Winter Wonderland

Kicking off my winter adventure to Iceland, we fought heavy rain and wind that was crazy, all the way to our first destination on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Just before arriving in the center of the peninsula, the clouds broke just long enough for a quick photo of one of the many top fishing streams in Iceland.  Skarpi, our guide, shared with us that to fish this river would cost you $1,000.00 per day.

We continued onward, arriving at our first home away from home, again in the middle of a rain storm.  The next morning it was out early to photograph one of the most iconic mountains in Iceland, Kirkjufell.  While the waterfalls were wonderful, the light was flat and shooting proved to be a challenge.

Later that night clearing skies were predicted and the aroura KP index was showing something like a 2.2.  Hope filled the air and about midnight the call came in “lights are up.” Everyone made a mad scramble to the end of the pier. With a nearly full moon over my left shoulder, Kirkjufell was illuminated just right for a long exposure. Before I knew it, the sky exploded in multiple shades of greens with hints of red. Lasting nearly an hour, this was one light show like I’ve never seen before. Most of us stayed up until the show was over, knowing that we would be departing for our sunrise shoot in just a few hours.

Hasselblad H5D50c, 28mm, ISO 100, f/8 @ 1/15 sec with Lee 6 stop ND

Nikon D810, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, ISO 100, f/11 @ 1/30 sec

Nikon D4, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, ISO 800 f/4.5 @ 4 seconds