Stefan Official
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(Dragon’s Eye, Uttakleiv Beach, Lofoten)
I had a very clear vision for this scene quite early on. Precisely because it has been photographed so many times, I didn’t just want to capture the eye itself, but also the surrounding rock structures. For me, that is what creates this impression of dragon skin, and it’s exactly why I chose a horizontal composition, even though this subject is usually photographed vertically.
It was also important to me that the foreground remained in shadow while some light appeared in the background. This combination fits much better with a mystical, almost fantasy-like atmosphere than a cloudless sky with direct sunlight. The way light interacts within a scene is incredibly important in photography and often changes more than anything else, even more than any technical choice.
This location only really works at low tide, because otherwise the eye is constantly flooded by water and foam. A polarizing filter makes a crucial difference here. Without it, the grey clouds reflect on the water surface inside the eye, which causes a loss of color, depth, and overall impact.
I also used an ND8 filter and shot at 1/8 of a second handheld. That’s still within a range I can reliably hold with image stabilization. At the same time, the ocean in the background becomes slightly softer and less frozen. That balance was important to me. Enough calmness in the water, but still flexible enough to work without a tripod.
At a location like this, many photographers understandably try to get everything sharp from front to back, stopping down and working with a tripod. I deliberately chose not to do that. For me, this scene benefits much more from the interplay between sharpness and softness. It gives the image a more surreal, almost living quality rather than a purely documentary feel. On top of that, using a tripod would have limited my freedom to adjust the composition. Even small movements of a few centimeters in any direction make a huge difference here. I wanted to keep that flexibility to make the dragon’s eye as dominant and impactful as possible.
In the end, I spent nearly four hours waiting there, dealing with wind, rain, and constantly changing light, until everything briefly came together. During that time, another German photographer was there as well, equally passionate, and we spent hours waiting, experimenting, and talking. In between, several guided photo groups passed by, but many of them moved on after just ten minutes. At a place like this, you really notice how differently a location can reveal itself depending on how much time you give it and what kind of idea you bring with you.
What interested me most was to create something personal from a scene that has been photographed so often. Not just another similar image, but an interpretation with its own character and a presence that makes the subject feel almost alive.
Technical Details
📷 Camera: Sony Alpha 7R V
🔭 Lens: Sony 16mm f/1.8 G
🔍 Focal Length: 16 mm
🌞 Aperture: f/4
🌙 ISO: 200
⏳ Exposure: 1/8 s (handheld, stabilized with in-body image stabilization)
🔲 Filters: ND8 + CPL (Kase Magnetic System)
 The Silent Watcher by Stefan Zimmermann Official, auf Flickr
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