Iceland-The Land of Fire and Ice
There were several thoughts in my head as to how to broach the subject of Iceland with those interested in going. The only way to do that, in my mind, is to be honest about it. Come inside and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
So here’s the thing. Iceland is a beautiful part of the world. There is no doubt about that and, to speak of its people, some of the warmest, friendliest most helpful people you will not encounter anywhere else. But none of that has anything to do with the issue of how I see Iceland. Iceland, dare I say, is a younger person’s place. Mine, and my wife’s, days of camping, sleeping in cramped spots, crawling in and out of sleeping bags, etc., are gone. We prefer to see our adventure destinations the way that we see them. The absolutely best way to visit Iceland is by camper van. Rent one for your trip when you go. Drive to the nearest city, buy all the things that you need to subsist on for a few days and take a week to travel the Ring Road.
Weather can go from light and beautiful to dark and brooding. Within a half and hour after this shot was taken, it began to get sunny.
My inability to have fully enjoyed this adventure harbored on 2 things. First, I got sick, nasty cold. That put me on my back for 3 days. That’s 3 days of adventuring that I didn’t get to do. So I was a little surly when I got to feeling better. The other aspect is that it takes so long to get to cool places. Don’t get me wrong. I found an entire network of brilliant homesteads to stop and photograph that fell into our laps. But, taking the proper amount of shots would require a bit of time to frame and shoot. And, since we were on our way to something, “Better,” to shoot, we didn’t stop for those others I just mentioned. Then, upon arrival to the, “Better,” place to shoot, the weather conditions aren’t favorable and now I’m rushed to take my shots.
Scenes like the one on the right happen quite frequently. Your camera should be at the ready for in-climate and awesome weather. Atmospherically speaking, things can change very quickly in Iceland.
From where I live in the state of Washington, it takes me around three hours to get to Seattle. If I visit there, I get a room for at least a night, generally two, and I photo stuff ‘til my heart’s content. From where we stayed in Vik, Iceland, it’s a good 3 hours to get to anything that would seem worth the three hour jaunt. But then, it’s 3 hours back to Vik. So a quarter of your day has been spent driving. I strongly urge any of you wanting to go to Iceland to map out what you want to see and either, make arrangements at places to stay for just overnight accommodations and be on your way the next day to the next things, or rent a camper van and take more time. Most places that have big parking lots, don’t mind overnight camper van parking. So you’re guaranteed a place to stay without renting a room somewhere, or the availability to rent one.
The Icelandic Raven is much bigger than the ravens found in the U.S. Having seen a few from this trip, I’d say they approach the size of a standard hawk in the U.S. They may be bigger than that, actually, their heads are super huge. They’re also protected in Iceland.
As photographers, we should have all the proper gear to warrant being in the conditions that we find ourselves in while shooting. But there is a certain ignorance one has when one hasn’t been privy to weather conditions in a place that they’ve never been to. The photo to the right is a prime example of this sentiment. We drove several hours to get to these falls and, if I might add, worth the drive. But we weren’t ready for the weather as it changed quickly into a little bit of rain, quite a lot of wind and the temps dropped to an uncomfortable level. This made it unpleasant to shoot in these conditions and so things were cut short to get back into a warmer atmosphere. Then, the shooter’s blues kick in because of the lack of material shot, didn’t quite measure up to the amount of time it took to get to the location.
Gullfoss waterfall. One of the more magnificent waterfalls to photograph within Iceland. Lots of spray the closer you get to the falls so bring wipes for your lenses. Also expect tourists to be almost everywhere. Bus loads at times. If snow and more chilly temps don’t bother you, then I recommend that you go in the winter time. Stays darker longer, more chances to see the Northern Lights and it will cut down the amount of tourists you have to deal with in your shots. Bring clothing for ALL types of weather. You may have to indulge in some extreme temps to get the shots you desire. Plan ahead!
The town of Vik. We really liked the town, for as small as it was. If you rent a 4-wheel drive vehicle, then you have increased the number of places you go to get great photos. We saw quite a lot more of Vik, and the black sand beaches that surround the town, from a bird’s eye view. Take the road less traveled, even if it requires 4-wheel drive! There’s a pub that you can get a great meal in as well as awesome beer and wine. You’re likely to find people from all over Europe, living and working in Iceland. My wife is the more sociable of us two and she wanted to try out some Icelandic with the bartender at the pub we entered. She spoke some, to the bartender, and asked if her pronunciation was correct. The bartender raised up his hand, as if to halt the proceedings, and said, “I don’t speak Icelandic, I’m from Italy.” We also met some servers at a restaurant that were from Poland. But the one constant in the character of those we met was that they all were very nice, giving of their time and enjoyed sharing info about places to go that not a lot, of tourists, know about.
Vik, Iceland, is a quaint and lovely town. There is a grocery store, a converted school bus made into a coffee shop, an awesome pub that serves great food and a restaurant that was at the hotel we stayed at that had food in buffet style, or Ala carte. The food was fantastic and it was the first time I had Arctic char. Such a delicate fish and so delicious. I had it twice, it was so good! But Vik is 3 hours outside of the capital, away from a major town. You may think that’s too far away. Do your research! It’ll pay off in the long run.
We all have an adventuresome nature, to some degree. If you’
re at your prime and can handle tons of cardio and are in shape, Iceland will rock your world! If you’re a bit passed your prime, that’s me, then you start appreciating different tools to help you explore. We rented a 4-wheel drive vehicle and did it ever come in handy! I will always want to know what’s down a road, or over the next hill. Let me tell you, 4-wheel drive helps in any expedition.
There were quite a few tall bluffs and mountain-type peaks around Vik. One in particular, with views of the ocean, I noticed, had tire tracks that went in my favorite direction…up! So, my wife and I jumped in the car and followed those tracks to the top. Vik has lovely black sand beaches. If you’ve never seen a black sand beach, to me it would be worth the trip to see that! It can be stunning! If you were to walk around the black sand beach in Vik, from quite a distance you would be able to see these sea stacks, pictured right. Depending on the tide, you’d either use a telephoto lens, or a wide angle to capture them. But get yourself a 4-whell drive vehicle and you can capture them from above! We also noticed a lighthouse and other sea stacks, one with an arch, that we would have missed had we not gone up to the top of that bluff. It was easy, from up there, to spot where the road was to access the lighthouse and those other sea stacks. If you take a road less traveled, not all the time but sometimes, it will lead to other things worthy of capturing on your camera. And, it can turn into a re-con excursion by opening up other possibilities, all because you chose a road less traveled!
Well, that’s going to be it for me, for now. I’m going to post Iceland, Part 2, next week. There is more to discuss and it would be too breathy to do it all here. So I’ll see you next week, or so, and we’ll finish up with the land of Fire and Ice. Take care of yourselves, and each other! See ya!
