The Land of Fire and Ice: A sneak peak at 3 weeks in Iceland
Hello All and welcome back from vacation! I had a nice few weeks off and I am hoping that you all did too.
This week I would like to highlight a few of my favorite landscape and nature images from all around Iceland. I have only been back a couple days but some things just cannot wait long. My husband and I booked a "cheap" flight last year for our anniversary so this was not supposed to be all about taking photos, which, I admit is somewhat of a obsessive disorder that cannot be avoided for me. With that said, I took almost 3,000 photos over 20 days on my DSLR and about 500 on my cell phone. I know, it sounds like a lot, but normally on a photoshoot locally I would take 200-500 images in 1 day alone. Over the following weeks (and maybe months) I will be working on photo edits, creating my own artistic impression to share with you all. In todays blog I would love to write and write about all the do's and dont's and all the things one learns when traveling abroad, alas, I will keep this short, elaborating in more detail on future posts about specifics!
JHP_160921_Iceland_1297Road Signs
We booked an Iceland Air flight out of Portland, Oregon direct to Keflavik International Airport which is 40 minutes out of the capitol of Reykjavik. The flight took 7 hours there and 8 hours back and the scenery was outstanding flying along the Cascades during the trip. Once in Reykjavik we rented a car, a good choice for us given our circumstance of not being able to find accommodation in the biggest city in the country. We proceeded to travel the "Ring Road" number 1 clockwise around the entire island for the next 18 days. Stopping anywhere we wanted and exploring the various spots. Given the opportunity to do over again we would have rented a camper van for the travel time - I am convinced there is no better way to go.
JHP_160923_Iceland_1848Moss covered lava flows
Due to the northern placement of Iceland (at 66 degrees latitude) there is typically good "photographers" light and the dramatic and open landscape proves to be a playground for those with a camera. The above image of lava covered in a dense carpet of moss, is an example of textures, colors, patterns and contrasts that appear all over the island.
JHP_160925_Iceland_2307Northern Lights In Northern Iceland
Of course the other great thing about being so northward is the opportunity to see the northern lights also known as the Aurora Borealis. The very low number of people contributes to a clean atmosphere with little light or emissions pollution. We were lucky enough to catch a few light shows with 2 nights being just a glimpse, 2 nights being good and 1 that was absolutely spectacular!
JHP_160922_Iceland_1459Icelandic Horse
Almost native to Iceland is the Icelandic Horse. Of course a favorite subject of mine and the cause of me hollering to pull over on multiple occasions, my poor husband finally is realizing just what horse crazy really means. These hardy equines have no natural predators and so take long daily naps and always come to the fence to see what goodies one might be given.
JHP_160912_Iceland_1444Sheep Round Up and Sorting
Sheep are a large part of the culture and goods base in Iceland as they are used for wool, decoration, meat and milk and they are literally everywhere! This is a common sight around the country in Septemeber when the stock is brought in from the highlands and sorted back to the right farms.
JHP_160920_Iceland_2177Geothermal Energy and Blue Water
Geothermal energy in Iceland is readily available and used in a variety of ways: from hot showers strait from the earth to standard home heating, food growing and of course relaxing. Many of the waters contain high amounts of silicone which turn the water the luxurious blue.
JHP_160923_Iceland_1696_7_8Ice Cave Under the Glacier
The land of fire also has ice, and lots of it, with glaciers being readily accessable at the southern end of the country. This glacier cave is an example of a slow melting glacier. I just love the cold blue tones.
JHP_160927_Iceland_2480Harbor and Fishing Boats
Much of Iceland focuses on the obvious relationship and proximity to the sea. The cold Artic and Atlantic Oceans are home to many species of edible sea life and fishing vessels are aplenty in many coastal towns.
JHP_160911_Iceland_1399Church Along the Ring Road
Around 1000 years ago the entire country converted to Christianity and left behind the pagan ways of the Viking culture. Around every turn and in every community there is a church. Most of them small and quaint, albeit postcard pretty nestled on the landscape.
And finally the waterfalls! The other very noticeable feature of Iceland is its prolific amounts of waterfalls that stream from the hills towards the coast. This one teased us with finding dual treasures at the end of the rainbows.
I look forward to sharing so much more about the wonderful country of Iceland in the months to come. All of the images will be loaded into the Iceland Gallery. As always if you are looking for an image you think I may have taken please send me an email so I can help you find the perfect shot!
