At least it’s been driving south from Akureyri, but the snow has eased and we managed to make a brief stop and get some minimal footage from time to time. As color begins to show again in the landscape, we begin to feel more hopeful as we head towards Vestrahorn. If you are reading this and wondering what is going on with the articles about Fstoppers, I will go back and read the previous article. 9 Days in Iceland, Part Oneand all of this can make sense. The south coast contains more than most of the group list photos we would like to revisit. However, Iceland’s weather has different ideas than ours.
Vestrahorn: Unrespectable Shot
We only spent limited time in Vestrahorn on the other occasions we visited and so this time we planned to spend the rest of the day watching the sunset, giving us at least 5 hours to travel. transfer to different works. If we had taken this photo, we might have dropped a few lenses for the rest of the trip due to the strong winter wind blowing everything in sight, even our facial skin was intact from the adventure. save. I have had firsthand experience with sandblasted lenses, a UV filter also helps to protect the photo, and I know the harm it can do. However, we spent a few hours there sheltering and looking for works, hoping the wind would ease. Just when you think it looks promising, it will flare up again and the device will be hastily packed into the camera bag. The image below can help provide an idea of the conditions but it doesn’t show half of what we’ve been through.
It was a photo taken from a phone at the time, and to be honest, there are no complaints because the environmental experience in other conditions is very good, prepare for the next time.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach
I’d love to say this made up for the windy experience at Vestrahorn, but unfortunately I couldn’t as it continued the next morning making shooting conditions difficult. The waves in the lagoon are quite high and the ice blocks move quite a lot, making it difficult to arrange. We wandered around seeing the sights, and as we’ve been very lucky on other visits it didn’t disappoint at all.
Incidentally, the beach had very little ice at the time of our arrival. This was again due to the strong winter winds that I was later informed by the guide, which pushed them around the coast. The beach facing the main parking lot is completely devoid of any ice, and the other beach has very little scattering. We took phone pictures as a reminder of the conditions.
Individual and close-up wide-angle shots can make for great compositions here, and the slow shutter brings out receding water in the black sand. When you’re on a south-facing beach with little or no background elements except for other blocks of ice, the sky can play a very important role in the composition depending on what’s going on with it. it.
Ice Cave
We had a great time experiencing the ice caves with the local tour, the guide was very knowledgeable about the glacier area and had answers to all his questions. The whole experience lasts about 3 hours including driving there, walking and then coming back. When returning, after about a kilometer, the guide stopped and showed us a cave photo he took ten years ago. The large rock that he stopped to show us was in the cave, now in the open air. The cave has receded 1 km in 10 years due to global warming.
May I suggest that if you want to experience the caves for yourself then you should book a smaller party and an experienced photography guide? Our time was limited in the caves, and while it was worth it in every way, we never had time to install the tripod and get the compositions we wanted, so let’s shoot by phone again. The caves are gorgeous to see and I suppose with smaller parties you’ll have more time to capture the images you’re after, so I’ll take a look at that.
Kvernufoss
This was our first encounter with this amazing waterfall, so I can’t recommend the best time to shoot, although I’ve seen some stunning sunsets from this location. However, what I can say is be careful when you visit at any time of the year. The path to the falls had no snow or ice when we went in. Behind the waterfall was a completely different experience and it took our time to get where we wanted to be. A very low center of gravity is required due to the ice. Knots make for easier access and exit, so perhaps depending on the time of year you’re visiting toss a briefcase in your camera bag.
With so many drops of water at this waterfall, it is recommended to use a broom for a longer exposure. I tend to use the airbrush more often than not when shooting longer exposures in conditions like this because the lens coating makes the water droplets come out very quickly. Meanwhile, cloth can sometimes stain the lens. However, on this occasion, nothing can stop them, as you can see from the image above.
The wreck of the plane Solheimasandur
This was the highlight of the trip for me on this occasion. We had visited both times before, but this time we went early and it really paid off as we had the whole place to ourselves during our stay. In fact, the first people we met were when we returned to the parking lot an hour and a half later.
There are so many pictures of this wreck and I really love what remains of the fuselage, isolated and tormented by the inclement Icelandic weather, this time we saw it for ourselves on a single day. clear light. I spent about the first 15 minutes flying the drone and then after taking a few bucket shots, I put on the 85mm and took some detailed shots. This is something I have not done on previous occasions and to be honest due to the number of other tourists, like ourselves there.
Now, I can say that the best time to photograph the wreck is when you have it all to yourself. Honestly, once you’ve photographed it, you’ve taken it. What will make a difference is the weather conditions or the northern lights. During our trip we only encountered a little light to the south with a low Kp so it wasn’t worth venturing to the wreck to photograph it this time.
Seljalandsfoss
The road behind Seljalandfoss was closed, and for good reason. The whole area is an iceberg. Even the slope to the right of the stairs below is thick ice. Although we set off carefully, there was no space for two to set up and shoot without one of us plunging downhill at breakneck speed and possibly ending up with equipment and broken bones. We carefully turned back and shot from the bridge as a reminder of the conditions.
You can find many different compositions here, for example behind the waterfall, but perhaps the most photographed composition is from the top of the slope to the right side of the waterfall, when there is a spectacular sunset, that Really a great photo.
Dyrholaey
Another one of my favorite places around this time and simply because I’m no longer looking for photos, but I keep shooting. The Approx. 85mm Going back to the competition again and I went around observing and documenting that was really fascinating. Once again after checking the Vedur weather app and finding that nothing has changed, despite the sunset, no hope of a spectacular sky is dashed. This allows me to have more time to engage with the environment, the work that I do from home, but very rarely go away because of the short time.
At Reynisfjara black sand beach, we watched people get up close and into the waves for a photo. That’s even if you see warning signs as you hit the beach, including a photo of a tourist caught up in the surging waves. We spent most of our time sitting on the fallen rocks at the end of the beach just looking around and people watching and once again the 85mm was attached.
Until next time
Basically, if you’ve never visited Iceland and it’s in your sights, snap some sloppy pictures if time is tight. There are plenty of other people doing the same, and that’s not a bad thing when you’re documenting it from your perspective. The images in this article are not highly polished works of art of the stunning sunsets and aurora borealis that you can view online. They are simply a record of our travels. This was our nine days and we did the best that was given to us at the time. Personally, I would like to have a month in Iceland to explore more and experience more of the changing weather and places to see how that changes my perspective on everything there.
So did I get any photos I expected? No, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a great nine days. I took my phone to document the trip and some photos taken with my camera. I didn’t fully top up my SD card on this occasion, and to be honest, I didn’t mind at all because I really enjoyed the whole adventure. The ever-changing weather conditions have allowed us to experience Iceland from a different perspective, to take it all in, and that’s what interests me.
So until next time Iceland, it’s fun.
