Book review by Richard Millington, from Birding World magazine, Vol. 17, No. 6, Issue 210, June 2004

Icelandic Wilderness: A Photographic Journey by Daniel Bergmann. 2003. JPV Publishers, Reykjavik. 128 pages and 108 colour photographs. Hardback. £35.00.

This exquisite book is a showcase for Daniel Bergmann’s beautiful photographs, personally chosen to reflect his journeys around Iceland during the last four years. Nine pages of narrative text and selected photographs introduce us to some of Daniel’s experiences, and then 100 of his most stunning images fill the remainder of the 128 pages of this high quality book.

Sumptuous to stark or absorbing to artistic – every image – whether it be portrait, landscape or abstract – speaks for itself, and the viewer is seduced by their wild appeal. The Icelandic wilderness is shown to be a wonderland of crystal clear air, breathtaking vistas and fascinating wildlife. Some of the photographs portray Iceland’s special breeding birds, while rare visitors and mammals such as the endearing Arctic Fox have also been captured through Daniel’s magic lens. Some of his subjects appear in detailed close-up, some are an integral part of the chosen scene. Other photographs celebrate Iceland’s wildest landscapes in a variety of magnificent moods, while serene to surreal skyscapes fire the imagination, and there is one scintillating swirl of northern lights which is a vision in vivid emerald. Daniel has deliberately avoided any hint of human presence in his photographs and nature is here portrayed in its purest form.

Icelandic Wilderness is more than a walk on the wild side; it is the land of ice and fire seen through the native eye of a dedicated nature photographer.