The famed South Coast of Iceland shoreline stretches from Reykjavik and is emblazoned with cascading waterfalls, volcanoes both active and dormant, black sand beaches and glacier lagoons. 

This will be my hardcore storytelling about my photographic journey and gear and camera settings for these magnanimous clicks. This is the second part of Iceland. Part 1 covered the reasons for my SOLO photographic trip and all that goes into a preparing for a mum before she embarks on her journey. Do read it before moving to this bit of the photo story.

When you visit Iceland you say ‘Thank you to God‘ to witness these nooks and crannies of the world which have chiselled to such precision such that every turn takes your breath away. If you drive straight then the journey is like 6 hours in total but I dare if you could do it. Alas it’s not that easy as it sounds every few miles is etched with a gorgeous waterfall, crater, glacier or even just as simple as pebbles. Every view will make you weak in your knees. It was very important for me to visit in the winter because snowfall and ice seems to have a karmic connection with me since childhood. Winter is the best time to photograph Iceland and driving around in the middle of clear skies or lumbering through snow storms it’s all in the adventure.

I have listed down below all the favourite Iceland locations which are a photographers dream.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall Iceland

This is a waterfall whose name I cannot pronounce and it hits you really hard as this is one of the first stopovers for many day excursions in Iceland. If you have seen a waterfall before then this would be nothing out of the ordinary but rarely people would have the opportunity to walk behind the waterfall. This has some magnificent views of the showers falling from 200ft height. Your face, hands rather everything is covered in Mist. I was just too scared to carry my camera behind and loose an occasional step because it could get slippery. The waterfall has a beautiful aura in winters due to the snow-covered cliffs on either side of the waterfall. Its name literally means ‘selling the land of waterfalls’. While driving it is very easy to stop on Road 1 and takes around 1 hour 40 minutes from Reykjavik. There is enough parking space available. As a photographer if you have the waterproof cover for your gear I would strongly recommend getting some amazing shots from behind the waterfall. I have kept this chapter open for my next visit.

Skogafoss Waterfall Iceland

Skógafoss which means the Forest fall is a waterfall on the Skógá river over a former sea cliff. This waterfall name is slightly easier to pronounce than the previous one. This is the next stop and is not far from the iconic Seljalandsfoss. The waterfall drops 60m. What is so special about this waterfall is the formation of double and triple rainbows when the light is just right and it bounces all the seven clouds of the VIBGYOR.It makes it a very attractive touristic site hence it is difficult to get shots without humans in them (atleast in the primetime). I just happened to miss it by a few seconds but I think these are signs from god that say I will be back into God’s own land. If you see my pictures there is a walking path to the top of the waterfall and the view from the top is amazing.Once you are at the top of the Skogafoss hike, you can also hike unto Landmannalaugar.

Reynisfjara or the black sandy beach

The moment I landed on this beach and saw the beholding sight it blew my mind away. Black being my favourite colour. If I give you a 360 degree view of what you see, it would be aztec basalt columns looming at one end, yellow lichen enriched caves, azure waters, monolithic columns speaking of folklore and last but never the least BLACK, the colour black resonant with the pebbles, soil and coherent with every crashing wave. Here are some important terms that I googled and they are in hardcore Icelandic so pronouncing them only came through in my mind, uttering them would be a disaster.

• Reynisfjara is the black sand beach
• Reynisfjöru is the local word for Reynisfjara
• Reynishverfi is the village and area next to the black sand beach
• Reynisdrangar is the 66 m high rock pillars that stick out of the sea
• Reynisfjell is the 340 m high mountain with hexagonal-shaped basalt columns at the bottom

Reynisfjara or the black sandy beach is nature’s embroidery. I have previously written about the contrasting landscape of Iceland where you could have ice laden glaciers on one side and on the opposite end there could be lava spewing volcanoes. So some million years ago, A spewing volcanic hot lava would have flown into the ocean and the moment it hit the cold water it was reduced to a black mass of pebbles and rocks smoothened over the time.

