Ice in Winter - Unpredictable

Iceland – What can you say? It never fails to astonish me, and I’m always happy to travel with Thor-Photography.com for amazing trips. This trip was focused on camera photography, but we were able to slip in some drone photography as well.  In some cases, we combined the two for an incredible shot.

Winter in Iceland can be a bit tricky. When we started out on the Snaefellsness Peninsula, the weather was clear. We stopped at all my bucket list places like the Black Church, Kirkjufell, Arnarstapi, and various other sites for the first few days. Many of the stops were beautiful scenes shot from pull-offs along the way. Arnarstapi Cottages are very comfortable and located within walking distance of the shooting locations. We were entertained by them pulling a Toyota out of the river.

The second half of the trip took us to the south coast, and we met winter head on. Snow and ice made for treacherous footing in many locations, but we were able to use crampons to climb up and down the hills.  We visited the headwaters (read glacier here) of the Glacier Lagoon. It’s a lot less popular than the outlet so it makes photography much easier. Given the cold weather, the icebergs were frozen in place and provided a beautiful reflection. Visit during the day and night-time to get a whole different perspective.

Diamond beach never fails to put on a show. Our first attempt to shoot found the beach full of ice. It’s amazing that our second attempt was completely different with the beach being completely free of ice. It changes by the minute. 

If you have a chance, take an airplane for a flight over the rivers and glaciers. This will give you a view normally seen only by drones. The flight can start at 30 minutes, but can last longer depending on your booking. We were unable to take helicopters to the caves as they found large crevasses and the caves had to be shut down for safety reasons.

During the winter the days are short. Driving can be tricky, and the one reindeer that was close enough to see clearly walked right in front of the vehicle. Others were seen but far off in fields. The Icelandic horses were much more cooperative and happier to have their pictures taken.

Iceland wouldn’t be the same without a stop in Vik. While shopping in the IceWear store is a favorite past time of mine, the beach and the sea stacks are one attraction along with the famous church on the hill. 

Last but not least, a trip to the beach on the other side of the mountain takes you to rock formations that draw you down to the water. However, the waves that come up on these rock formations can be very dangerous. My advice is to visit during low tide and never, ever, turn your back on the water. 

Any time of the year can be an adventure. After we left, the south side of the island was shut down for high winds and blizzard conditions. This would be a good time to hunker down at the Hotel Dyrholeay or Smyrlabborg with a hot cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the Christmas display.