Check it out

Engage

vigfusson — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:16:32 +0000

One bleak Icelandic morning in early January my father’s friend, on his way to work, decided to build a rocket. For two whole days he stopped working and focused only on building a fully non-functional scaled rocket, fabricated from steel and aluminum.

This dedication to a spontaneous project as well as his complete disregard for logical behavior is inspiring to say the least.

It was with that in mind when I decided to turn my previous template portfolio website into a blog. I haven’t thought it through, I’m utterly unfamiliar with the platform and unsure of how long I’ll be able to stay motivated to write.

Visit frequently, sign up to the newsletter and rss feed when I figure out how to work it. Forward my work to people you like, drop me a line if you have something smart to say, eat your veggies and be nice to your sister.

Engage.