Jonas Valtiysson

Jónas Valtýsson is a photographer and graphic designer living, studying, and working in Reykjavík, Iceland. His hyper-realistic photos often invoke a simultaneous sense of horror and awe. Horror due to the subject matter with clear references to murder, solitude, and death; awe because the photos are so darn clear and realistic, you feel as if you’re right there in the frame.

from Juxtapoz

I'm not a huge photography fan for the simple reason that there's so little truly great/interesting stuff out there; this guy's stuff kicks ass; it's got this great clarity to it, a razor sharp edge in the way he uses the light...and the crazy zombie darkness of his stuff sends it over the edge for me but at the same time, it doesn't lose it's sense of humor while it explores all that nastyness...

And what's up with the Icelanders? It's a tiny ass country but it's teeming with great artists of all disciplines; is it 'cause it's cold and there's nothing else to do? is it socialism? the booze? the hot springs and geysers? or is it just the Icelandic state of mind? i'd like to find out; Iceland is one of those odd little places that is pretty high on the list of places I wanna go to before I get too old to totter around the globe...In the meanwhile, check out Jonas's website...just don't do it late at night...

http://jonasval.com/