This was actually my third trip to Iceland, although my first as a photographer. I was out for a friends stag do but it would have been a crime not to have booked some time to explore before hand. Iceland’s landscape is unique, it’s stark, it’s barren and it’s incredibly beautiful. Bare black volcanic beaches, huge majestic glaciers, ominous skies and enchanting waterfalls dominate the landscape. There are barely any trees in Iceland and only one native (and elusive) animal – the arctic fox. I hired a car and spent a few days touring the south coast with my good Icelandic friend Sara (thanks for putting up with my photographic escapades Sara and for being my muse!).
Every 10 minutes of driving the landscape seems to completely transform.
In 1973 a United States Navy DC plane ran out of fuel and crashed on the black beach at Sólheimasandur, on the south coast of Iceland. No one died but the plane has never been recovered. I read about this and had to find it. It took a bit of exploring and we had to drive off road for a long way, a sign read ‘4 x 4s only’ but we pushed on and didn’t have any problems. The site was well worth it!
The weather was incredibly windy throughout the trip. Spray from the waterfalls would often soak me and my camera and then almost instantly freeze. Here is a close up from next to Skógafoss waterfall. The spray was freezing around the grass making it look like something from a sci-fi film.
