iceland Archives

Iceland’s Waterfalls – part 3

The power of water!

Thus far I’ve covered waterfalls that were part of our photo tour with Loren Fisher, whose workshops and tours I recommend wholeheartedly! As I had convinced my good friend, George, to spend some extra time in Iceland beyond the scheduled tour, we went up north to the Akureyri area for some additional exploration.

The Goðafoss waterfall was one of the places that I wanted us to visit, as I had been there before and these falls left a lasting impression on me…

Even though it happened to be a cloudy, rainy day, the walk toward the falls begins to tell the story of how impressive Goðafoss is.

The name Goðafoss is interesting, as it could mean one of two things: either waterfall of the goð (pagan idols) or waterfall of the goði (chieftain). Linguistic place name experts, such as Svavar Sigmundsson, suggest that it is the former, as the two crags of the falls resemble pagan idols.

As we get closer to the falls, we can get ore of an impression of their sheer magnitude. While these falls are neither the tallest nor the most voluminous in Iceland, it is hard to not feel their impact. The drop in the river Skjálfandafljót over Goðafoss is a mere 12m over a 30m width, which are small numbers compared to Gullfoss.

Looking from atop the Eastern bank of the falls, it was amazing to see this much water flow by in fairly close proximity.

On this day, the weather was rainy and breezy, which was a little different from my previous visit in 2015…

On that beautiful day, I did make it down to the water level to get the above shot. With a very wet clamber to get down there, I didn’t want to risk it on our recent visit.

Iceland’s Waterfalls – part 2

The Golden Falls

The day after we visited the waterfalls in yesterday’s post (Iceland’s Waterfalls – part 1), we had another spectacular day! After spending some quality time on a black sand beach in Vik (a post to come), we visited the Mighty Geysir – Strokkur and then came upon Gullfoss!

Gullfoss, the ‘Golden Falls’ is located in southwest Iceland and easily accessible during a day trip from Reykjavik. The waterfall is part of the Hvitá river, as it flows through a three-step staircase into a canyon; the steps are 11 m and 21 m, before a final step of 31 m into a crevice. The average amount of water flowing through the falls is 141 cubic meters (5000 cu-ft) per second, which made it very tempting for hydroelectric exploitation.

There were attempts to create a hydroelectric power plant here during various times in the 20th century, but each failed due to the prohibitive costs to potential investors. In the end, the rights to the waterfall were sold to the state of Iceland, and it is now protected.

Here’s a quick video of these immense waterfalls in my YouTube channel:

The Golden Falls

The images in this post are taken with a Canon EOS EOS R5 using a Canon RF24-105mm F4 L IS USM lens. First level processing of the images was done using Skylum’s Luminar AI software; touch up processing was done in Photoshop. Video was captured with an iPhone 13 Pro Max and processed with iMovie.

Iceland’s Waterfalls – part 1

The Icelandic landscape is graced with so many waterfalls that it often feels as if you can photograph one from just about any location on this wonderful island. At one point during our trip I did a count and saw 19 waterfalls from a single vantage point.

In this first waterfall post, I have images from some of the falls along the southern part of the ring road, which we encountered on the day that we traveled from the Snæfellsnes peninsula toward our next stop in the town of Vik.

Our first stop was the amazing Seljalandsfoss waterfall; the 60m drop of the water provides an impressive spectacle. One of the features that really makes this waterfall a great place to visit is that there is a cavern behind the falls that can be walked up to for a view of the landscape through the curtain of water. Seljalandsfoss waterfall is part of the river Seljalandsá, which has its origins underneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier.

Our next stop on this day had us visit the mighty Skógafoss waterfall, which is about 25m wide and has a drop of 60m. Photographing this waterfall was an awe inspiring experience, as the shallow side of the Skógá river is a perfect spot from which to capture it. As the weather really cooperated, there were moments of double rainbows across the river in front of the waterfall. As the land in front of the falls is very flat, visitors can walk up close to the actual waterfall.

The Kvernufoss waterfall is a less often visited neighbor of Skógafoss, possibly because it’s a bit more of a hike, and it’s not as powerful; the falls are a mere 30m, half the height of the other two powerhouses of the day. The walk up to Kvernufoss is stunning, as it meanders up by the river Kverna toward the falls; the hike is about 20 minutes and mostly across a path that is well maintained. This waterfall is another one where it is possible to catch a view from behind the falls.

One note about our visit to Kvernufoss: as we were shooting, we caught sight of a marriage proposal that was taking place; we made sure to capture this, which was a stroke of luck for the photographer on assignment to shoot the proposal, as she had a bit of equipment trouble and we were able to provide her with the images of the event. Sometimes, luck is there and it’s nice to be able to help!

More waterfalls later in the week!

Fumaroles of Hverir

A teaser of the Hverir geothermal area.

There are some locations that you want to visit more than once; whether it is the beauty of the colors, the raw power of the water, or the otherworldliness, there is just something that pulls you back in. For me, the Myvatn region in northern Iceland has that hold over me. I have been there twice thus far and want to go back to explore much, much more!

