Blog
A blog about photography and travel.
Scotland, Isle of Skye
A birthday trip to the Scottish Highlands and Isle of Skye
I celebrated my 60th birthday in the middle of February. There was a great family dinner in a nice restaurant, and then, as a present to myself, I went on a week-long trip to Scotland. I just booked a flight and a car, and then accommodation for the next day, as I went along. This being February, the route I took was determined by the weather forecast. For the first couple of days, I stayed on the east coast, then made my way westwards towards the Isle of Skye, where I stayed for a couple of nights. The last two days I spent in the Highlands around Glencoe.
Scotland is, of course, fantastic for photography. A lot depends on the weather, so for good results, a lot of time needs to be spent. I almost consider this a scouting mission :-).
Now for the photos.
The Aberdeenshire coast is interesting, with lighthouses, fishing towns and a lot of empty coastline. I particularly liked Aberdeen, with its unique dark grey stone buildings, and Fraserburgh, which has a proper fishing harbor. Even my father would have been impressed with all the boats there.
Crovie is a small village on the north Aberdeenshire coast. A remarkable place, just a single row of houses facing the open sea. How they survive the North Sea storms is a mystery.
I spent an evening and a morning in Inverness, and the following morning I drove to Fort William along Loch Ness. Inverness is a nice medium-sized city but Fort Williams is *ahem* not very interesting, something I knew from having been there for work about twenty years ago. Its surroundings are, however, breathtaking, with Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK, towering right above it.
Driving to the Isle of Skye was the highlight of the trip, both the island itself and the mountain passes and lochs you encounter on the way. The good weather forecast i had for the couple of days I stayed did not pan out, which, according to the lady that rented my the cottage, is par for the course. Skye is barren, mountainous, sparsely populated and surrounded by lochs and islands. It has some magnificent sights, such as the Quaraing, a massive landslide that is apparently still ongoing. Much depends on the weather though.
For the last two nights I stayed near Glen Coe and spent a day exploring the area. On the way from Sky I spotted a waterfall and rapids in the River Shiel close to the road. Could have spent the day there.
Iceland hinterlands
A camping trip to Eldgjá, Langisjór and Lakagígar
Towards the end of summer I went on a 3-night camping trip to Eldgjá and Lakagígar, an area which I’ve not been to before. Due to river crossings you need a 4x4 to get there, so it’s relatively quite in terms of tourists.
Day 1 - Eldgjá
We camped in Hólaskjól, drove to Eldgjá and hiked around the area for the rest of the day, going all the way to Gjátindur. Eldgjá is an amazing place and is part of a crater line formed in the largest lava eruption in recent global history (939AD). The star of the show is Ófærufoss, a magnificent waterfall. It used to have a stone arch over the lowest falls, but it collapsed in 1993.
Day 2 - Langisjór
Langisjór (Long sea) is a 20km long lake that sits between two volcanic ridges. This is an area of outstanding desolate beauty, with black volcanic rocks and green moss-covered mountains. Perfect for hiking.
Day 3 - Lakagígar
Although Lakagígar are close to Eldgjá you need to drive down to the ring-road to cross the Skaftá river. So we moved camp to Blágil. The Lakagígar volcanic ridge were formed in a massive eruption 1783-1784, an eruption that devastated Iceland and cause world-wide crop failures and famines. The tallest crater, Laki, is in the middle of ridge. The easy hike up affords a magnificent view of the entire area.
Volcano inspection
Not expecting to see a volcano this close ever again
I finally went last weekend to have a look at the volcanic eruption in Geldingadalir, accompanied by my brother and fellow photographer Stefán. We picked a good time: weather was nice, not a lot of people about in the early morning and a new crater had opened up during the night, which meant that it was still possible to get close to it.
It was a fantastic experience, full stop. There are so many things unique to the eruption that it’s definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness anything like it.
The Geldingadalir eruption is very unusual in that it is an effusive eruption. It is thought to be the first stages of a shield volcano ("dyngja”) which would make it the first such eruption in Iceland for over 3000 years, and Icelandic geophysicists are just drooling over such an unexpected event. Effusive eruptions are not explosive with lava flowing relatively gently out of craters along a fissure. They can last for years or tens of years and in the early stages it’s easy to get close to the craters. The main thing to worry about are gases and new craters opening up.
