Melrakki. The Hidden Lord of Iceland
First came the Arctic fox, then came humans. Whichever end of the shotgun they find themselves on, Iceland’s foxes and humans have more in common than might appear: curiosity, intelligence, strong social systems, and a tremendous ability to survive in the harsh conditions of these landscapes. Whether their bonds are forged through love, hate, or simply survival, foxes and humans are essentially the same: Icelandic.
In 2014, I visited the island of Fire and Ice for the first time and came face to face with my favorite animal since childhood: the arctic fox. However, that fox was behind bars and would never run free in the fjords again. My interest in this unpleasant situation sparked one of the most important projects of my career, his unpleasant situation sparked one of the most important projects of my career, which resulted in a book and a documentary.
WATCH DOCUMENTARY
BUT THE BOOK
JOIN ME ON AN ARCTIC FOX PHOTO TOUR
Some images from the project
More details of the project
The project consists of an article, a book, and an audiovisual documentary. The aim of all this is to raise awareness of the problematic relationship between humans and foxes in Iceland, with the intention of being part of a positive change. Fox hunting is deeply rooted in the traditional Icelandic way of life, and it is very difficult for a foreigner to convince anyone to change this, but I hope that my small contribution will add to many others and that we can bring the topic up for discussion in Icelandic dinner conversations.
For years, I have also been organizing photo tours for professionals and amateurs who want to accompany me to photograph this beautiful animal and share the experience of locking eyes with it. In this way, I aim to show the Icelandic population that they too may have an interest in stopping the hunting of this animal, as it can generate income through wildlife tourism.
Trailer for the documentary film Melrakki. The Hidden Lord of Iceland
So far, I have managed to distribute the English version of the book in a couple of major bookstores (there is a Spanish version and an English version). The documentary has been donated to the Arctic Fox Center to help spread the message to all its visitors. The documentary has also won awards at major international festivals, some of them in Iceland.
This project earned me the Conservation Photographer of the Year Award from the Spanish Association of Nature Photographers (AEFONA) in 2021, when the project was still in the process of being created. The film and/or talk about the project have been presented at venues such as the MontPhoto festival, the AEFONA congress, and the PIFF International Festival in Ísafjörður (Iceland), among others.