Reynisfjell or Gadar Basalt columns are broad hexagonal columns rising above the sea level are again the handiwork of nature. This basalt cliff is called Gardar. As I just got back from Northern Ireland and saw similar columns on its sea shore too called the Giant Causeway.If you are a fan of the biblical Noah movie then you would be really happy to see the Hálsanefshellir cave at the bottom of Gardar.
Reynisdrangar,The Sea Trolls Iceland is the land of folktales and magic. I will certainly write a column on Icelandic folktales. These basalt rocky spikes rising from the ocean around 66 meters (217 ft) in height, they are called the Reynisdrangar. Ironically they are trolls who were dragging a three-mast ship across the north Atlantic and their efforts were too slow and they were frozen to stone at daybreak (as legend knows it Trolls cannot tolerate sunlight, remember frozen ;)). They say you still hear the wails of the trolls in desperation to get back to their home in the mountains. Reynisdrangar can be seen from the neighbouring village of Vik in Myrdal, and are teeming with nesting Arctic terns, fulmars and puffins.

As a photographer I am a bit of a scared one, though adventurous in spirit but I always levy the risks. The north Atlantic ocean is really very unpredictable so try not to go very close to the shore or station your tripod near the waves. #caution

VIK, The southmost Village

Vik is the southernmost village in the Iceland and is extremely picturesque owing to its location in the vicinity of some the most treacherous yet hauntingly beautiful natural landmarks. it is situated just south of the Katla volcano, which sits beneath the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. No picture of Vik is complete without its landmark church which is perched on top of a mountain called the Víkurkirkja. It is said that if the volcano katla were to erupt then the only building in Vik to survive its wrath would be the church. This is a white church with red roof and it is still active. Vik has around 300 inhabitants and in the early nineteenth century they were involved in fishery.

In the event of an eruption, a text message will be sent to every mobile phone connected to the regional network. All 543 residents will know what to do — inform their neighbors — and where to go: the church, which is sheltered by the mountain.- @new york post

Sneeze next to the Katla volcano, goes the joke in this Icelandic village, and a seismologist in Reykjavik will analyze the disturbance.- Most feared Volcano Iceland

FJADRARGLJUFUR CANYON – ICELAND’S EPIC CANYON

This spot is generally not marked on most itineraries and trust me even I had not heard of it. But our driver took this detour and showed us this remarkable photogenic sight. Oozing with serpentine glory and a heady mixture of water and corrosion. Fjadrargljufur (or Fjadra Canyon) is a 100 m deep and about 2 kilometres long serpentine canyon with the Fjaðrá river flowing through it.Driving west on the Ring road, it is 6 km from town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The fascinating bit is that it tells you stories of the Ice Age, formed by the retreating glacier and erosion formed these zig-zag deep canyon. I have seen the pictures of the lush green beauty of this canyon during the summer season but in the winters its like a chapter from Game of thrones. If I make a dragon perch at the entrance then it would transcend me to the scene of clash between white walkers and Jon snow. In winters though it could be a photographers delight but Strongly recommend getting a pair of crampons because the icy path could get dangerously slippery. There is an easy and convenient footpath to navigate the top rim of the canyon which is just 2 km long, offering some of the best views.

Breiðamerkursandur Diamond Beach

I have to confess that my weakness is Ice and snow. It means in a weird way that I am obsessed with its taste,feel and sight. The moment I got off from our van the staggering landscape blew my mind. The shades awakened all my senses from the rusty pink in the sky, to the orange stained horizon, the glistening icebergs, shimmering white ice and all woven together with ebony thread of the black pebbled beach. The sky of Iceland is the most dramatic in winter with the midnight sun painting the panorama with its glory. The Diamond Beach is located just across from Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, about 370 km from Reykjavík and about 80 km from Höfn. Jökulsárlón is an enormous lagoon filled with huge chunks of ice, that have broken free from Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of the famous Vatnajökull. The icebergs eventually melt and before vanishing into the Atlantic ocean they seem to have their final halt at the black beach called as the Breiðamerkursandur. Like all Icelandic names they aren’t any exception to pronunciations so the more tourist friendly nomenclature going by its appeal of shimmering ice on a beach its called Diamond Beach.

Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon

The Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon is easy to reach; it’s directly on the Ring Road between Höfn and Skaftafell in southeastern-ish Iceland. So this is like just at the opposite end of the Diamond beach and the it takes around 5 minutes to walk to the other side of the bridge to see this magnificent lagoon. I was mesmerised by its beauty when I saw a song shot here some years ago and the image stayed with me until it haunted me to travel. Jokulsarlon is a lagoon made of luminous blue icebergs which have broken down from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier and they stay there for couple of years melting, freezing, cracking and finally getting sublime into the sea. The lagoon is a mix of sea and fresh water. The lagoon to my utter surprise is not germinated from the ice age but rather formed just recently in the 1930s due to the melting glaciers. It is growing everyday and I wonder if it’s a byproduct of Global warming.

The lagoon itself is one of the deepest lakes in Iceland, more than 600 feet deep, and is full of mighty icebergs in an array of colors floating around the waters. There is an option of inspecting the icebergs up close and personal by taking a Amphibious boat ride which keeps you close to the shoreline or Zodiac tour which is might agile and takes you closer to the source of the iceberg provider, the glacier itself.

Its majestic beauty and the cold vibe gives Hollywood directors an adventure kick and that is why James Bond, A view to a kill, Die another day, Lara Croft and Justin Bieber video were shot here.

Svínafellsjökull Glacier Hike

Svínafellsjökull is part of Skaftafell, the highest mountain range in Iceland. The country’s highest peak, Hvannadalshnjúkur, marks the very top of this glacial giant. It is also called as the Hollywood glacier and there is a reason for this nomenclature, because this is Thor: The Dark World, Prometheus and Christopher Nolan’s icy planet epic in Interstellar. Most importantly (for me) because this is where the North of the wall lies, these wintry icy scenic glaciers show the Winter Beyond the Wall scenes with Jon Snow, Ygritte and the Night’s Watch were filmed here in seasons two and three.

For me this was the most memorable time of my life as I trekked the highly treacherous glacier almost tip-toeing you could say at places where the ice was razor-sharp and the moor-holes harrowing deep. I would grade it as intermediate to difficult level for a novice but since I had previous experiencing of rock climbing and steep trekking it didn’t strike as a shocker.Our Hiking guide was a very experienced professional working as a part of Extreme Iceland. The parent company with whom I was booked is Arctic Adventures. The hike starts with learning how to wear our gear which involves crash helmet, ice axe, harness and crampons. The hiking path and conditions are generally inspected by the guides in the morning to create a trail in ice. There is just one word of caution from the guide to walk with heavy steps like a stomping elephant. The sun is bright and the ice slightly melting which makes us even more careful while walking. A good snow in the morning is better than a shinning sun for the hike. Waddling like ducks behind our guide with me at the head our group and stopping occasionally and then to assess the next move or help a mate cover the distance. The eyes linger at the white walls of frozen water stretch before my eyes like serpents.Finally we reach the icy tongue of the glacier. Next time I will surely opt for a Go Pro instead of my heavy photographic gear which I purposefully shoved aside fearing of losing either myself or my gear 🙂 A shiver runs down my spine when I visualise myself peering down into a glacier moulin which is a vertical shaft that runs down to the bottom of the glacier.

With this I come to the end of my south coast photographic and adventure guide. I hope you enjoy the read and is informative for you to plan your journey. There are many places I couldn’t capture on my camera but that means there is always a next time.

Iceland for me is the epitome of beauty of nature and it is scrubbed with inks of purity. Purity of thought, mind and soul which reverberates from its auroral beauty. I left a part of me in Iceland.