The wind was blowing from the east, so to stay upwind of the gas we had to go on the east side. That meant we did not have a great view of the more mature craters but we did get close to a new one. And by close I mean 20-30 meters!
Visiting is quite organized now. A parking lot has been set up and from there it’s a relatively easy hour’s hike each way along a marked trail. It can get extremely crowded and it will be interesting to see what happens when Covid is over and the tourists arrive. The place is deceptively dangerous and some people really do stupid things. Have a look at the photo of the guy in red and blue walking on the lava - about 2 meters behind him you can see a spot of glowing lava.
Iceland late winter roundtrip
Visiting the coastal towns of Iceland
I had the opportunity to take a couple of weeks off from work and I decided to do a photo trip around Iceland. I have a project in mind which involves visiting all the coastal towns in Iceland so this trip contributed to that, but apart from that I had nothing specific planned. The route I took is about 2000km, a lot of ground to cover in 6 days.
Due to Covid there are no tourists. On the positive side you have the place to yourself and it’s easy to get accommodation without booking ahead but the downside is that almost all the wonderful restaurants dotted throughout the country are closed. So this trip was only about photography!
Winter season can be both rewarding and unpredictable for photographers. You get snowy mountains, beautiful clouds, clean air, rugged coastlines battered by rough seas and stormy weather. But you also get rain, blizzards and no visibility. A four-wheel drive car is essential and so is monitoring the weather forecast and road conditions. Be prepared to change your plans as you may not be able to get to where you want to.
On the trip I used the GFX50R paired with the GF32-64 and GF100-200 lenses, along with the XT2 + XF10-24 lens. The GFX50R and GF32-64 combo is incredible for landscape photography. Image quality is just stunning and I particularly like how it deals with clouds.
Day 1 - From Reykjavík to Siglufjörður
I drove off on Sunday morning with the plan to visit all the coastal towns on the way to Siglufjörður. They are: Hvammstangi, Blönduós, Skagaströnd, Sauðárkrókur, Hofsós and Siglufjörður. The weather was extremely windy but fine for photography with moody skies and patches of sun.
The drive from Reykjavík is not very exciting in terms of scenery until you get to the east of Skagafjörður. Siglufjörður, however, is one of my favorite towns in Iceland. It was the center of the herring industry for decades but fell into decline when the herring disappeared. My father and grandfather used to work there back in the day, my father as the captain of a herring boat and my grandfather as a fisherman and, in later years, spotting herring shoals from an airplane. Siglufjörður has recently experienced a revival from tourism and is now (except for Covid) a lively town in a dramatic setting.
I stayed at Siglunes Guesthouse which provides good accommodation at a reasonable price, and has a fantastic Moroccan-style restaurant - go figure.
Day 2 - From Siglufjörður to Húsavík
The coastal towns from Siglufjörður to Húsavík are: Ólafsfjörður, Dalvík, Árskógsströnd, Hauganes, Hjalteyri, Akureyri, Svalbarðsströnd, Grenivík and Húsavík. So a busy day and a lot of photos. Got to Húsavík around 5pm and a had a good walk around town. Rented an apartment for the night and spent the evening editing photos.
Similar weather as on Sunday but a bit less windy and better visibility.
Day 3 - From Húsavík to Þórshöfn
The coastal villages from Húsavík to Þorshöfn are: Kópasker, Raufarhöfn and Þórshöfn.
The extreme northeast part of Iceland is not often visited, being remote and not really interesting except perhaps for Langanes. I have been to Langanes a long time ago but otherwise the area is new to me. Inland close by are of course Ásbyrgi and Jökulsá á Fjöllum, both dramatic and unique locations normally teeming with tourists.
East of Þórshöfn is Heiðarfjall mountain, the former site of a cold-war radar station and military camp. There’s a road up there which is not too difficult for a good car and from the top you have a great view north to Fontur and south over Eiðisvík.
Weather was much less windy but still with good visibility and nice clouds. Stayed at a nice guesthouse in Þórshöfn called Lyngholt.
Day 4 - From Þorshöfn to Seyðisfjörður
The oastal villages from Þorshöfn to Seyðisfjörður are: Bakkafjörður, Vopnafjörður, Borgarfjörður eystri and Seyðisfjörður. I did not manage to get to Borgarfjörður eystri due to lack of time.