One of the key attractions is the Hverir geothermal area, which is located just off the Ring Road…

There is a definite sense of being on an alien planet, when you get up close to these fumaroles and take in the influence that sulfur has had on this landscape. Between the sounds, the sights and the smell, I could think of what makes people think of locales, such as Hell; one can imagine that demon’s breath is being spewed forth from the very ground upon which we walk!

I’ll leave you with this teaser, as I’ll do several posts about some of the views that were available in this region! More to come!

The Icelandic Horse

Have a chat with a horse!

During the photo trip, one of my main goals was to capture the stunning natural beauty that is Iceland; after all, the country is filled with amazing sights, well-known for its glaciers, waterfalls, volcanoes, geysers, and lagoons. Although puffins were listed among our tour stops, the fauna of Iceland was not my main interest.

So, when we made a road-side stop to photograph some horses in a field, I did not expect to come away with a profound impression of how the Icelandic horse connects to this rugged land and its people.

As I helped several of the other photographers in our group to get some good shots by drawing the attention of several of the horses, I came to feel that there is a strong connection between this land and its horses. It’s as if the horse is a reflection of the country: not large, yet sturdy, able to withstand whatever nature throws at them, and filled with a strong character.

A coat that is able to grow for the tough Winter months, compact size and sure-footedness are some of the key characteristics of the Iceland horse.

The horse was brought to Iceland by the Norse settlers who arrived in the 9th and 10th centuries. From these horses, over the centuries selective breeding, as well as natural selection, developed the breed into its current form. The breed was almost wiped out due to the massive eruption of the volcano at Laki in 1783; the months of spewing of sulfuric aerosols from this event had a profound impact on the climate and landscape, reaching well beyond Iceland.

As these horses stand an average of 13 to 14 hands, many will consider them pony size, despite the fact that breed registries refer to the Icelandics as horses. They are also known for a spirited temperament and large personality, and have another unique characteristic: their gait.

The Icelandic is a five-gaited breed, as they have two additional gaits beyond walk, trot and canter/gallop. The fourth gate is a four-beat lateral ambling gait know as the tölt; this gait stands out due to its explosive acceleration and speed, while still being comfortable. The fifth gait is called a skeið or flugskeið (flying pace); this racing gait is fast and smooth, enabling the horse to reach speeds of 30 miles per hour (48 km/h).

Next time when you’re in Iceland, go check out these horses and don’t be afraid to talk to them; they are great listeners who prefer a good conversation over a handful of grass!

Snæfellsnes Peninsula – part 6

Rugged and awe inspiring.

How does one follow up the view of Kirkjufell, you might ask. In Iceland, the answer is simple, as each landscape is unique in its own way and dramatic!

As we were heading toward a great little church (coming up in part 7), we made a stop to enjoy another aspect of Snæfellsnes Peninsula: Berserkjahraun lava field.

The lava field is about 4000 years old and covers the western part of Helgafell, situated between the towns of Stykkishólmur and Grundarfjörður. Its name, Berserkjahraun comes from one of the old Icelandic sagas, the Eyrbyggja-Saga. According to the tales a farmer brought two berserkers from Sweden to the Snæfellsnes peninsula, who he later gave to his brother Viga-Styr, who lived on the other side of the lava field. One of the berserkers fell in love with Viga-Styr’s daughter and asked for her hand in marriage.

The shrewd Viga-Styr made a deal that stipulated he could have her hand in marriage, if he cleared a path across the lava field, which feat was considered impossible. Of course, the berserkers worked together and completed a path in short time. Instead of keeping his promise, Viga-Styr had the two Swedes killed and buried them near the path. The landmarks of this legend can be found in the field: the path, Berserkjagata, the burial place of the berserkers, Berserkjadys, a boundary fence, Landamerkjagarður and a sheep den, Fjárrétt.

Looking across this field, one can imagine the source of such a wonderful tale. The entire field is strewn with lava stones, which seem nearly impassible. If you find yourself here, it is well worth spending some time exploring the field, as long as you watch your footing, as it is treacherous.

The images in this post are taken with my iPhone 13 Pro Max and Canon EOS EOS R5 using a Canon RF24-105mm F4 L IS USM lens. First level processing of the images was done using Skylum’s Luminar AI software; for these images, I created a template based on the Backlit Clouds template that is part of the Overcast collection of templates. Touch up processing was done in Photoshop.

Snæfellsnes Peninsula – part 5

Magnificent Kirkjufell

Welcome to the second day that we spent on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. After a busy first day, there was plenty more to experience!

Our first planned stop in the morning was at a magnificent location: Kirkjufell, Icelandic for Church Mountain.

This 463 m high hill is located near the town of Grundarfjörður and is claimed to be the most photographed mountain in Iceland. This makes me wonder if that was before or after it was featured in Game of Thrones as “arrowhead mountain”; this was seen by the Hound and his band when they were north of the Wall busy capturing a wight.

