At the end of a long bumpy road at the edge of the Icelandic Highlands is Aldeyjarfoss, the most interesting waterfall I've seen in Scandinavia.
While there were bigger and more dramatic waterfalls in Northern Iceland, Aldeyjarfoss was by far the most interesting. The waterfall is found on a lava field that was formed 9,500 years ago that has been carved over the millennia by the Skjálfandafljót river. The layers of rock that frame the main fall sparked much speculation amongst us -- we all agreed that the vertical columns were basalt but couldn't explain why the vertically aligned layer sat atop columns that were horizontal.
While we were there, we were also lucky to get some decent sunset colours. Although the best view of the waterfall was up at the edge of the cliff, I happened to be down near the water level when the colours were at their best and this was the result.
Bárðardalur, Icelandic Highlands, 2017
Sony a7R II with Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM
Tags: camera:sony_a7r2 f:ultrawide f:wide panorama FourByThree iceland waterfall Bárðardalur longexposure dusk waterscape basalt volcanic Skjálfandafljót
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The last rays of a setting sun render a rainbow over the volcanic stacks of Lóndrangar in Iceland.
These two basalt columns stand alone against the sea on Iceland's Western coast. Thought to be the remnants of an ancient crater, these two volcanic plugs have remained upright while the rest of the crater rim, which was made of less resilient rock, eroded away into the sea. Today, this landmark is an easily accessible spot on the Snæfellsnes peninsula, and a nesting ground for hundreds of birds.
Lóndrangar, Western Iceland, 2017
Sony a7R Mark II with Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM
Tags: camera:sony_a7r2 f:wide iceland Londrangar Lóndrangar rainbow seascape oceanscape beach volcanic rocks people sunset dusk Snæfellsnes Snaefellsnes square
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It was a photo of this glacial lagoon that made me want to visit Iceland in the first place. Despite all the beautiful sights we saw in the vicinity of Reykjavik, I was secretly longing for the day when we would make the trip East to to the Vatnajökull glacier. After a day long drive I remember spotting the floating icebergs off in the distance. We found a place to park and started snapping away.
The icebergs too have a story. They began their life as snowfall on the Vatnajökull glacier millennia ago. With thousands upon thousands of years of such snowfall piled on top, our iceberg-to-be was slowly compressed by the massive weight of snow. This compression pushed out the air from the snow resulting in a hard, compact ice. As the snow continued and the weight increased, the ice began to spread outwards as a glacier. Eventually this flow pushed our now ancient ice towards the Atlantic. On meeting the warm oceanic water the ice gradually melted and broke off to form icebergs (this is called calving).
Jökulsárlón, Iceland, 2009
Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS
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Tags: iceland europe glacier Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon lagoon ice seascape square jokulsarlon vatnajokull f:long glacial lake camera:canon_5d2
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Another photo of Strokkur in Iceland, this time taken later in the day as the column of boiling water rises towards the dimming sky only to fail, in a hiss of steam and crash of falling water.
For a sense of scale, there is a person walking on the right side of the frame. This photo was taken when the geyser was at around two-thirds of its height so that it fit neatly into a square composition, and before the structure of the shaft of water disintegrates into a cloudy mess.
Geysir, Iceland, 2009
Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS
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Tags: iceland europe Strokkur Geysir geyser square f:wide hdr best camera:canon_5d2
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Strokkur is a geyser in southwest Iceland a short trip from Reykjavik. Every 5 minutes or so it erupts into a 20 - 30m high column of boiling water which is rather spectacular.
Strokkur is the only consistently erupting geyser in the Geysir area. Great Geysir was dormant when we were visiting, but it used to erupt to many times this height in it's prime. Geysers are alive, going through periods of dormancy only to begin erupting again, usually following an earthquake or other geological event.
This photo was taken a few hundreths of a second after an eruption began when the column was only around 2m high. You can see the mass of bubbles just beneath the surface which would soon continue the rise of the column to around 25m (80ft).
Taking this photo involved keeping the camera focused and steady on the opening for several minutes and then clicking away as the explosion began. Since I was quite close to the eruption, I had to scamper away before the column collapsed, and be aware of which way the wind would blow the boiling water as it landed. Thankfully the water cooled considerably during it's ascent and descent through the chill Icelandic air.
Unhappy with the light at this time, we visited the area again on the way back at twilight.
Geysir, Iceland, 2009
Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS
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Tags: iceland geysir geyser square europe Strokkur lens:canon70200f4LIS camera:canon_5d2
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