The East fjords are well worth a visit, featuring deep fjords and high mountains. In recent times Egilsstaðir and the area east from there have been transformed by improved roads, tourism and industry into vibrant communities in a beautiful setting. The huge aluminium smelter in Reyðarfjörður is not a pretty sight but it does bring immense economic benefits to the region.
Seyðifsjörður is one of the most interesting towns in Iceland. It’s long history and beautiful location make it well worth a visit. It is situated at the bottom of a fjord under high mountains, reachable only by a mountain pass. This winter, after heavy rains, mud slides destroyed a number of houses but miraculously nobody was harmed.
The day started off overcast with snow showers but around Vopnafjörður it cleared up and by the time I arrived in Seyðisfjörður it was calm and sunny. I stayed at Hotel Alda, which is operated out of three old, stately houses - very nice.
Day 5 - From Seyðisfjörður to Djúpivogur
The coastal villages from Seyðisfjörður to Djúpivogur are: Reyðarfjörður, Eskifjörður, Neskaupsstaður, Fáskrúðsfjörður, Stöðvarfjörður, Breiðdalsvík and Djúpivogur.
The day started off sunny and calm but shortly after lunch a snow storm came in. It then cleared up a little bit in the afternoon. So for photography this meant: beautiful morning, no visibility for a couple of hours, followed by stormy and moody weather with good visibility.
Djúpivogur is a town I’ve been to frequently for work. As usual I stayed at Hótel Framtíð, where I think I was the only guest.
Day 6 - From Djúpivogur to Reykjavík
I had planned to stop at Vík for one or two days where my parents were spending the weekend. However, the weather forecast for Friday and Saturday was terrible so they cancelled and I decided to finish the trip and drive all the way to Reykjavík.
The drive from Djúpivogur to Reykjavík is 550km. Quite a lot in normal circumstances but on this day it took me almost 10 hours. Road conditions around Höfn were particularly bad with zero visibility at times due to drift snow. Zero visibility means you have to stop the car on the road because you can’t see where you are going anymore.
Only one photo from this day. Taken at Skeiðarársandur when the weather had cleared up somewhat. Lómagnúpur, one of the most iconic mountains in Iceland, in the background.
Around Reykjavík
Weekend trips around Reykjavík
The last weeks have been slow on the photography front due to short days, work and personal things. Being limited to weekend photography is a lottery since the weather can be anything. You can count yourself lucky with a few hours of good light over the entire weekend. So I’ve mostly been revisiting favorite places around Reykjavík that are not too far away and can be relied on for a few good photos.
Also tried out my new Mavic 2 Pro drone, which is a replacement of the one that was lost at sea a few months back. I was never happy with the IQ on the old one, but now it feels better to me. Maybe I’m imagining things since it’s apparently exactly the same model, but let’s see.
Álftavík (Swan bay) is a small bay on the river Sogið, which at that point is more like a lake. Near the shore I found the carcass of a swan that had recently been picked completely clean.
XT2 + XF80 @ 64°1'56" N 20°57'43.1" W.
The weather has been mostly still, cold and dry. There’s frost and ice but not a lot of snow, which is ideal for capturing details. I’m a big fan of the XF80 lens for this kind of work, it’s super sharp and easy to use. On the GFX front I’m still struggling with getting sharp photos with the GF100-200.
The straws on the next photo were standing next to a small waterfall and had built up an ice shield facing the water. The yellow glow on top is the sun on a nearby hill.
XT2 + XF80 @ 64°5'19.7" N 20°59'33.9" W
XT2 + XF80 @ 64°2'23.2" N 21°0'41.1" W
GFX50R + GF100-200 @ 63°55'42" N 21°59'39.9" W
Kleifarvatn is a favorite location of many photographers, being close to the city. It’s not necessarily that easy to photograph but somehow you always find something interesting there. Last weekend I was there before sunrise and although the light didn’t really happen I still managed to get a few half-decent shots.
The first one is my favorite. It was difficult to set up as the rock on the left is almost attached to the shore but the super wide XF10-24 did the trick.