There is also a wonderful set of waterfalls across the road from Kirkjufell, which are known as Kirkjufellsfoss. On this longer exposure to get the water to be more ribbon-like, you’ll notice that there are plenty of people crossing the falls.

The views here are stunning and I would love to go back here during the off-season to spend more time exploring the possible images, such as using the opportunity to get down lover by the waterfall to capture them from an even better angle.

Snæfellsnes Evening – Day 1

Enjoy the view!

Our first day on the wondrous Snæfellsnes peninsula was drawing to an end, as we had a fantastic meal at Viðvík Restaurant and were just checking out the last of the sunlight.

And then we came across this location that was worth a stop…

You might recognize this location from an earlier Snæfellsnes teaser post, as we photographed this church on the next day as well with something more than our mobile phones.

Even with an iPhone 13 Pro Max this view stands out strong, particularly as we had a long clear view of the edge of the Snæfellsjökull National Park.

Snæfellsnes Peninsula – part 4

Wrapping up our first day in Snaefellsnes.

As we follow the coastline of Snæfellsnes peninsula toward its westernmost point, we reach Svörtuloft (Black Sky) where we find a 4-kilometer long cliff and a wonderful lighthouse. It’s a slow, bumpy ride over the gravel road to get to this spot, but it’s worth the ride!

The lighthouse at Svörtuloft strikes a strong figure as its 12.8m height towers over the cliffs and its yellow-orange hue stands against the blue of the sky. The lighthouse was brought into use in 1931, as sailing by this western tip of Iceland has always been rather daunting. Over the centuries many ships have stranded here, which usually resulted in the ship’s hull being broken into piece on the sharp, black lava cliffs.

The cliffs upon which the lighthouse is built present their origin in the black foundation: lava. Grasses and mosses find fertile ground here and are not easily discouraged by the stormy weather and fearsome seasons, which gives a much softer feeling to the landscape. Do not be fooled, as the edges of the lava are sharp and hard, which also makes for rather uneven footing.

Luckily, Iceland provides a welcoming feeling to all tourists and easy trails and even a picnic area are available to get around the lighthouse here at Svörtuloft. Thanks to this German traveler for posing in this image.

Construction of any lighthouse puts a premium on sturdiness, as the elements will wreak havoc with any point of weakness. For this reason, the windows in Svörtuloftaviti lighthouse are small and set strong in their concrete surroundings.

In all, it was wonderful to visit this location, and it definitely made me look back as we were getting ready to leave. That allowed me to capture the Sun at just the appropriate location to light up this tower of strength, which, in turn, lights up to warn travelers of the dangers that are on its shores.

After this, our fourth stop of this day of arriving on the Snæfellsnes peninsula from Reykjavik, it was time to go in the direction of Hellissandur to find our lodging and a chance of dinner. Not a bad way to start our tour!

Snæfellsnes Peninsula – part 3

A mysterious beach with a wreck…

As we continued our tour of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, we came upon a mysterious black sand beach with the name of Djúpalónssandur, which translates to Deep Lagoon Sand. This name traces back to the initial first settlers of Iceland, some 1200 years ago.

Djúpalónssandur, or Deep Lagoon Sand, beach

One can imagine this cove during the days of yore, when it was home to 60 fishing boats, creating a strong economic foundation for people in this part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. If you look carefully, you see the strewn remains of the Epine (GY7), a fishing trawler that was wrecked here on March 13, 1948; the Epine hailed from the port town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England.

Another feature of this beach are the glistening pebbles that cover it, which are know as Djúpalónsperlur, or “pearls of the deep lagoon”. These pearls on the beach stunning and appealing, but should be left alone, as it is against the law to collect them as a souvenir of your trip!

The path down to the beach is a bit of a steep descent (and climb on the way back), as the parking area is high and dry upon the volcanic cliffs. As you walk toward the beach, you may want to test your strength to see if you would qualify to work on one of the fishing boats. The four Aflraunasteinar, or Lifting Stones, are along the path toward the beach. These stones range from Fullsterkur (full strength) weighing 154 kg, Hálfsterkur (half strength) weighing 100 kg, Hálfdrættingur (weakling) weighing 54 kg to Amlóði (useless) at 23 kg; to qualify for work on a fishing boat you should at least be able to lift Hálfdrættingur.

A word of caution is that this is definitely not a swimming area, as the Atlantic Ocean has unpredictable and strong rip currents here that will pull one far into sea. Also, it is not wise to go wading here, as surprise waves will often come far onto the beach.

On the photography part, both images were capture with my Canon EOS R5 mirrorless, using a Canon RF24-105mm F4 L IS USM lens. First level processing of the images was done using Skylum’s Luminar AI software; for these images, I created a template based on the Backlit Clouds template that is part of the Overcast collection of templates. Touch up processing was done in Photoshop.

	Pepper on Sunday Serenity
	Marie on A Saturday Shortcut
	jansenphoto on A Saturday Shortcut
	Marie on A Saturday Shortcut
	jansenphoto on iPhone Friday