Iceland. One more time
In 2016 I made my dream of visiting Iceland come true and for 7 days I was hitchhiking, camping in marvellous locations and photographing amazing landscapes. Since then I wanted to come back. This year together with Jola and Wojtek we planned a road trip to Iceland.
Initial plan was quite similar to what I did in 2016, but this time we decided to rent a car. This allowed us to go to Snæfellsnes peninsula which I skipped last time. We had absolutely no exceptations regarding the weather - after all the end of September is not exactly a high season on Iceland. But deep inside we really hoped to see Northern Lights.
Hvalfjörður
The plan was as follows: one or two days of exploring Snæfellsnes (which is truly a paradise for a landscape photographer), Golden Circle (to see Geysir) and then driving all the way to Jökulsárlón. The first point was a night in Hvalfjörður, around 100 kilometers from Reykjavík.
Snæfellsnes peninsula
After surprisingly cold night we moved towards Snæfellsnes experiencing all possible weather phenomena: rain and rainbows, hail and even snow.
The greatest advantage of Iceland is fact that there is something beautiful nearly everywhere. If you are lazy you don't even need to leave the car, just drive around and admire.
Snæfellsnes is where one of the most popular icelandic landmarks are located: Lóndrangar cliffs, Búðakirkja church and Kirkjufell mountain (known from 'Game of Thrones'). Most of these places are so popular that there are fences and it was hard for me to find a new fresh frame.
It is worth spending some time exploring Snæfellsnes. You can find many less popular, but lovely beaches and bays that create opportunities for more unique shots.
Golden Circle and Southern Iceland
Most of the trip we spent in places I already knew. We explored the southern part of the island, starting in Vík í Mýrdal until Jökulsárlón, and Golden Circle. For me it was a perfect situation. I didn't feel any pressure to take standard photos since I had already taken them before two years earlier. I could focus on more creative frames and experiment a little bit.
One of the most popular Iceland's landmarks is Jökulsárlón lake full of floating icebergs. As much as I like this place, I find close by lake Fjallsárlón more appealing as it's easier to find a good composition there and it's less crowded.
After barely six days, with a card full of photos, we made our way back to the airport. We visited Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir and Garður lighthouse before finally arriving to the airport in Keflavik.
Last but not least it's worth a mention how great my company was. Regardless the rain, snow, cold and wind they kept accepting me saying 'let's stop only for five minutes' and 'let's wait for a better light'. Spacial thanks to Jola and Wojtek.