XT2 + XF10-24 @ 63°56'31.4" N 21°58'49.9" W
Mavic 2 Pro @ 63°56'31.4" N 21°58'49.9" W
Mavic 2 Pro @ 63°56'31.4" N 21°58'49.9" W
Still working on photographing the mountains in the area. They’re all sitting there waiting for me to take a photo when the light is good!
Búrfell - Mavic 2 Pro @ 64°5'2.4" N 21°0'30.1" W
Eldborg - GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°1'42.2" N 21°21'27.1" W
Vífilsfell - GFX50R + GF100-200 @ 64°2'27.4" N 21°36'10" W
Reykjanes and Stratospheric clouds
A short trip to Reykjanes with an unexpected bonus
Went on a short trip to Reykjanes hoping for good light to photograph some mountains for my project. The light turned out to be pretty good but as a bonus I got an amazing surprise at sunrise when the sky lit up with polar stratospheric clouds. First time for me, I have never seen them before. The Icelandic name for them is more concise: “glitský”, meaning glittering clouds.
Then went to Hlíðarvatn, a favorite winter location, before moving on to Kleifarvatn where there’s always something new to explore.
The polar stratospheric clouds were spectacular. The two photos on the left are taken with a wide angle lens, the other two are close-ups. It’s challenging to get a good photo of the clouds since they are only seen towards the sun.
GFX50R + GF32-64 / GF100-200 @ 63°55'50" N 21°23'30" W
The mountain Geitafell (Goat fell) sits in the middle of a flat area south of Reykjavík. It is circular in shape and was formed by an eruption under the ice-age glacier. The clouds on the left are stratospheric clouds.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 63°56'10.0"N 21°30'36.4"W
This is Lambafellsháls (Lamb-fell-neck) in the soft light a few minutes before sunrise. It extends south from it’s big brother Lambafell, which has been mutilated by mining.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 63°59'52.0"N 21°29'28.3"W
A series of images from Hlíðarvatn. After a recent freeze there had been a short thaw and a strong northerly wind, followed by another freeze. This left the ice all broken and bunched up on the south side of he lake. It was bitterly cold and windy.
On the north side the new ice was smooth and reflected the stratospheric clouds.
Photos 1-6: GFX-50R + GF32-64 @ 63°52'01.1"N 21°44'35.9"W
Photo 7: XT2+XF80 @ 63°52'01.1"N 21°44'35.9"W
Photo 8: GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 63°52'21.5"N 21°44'02.7"W
The young volcanic landscape is rough and bare. Various patterns emerge from the combination of rocks and snow.
GFX50R + GF100-200
Mountain shapes at Kleifarvatn.
GFX50R + GF100-200 @ 63°56'48.1" N 21°57'47.7" W
Snæfellsnes
Me and my brother go to Snæfellsnes on a whim.
My brother (and fellow photographer) Stefán called me on a Friday and suggested a trip to Snæfellsnes that same evening. Apparently his wife was having a small dinner party for her female friends and his presence in the house was “not required”. We drove to the village of Stykkishólmur and checked into the Foss Hotel where we had an excellent Christmas dinner. Hot tip: the restaurant at Foss Hotel is worth taking a trip for - highly recommended. Also, we packed some craft beers from Borg and a bottle of Nikka whisky so we were already winning before we started.
On Saturday morning we made our way along the north coast of the peninsula to Öndverðarnes before driving back to Reykjavík. At this latitude the sun is only up for 4-5 hours in mid December, rising to 3° above to horizon, so the time you have for daylight photography is limited.
The landscape bore the marks of recent snows and frosts except for the tip of the peninsula which, sticking out into the warmer sea, never really gets cold. Pretty flat light but, as often in Iceland, the clouds saved the day.
