Photo Locations of Iceland - Diamond Beach

Fellsfjara is one of the most visited places in Iceland. People may know it by a different name - Diamond Beach, however this is not a historical name, but rather a successful marketing attempt to popularize the site. It's clear to see why it worked, as icebergs from the nearby Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon shimmer like pieces of diamonds against the volcanic black sand of the Atlantic ocean. 

The lagoon itself is relatively new. Jökulsárlón began forming when Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier started retreating about 90 years ago. Before 1934 the outlet glacier reached the highway but then began to retreat. The lagoon is now only about 250 meters away from the Atlantic Ocean and around 30km² in size. Jökulsárlón is also the deepest lake in Iceland with a maximum depth of around 260 meters.There are dozens of glacier lagoons around Vatnajökull, but only one where so much ice is deposited alongside the beach.

As the tide rises, warmer ocean waters enter the lagoon, mixing with glacier water and uplifting the glacial outlet. When it retreats, the tips of the glacial outlet break off and drift out to the sea and get washed up on the nearby shore. This is a year around process, so barring very specific conditions (Strong south eastern winds that blow ice chunks away from the mouth of the river, or extreme cold freezing the lagoon) it can be observed any time of the year.

Images taken with Nikon D810, Tamron 15-30mm

Photo locations of Iceland - Hrómundartindur

Iceland has about 130 volcanoes and about 30 active volcanic systems. This is an image of one of the smallest volcanic systems in Iceland - Hrómundartindur (Hrómundars Peak). Squeezed between Þingvallavatn lake and Hengill volcano, this system has not erupted since early Holocene time about 11 000 years ago. System is about 25 km long and the central volcano is about 550 meters tall. At the foot of the volcano lies Ölkelduháls with numerous mud pools, fumaroles and warm springs. In 1994 scientists observed increased seismic activity and slow land uplift indicating magma flow into the roots of the volcanic system. It has been quiet for time being, but it's certainly still very active. In the bottom right corner of the image you can see Tjarnarhnúkur. It's a single slag crater and is the youngest in a series of mountain ridges around Hrómundartindur.

Hrómundartindur is named after viking berserker Hrómundr Gripsson. Hrómundr is said to have been the great-grandfather of Ingólfr Arnarson, the first settler and founder of Reykjavik. Hrómundr served under the Danish king Óláf, in his battles against the draugr Þráinn and the kings of Sweden. Þráinn was once a Gaulish king but became an undead draugr after he was buried, he carried the mighty sword Mistilteinn (Mistletoe) in his hand and with it he slaughtered an army of 420 people led by King Semingr of Sweden when they came to ransack his burial mound full of treasure. Óláf himself led his men to Þráinn's burial mound in order to take his treasure, but no one except for Hrómundr dared to enter. He engaged Þráinn in a battle that was long and fierce, but in the end he emerged victorious, defeating the powerful undead king with his bare hands, claiming Mistilteinn as his own sword before finally burning the corpse.

Images taken with Mavic 2 and Nikon D810.

Photo locations of Iceland - Goðafoss

Goðafoss (waterfall of the Gods or waterfall of the Goði) is one of the most iconic landmarks in Iceland. Couple it with one of the most spectacular natural phenomena - northern lights and you get a magical moment. Overall green tones of the image is caused by a moonless night as the only source of color the camera was able to pick up was these green overtones of the northern lights.

Waterfall sits on the river Skjálfandafljót which has its source at the northwestern border of Vatnajökull glacier. From there it streams through Icelandic highlands and finally flows into Skjálfandi bay north of the country. Waterfall itself is about 30 meters wide and drops down from the height of 12 meters. 

There is also an interesting backstory to this waterfall. Goðafoss is connected to Icelands conversion from Norse paganism to Christianity. In the year 1000 AD, þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði þorkelsson, chieftain from nearby Ljósavatn, was at that time a lawspeaker in Icelanding Alþingi (Parliament). He was faced with the task to settle growing disputes between those who practiced old customs and Christian followers. Despite being a pagan himself, he decided that all of Iceland should be Christian. Legend says that, once he returned back to Ljósavatn, as a symbolic act, he took relics of the Norse gods and threw them into the waterfall. This is how the waterfall got its name.

