Iceland Part 1

Since elementary school, when I first saw pictures of Iceland in a geography book, and well before my interest in photography, I’ve always dreamed of making a trip to this beautiful country. The timing and finances weren’t perfect, but I decided if they weren't perfect now, they never would be, so I needed to just do it. I finally made the trip this September, and I am so happy I did.

I rented a car and drove around the southern coast of Iceland for 9 days. I found hidden waterfalls, walked on glaciers, took crazy hikes, pet wild Icelandic horses, met amazing people, drank great beer, took a boat through an iceberg filled lagoon, crashed my car -- I could go on and on; it was an intense trip filled with excitement. The scenery changes by the mile and it is so different than any other place I have visited. Every second you are on the road you are simultaneously in awe of what is around you and also in wonder of what you will find at the next location because it will certainly be completely different.  

Since this was a dream of mine for so long I went into the trip almost scared that I wouldn't take great pictures. I am not a landscape photographer and I definitely don't feel as comfortable as I do when I can fully control the light and subject. Ultimately, I decided that this trip was going to be for me, rather than about taking good photographs, but if I happened to get some good photos along the way, then that would just be an added bonus. I think having that mindset and not forcing it made the pictures much better than they would have been otherwise. Overall, I had an incredible trip and I can't wait to go back and see more of the island. If you are taking a trip or thinking of taking a trip to Iceland, please don't hesitate to comment or email me, I would love to talk to you about it. 

Jökulsárlón

Famous iceberg lagoon with the most incredible blue hues you have ever seen. I came here two days in a row, one sunny day and one overcast and it was such a huge difference both days, the weather changes quickly. 

Gönguleið um Fimmvörðuháls

If you climb up the the stairs and then climb over the fence past Skógafoss, which is also incredible, you get to this beautiful hiking trail along the river that leads to Skógafoss. 

Jökulsárlón

While on a small boat we went past massive icebergs the size of city blocks. The black lines you see in the ice are from when a volcanic eruption laid ash across the top and then snow and rain formed a layer of ice again on top of that. 

Raufarhólshellir

A Lava cave thatI would have never known about, had it not been for my good friend Jess. It is not easily visible, it was just a hole in the ground, but once inside is the fourth longest lava cave in Iceland revealed itself. It was gorgeous. The texture of this moss on the walls was so thick and sponge-like. 

Svínafellsjökull

After a very long hike which included walking on this glacier for a while, I took a step back to admire the scale and beauty of this scene. It will never leave me. 

Glymur

The tallest waterfall in Iceland, which is proceeded by one of the most amazing hikes in the world. Just to get here you have to cross several small rivers, climb through caves and up steep mountains.

Haalda

A mountain range in the south that struck me with its amazing colors and ice. I could have spent an hour just watching the clouds move over it. 

I will be posting a second part to this series with several more pictures from my trip. A few of the photos from above are being shown in a gallery in Los Angeles this Friday and Saturday (Dec. 11-12) with several other talented artists that I have done shows with in the past. I am very excited to show some of this new work and share it with my friends and family. The event goes from 6pm-11pm both nights and the address is

1226 W 7th St

 Los Angeles, CA 90017