The mountain Gjafi is located at the bottom of Hraunsfjörður which is a fjord that Berserkjahraun lava field has almost closed off from the sea. On a calm day the mountains reflect beautifully in the water.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°56'41.8"N 23°00'54.5"W
Krákuhyrna (Crow’s horn) is just west of Gjafi. Still half an hour to sunrise but there was a little bit of color in the sky.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°56'41.8"N 23°00'54.5"W
Kirkjufell reflected in Lárvaðall lagoon, which was thawing up after a recent frost.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°56'25.1"N 23°22'36.7"W
The area on the northwest tip of Snæfellsnes is called Svörtuloft (black skies). It’s a desolate place of lava fields and cliffs where only seabirds live.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°51'50.2"N 24°02'22.8"W
Cliffs at Svörtuloft.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°51'50.2"N 24°02'22.8"W
Skarðsvík beach is a beautiful spot with golden sands under the black volcanic rocks. Best time for photography is at mid-tide.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°52'53.1"N 23°59'10.5"W
Skarðsvík beach.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°52'53.1"N 23°59'10.5"W
Cliffs east of Skarðsvík beach.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 64°53'00.3"N 23°58'53.9"W
Iceland south coast
Winter trip to the tourist-free south coast of Iceland.
During a dinner conversation, which inevitably ended up being a moaning session about the lack of travel opportunities due to Covid-19, it was somewhat optimistically decided take a short weekend break in Iceland. It turned out to be difficult to find a place to stay but we eventually settled on Hotel Katla just outside the small town of Vík on the Icelandic south coast, where we stayed for three nights. When the time came the weather forecast was so bad we almost cancelled but we decided to give it a go, which was fortunate as we had a great trip. We got upgraded to suites and had a couple of really nice dinners so were very happy with the hotel. Vík also sports the microbrewery Smiðjan which is a must-visit.
The south coast of Iceland from Eyjafjallajökull all the way to the east fjords is, in my opinion, the most beautiful part of Iceland that is easily accessible. Normally there are hordes of tourists even in winter but due to Covid-19 we almost had the place to ourselves. On Friday the weather cleared up towards the east so we drove all the way to Lómagnúpur and on Saturday we explored the area west of Vík. On Sunday we drove back to Reykjavík in glorious sunshine after having had to double back to the hotel due to a forgetting-camera-equipment-at-the-hotel incident: I had lined up a completely tourist-free shot of Skógafoss when I realized that the GFX was without its battery.
Kerlingardalur valley and Kerlingardalsá river in the evening light. “Kerling” is a not-so-young woman, nowadays used in derogatory sense.
GFX50R + GF32-65 @ 63°26'35.4" N 18°54'19.4" W
This massive rock stands in the sand about 600m south of Hjörleifshöfði. It’s called Arnardrangur or “Eagle’s rock”. There’s a another one just to the right called Lásadrangur. They must be fragments of Hjörleifshöfði. Maybe they got there in one of the massive floods that come from the glacier when Katla erupts?
GFX50R + GF100-200 @ 63°24'43.6" N 18°45'30.9" W
We met this handsome fellow near the farm of Núpur.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 63°56'53" N 17°38'6.4" W
Lómagnúpur is one of the most picturesque mountains in Iceland, jutting out into a flat area from which it rises almost vertically. We saw it for the briefest of moments when the clouds parted.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 63°57'28.7" N 17°35'21.7" W
Reynisfjara beach is a favorite location of mine. I have never before been there alone, usually there are hundreds of people there, so this morning was a special treat. Untouched black sands, spectacular sunrise, the special sound of the surf as it moves the sand around, seabirds everywhere, solitude - nothing like it.
Fun fact 1: Next place directly south from Reynisfjara is the Antartic.
(Not so) Fun fact 2: The beach is extremely (and deceptively) dangerous as rogue waves can grab people and pull them out to sea. Stay well away from the sea and don’t get caught between it and the cliffs!
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 63°24'11.5"N 19°02'44.9"W
Reynisfjara beach seen from Dyrhólaey.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 63°24'13.2" N 19°6'12.1" W
The views from Dyrhólaey are fantastic but as we almost got blown away by the hurricane-level winds we didn’t risk getting close to any promontories. So all I have is a picture of the lighthouse! Dyrhólaey is most famous for (and is named after) the huge stone arch on the sea side - through which an airplane has been flown.
GFX50R + GF32-64 @ 63°24'9" N 19°7'49.3" W
Having a beer in Covid-19 times with Bjargmundur and Guðný at Smiðjan Brugghús in Vík.
XT2 + XF16 @ 63°25'01.8"N 19°00'40.4"W
Drangshlíðarfjall mountain on our way back to Reykjavík. The famous Skógafoss waterfall is a few hundred meters to the right.
GFX50R + GF100-200 @ 63°30'57.5" N 19°27'46.4" W