We Are f-stop: Exploring the north with sascha tay

Sascha Tay is 21-year-old photographer and f-stop user from Germany, based in Norway. He specializes in photographing the colder parts of the world, and over the past three years he has managed to capture the landscapes of Iceland, most of Northern Norway, and the Faroe Islands, with their visually stunning scenery but often inhospitable shooting environments. 

When going on these trips you never know what to expect, as the weather changes from minute to minute. You might get stuck in your accommodation for the whole trip and barely get to see out of your window due to the artic winds and snow storms in the winter. This is what makes the cold seasons in the north very unpredictable and photo missions so much more challenging than a nice warm location. However, it is the unpredictable weather and changing conditions that got him hooked on these locations, wanting to explore more and more of the remote places that not everyone has on the top of their list and fewer have seen in person. Sascha's goal is to tell the stories of these places, and show their unique beauty to a wider audience, so for this 'We Are f-stop' we'll hand over to him... 

Words and photos by Sascha Tay

Coming from Hamburg in Germany and seeing the incredible Norwegian mountains that makes you feel so small standing in front of them was a humbling experience, and it made me want to try and capture that humbling feeling and share it though my images. From the tiny classic red Norwegian cabins to the small fishing boats in the Faroe Islands, and to the volcanic black sand beaches of Iceland against the massive glaciers just 200m from the shore. 

When I first started to explore Norway as my entry to the photography journey of the cold northern countries, I was completely unprepared. Wearing a pair of sneakers and jeans might not have been the smartest decision, but it was an experience I needed to go through to move on to real hiking shoes, waterproof jacket from Helly Hansen and mountain pants from Fjellreven, but most importantly a real camera bag. I’ve gone though about 5-6 different bags, each amazing in their own way and for different situations, but I wanted and needed a bag that could survive the same extreme conditions I would experience. 

From -24 Celsius and wind so strong it blew me over making it feel like -40 at times, to downpour and hail while hiking on the Faroe Island, located in the rough sea between the North and Norwegian sea with no shield from the winds of the ocean, to easy access to reach different gear while doing a plane ride over the Icelandic volcanoes, I needed a bag to fit all these circumstances. The Tilopa has kept my gear safe, dry and easy accessible. It has given me the peace of mind that the cameras and lenses would make it safely to my destination, while I had to focus on climbing a mountain or not being blown over off a cliff. Knowing my gear is safe I could concentrate on keeping myself safe as well, and it made it possible to capture these wild and beautiful places.