Surprisingly only last year, 2020, authorities of Iceland finally declared that Goðafoss is a protected site. The protection means that the natural flow of the water into the waterfall will be maintained and preserved, limiting commercial activity along the river.

Camera used: Nikon D810, Irix 11mm

Exploring the heart of Reykjanes

Posted by Kaspars Dzenis.

Everybody knows where are them main attractions in Iceland. You can just pick up handful of brochures at any information center and you will know how to find them. They are beautiful, no doubt, but sometimes it is hard to enjoy them with countless camper vans, tour buses and all the buzz around. So, if you were hoping to enjoy some stunning scenery and experience wild and peaceful nature on a remote island, you might feel disappointed.

However, Iceland is big and if you´re not afraid to explore, there are still places that are just as stunning, but at the same time, you can completely immerse into the landscape and feel the beautiful desolation.

Another point concerning photographers. It is kind of a same deal when it comes to the popular landmarks. With million pictures out there, getting a unique shot in Iceland is getting increasingly hard. Sure, you can chase the light and make it unique, yet, I feel that in this day and age, it´s just not enough.

One of my main tools is satellite maps. I explore them thoroughly, searching for any mountain peak, river, waterfall, valley, sea shore, that is not marked, but looks interesting. Then I travel to the location and find compositions that would look great in pictures. I gather this information so I can include it in my photo tours, but also, just to share them with other enthusiasts, who are looking for something, maybe not completely, but different. 

One of the places I would like to talk about in this post, is a mountainous area right in the heart of Reykjanes. In this area you will find a recently active geothermal area, beautiful valleys and lakes and is just a joy to hike around, with no one else in sight.

You can reach this area from two sides. From the east side, after leaving Reykjavik, on the way to Keflavik, you can take the road that goes to Keilir mountain and drive until the very end. Park your car and follow the trail that leads into a geothermal valley. From there you can follow different sheep trails that will lead through the valleys and around the three kettle lakes.

You can also access this area from the east. This time, drive to Kleifarvatn following the road 42 and just before heading into the mountains, turn where the sign says Vigðísarvellir. Then drive until you reach Djúpavatn lake, where you can begin your hike there.

Walking inside a ''beautiful nothing''

Posted by Kaspars Dzenis.

   Kálfafellsdalur is a long glacier valley located south east of Vatnajökull. Valley is scared with streams collectively called Miðvötn or Landkvísl and at the very end of the valley you can find steep glacier tongue called Brókarjökull (Breaches glacier). This is another place, where you can not find any signs and is rather difficult to hike in. However it´s a perfect place to disconnect from the outer world and marvel the ''beautiful nothingness'' of Icelandic nature.

   Valley is easily spotted from the ring road. Entrance is located near Kálfafellsstaður farm and it´s possible to drive inside the valley until Kaldá river. To venture further, there is no other way but to cross the river. I´ve not tried to do it with a car, and I would not recommend it, unless you have a monster truck.

From there you can venture further inside the valley. Landscape changes rapidly, from rock covered sands with steep mountain slopes, to green meadows, full of birds and grazing reindeer.

End of the valley splits into two, with glacier tongues at the end of each. Brókarjökull is a very steep glacier tongue that divides around the rock Brók. On the west side glacier forms lagoon. Nearby you can also find number of kettles - shallow ponds formed by retreating glacier. On the east side you can find a small valley called Vatnsdalur. There glacier literally hangs of the mountain. It´s a thrilling, yet a scary feeling to stand close to it. 

   It takes pretty much the whole day to explore the valley and it´s a demanding hike. But if you are looking for that feeling of peaceful desolation, it´s a perfect place to be in.