Landscapes

Kirkjufell - Church Mountain

Wanted to start off 2020 with an image of one of my favorite places on the planet, Kirkjufell (also known as Church Mountain). Peaking at 463 metres (1519 feet) Kirkjufell is an impressive landmark on its own, but add a waterfall to the foreground and you get the the most photographed mountain in Iceland. This image was taken during an afternoon scouting visit in preparation for my sunset shot that evening. Even on an overcast mid-afterrnoon day, this place is just stunning.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Located along Iceland’s southern coast on Route #1, fed by the melting waters from the famed glacier-capped Eyjafjallajokull volcano, flows the breathtakingly beautiful Seljalandsfoss waterfall . This powerful 65 meter (215 feet) high waterfall plummets down into a crystal blue plunge pool then flows out into a pretty meadow. However, the path that runs behind the curtain of water is the main attraction. Here you can enjoy a truly unique viewpoint of the waterfall; however, you will most likely get a little wet due to the perpetual mist and spray of the falls.

Hverfjall Crater

Located near the eastern shore of Lake Myvatn in North Iceland stands Hverfjall, an impressive 4500 year old tephra explosion crater, measuring 396 meter (1,300 ft) high and 1 km in diameter. If you walk up the steep slope of this massive black ash cone, you are rewarded with an incredible view of the crater as well as the surrounding landscape. To provide a little perspective of the size, those tiny specs on the top right side are groups of people walking around the crater's rim. There are also people on the opposite side, but they are too small to see without enlarging the image.

Algonquin Autumnal Equinox

On the night of the Harvest Moon of the Autumnal Equinox I captured this image of the midnight blue sky set against a series of tall pine trees. On this eve, the moon served at a wonderful backlight to set the scene.

Gullfoss - Upper Falls Staircase

Gullfoss, in Iceland's Golden Circle, is a massive waterfall which is composed of two distinct steps which fall at 90-degree angles to one another. The upper tier drops 12.5 metres (41 ft) and spans nearly 240 metres (800 ft) across, with the left side (pictured here) cascading down a nice rock staircase. The right side (not shown) rushes into a narrow throat then plunges down 32 metres (105 ft) into the lower canyon. This foss definite must see in Iceland.

Hvítserkur

Off the coast of the Vatnsnes Peninsula in North-West Iceland stands the majestic Hvítserkur, a 15 meter (50 ft) high monolithic basalt sea stack. As legend has it, this eroded volcanic dyke is a petrified troll. The troll lived in Strandir in the Wesfjords and wanted to tear down the bells at Þingeyraklaustur convent. Icelandic trolls don't like the sound or sight of churches or church-bells. Unfortunately, the troll got caught by the first rays of the sun and was turned into stone by daylight.

Lakehouse Reflections

An early autumn view from the shoreline of our Lakehouse on Otter Lake in the Algonquin Highlands. This image was taken just as the sun was setting and that wonderful blue hour period was commencing. I love the refelction of the clouds in the perfectly still waters.

Jökulsárlón Sunset

Captured a young couple (standing on the point center left) enjoying a beautiful sunset at Jökulsárlón. Jokulsarlon is a large glacial lake in southeast Iceland, on the edge of Vatnajökull National Park, situated at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. It has developed into a large deep lake after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. At at over 248 meters (814 ft) deep, Jokulsarlon is now the deepest lake in Iceland.

Strokkur Geyser

Blasting water to heights of around 20 metres (60 feet) every five to ten minutes, the Strokkur Geyser (in the namesake area of Geysir) is one of the three major attractions on the world-famous Golden Circle route. Through the nineteenth century, the Strokkur Geyser erupted frequently and with magnificent force, reaching up to 60 meters (196 feet) high. A huge earthquake at the turn of the twentieth century blocked the water channels, and the geyser was dormant until humans intervened in 1963 to remove the blockage.

Reynisfjall Mountain

Backing Reynisfjara Beach, beside the small fishing village of Vík í Mýrdal in Iceland, stand a group of enormous hexagonal shaped basalt columns (known as the sea stacks). This amazing rock formation is the face of the 340 meter high Reynisfjall Mountain. On the left side of the image you can see the entrance to the beautiful Hálsanefshellir cave.

Svartifoss Waterfall

Svartifoss is one of the most unique waterfalls in South Iceland. Situated in Skaftafell National Park, which part of the massive Vatnajökull National Park. Svartifoss's name literally means "The Black Waterfall". The narrow and extremely elegant cascade drops 20 m (65 ft) from a crescent-shaped cliff, composed of magnificent hexagonal black basalt columns, into a calm aquamarine pool.

Gluggafoss Waterfall

Gluggafoss Waterfall (also called Merkjárfoss or Window Falls) is often overlooked by travellers. What makes Gluggafoss unique is its geology where the river has created several holes and tunnels in the soft palagonite bedrock, called "gluggars", through which the water finds its way. This beautiful waterfall plunges 44 meters into a plunge pool and then broadens up in the lower falls and plunges another 8.5 meters into the river Merkjá.

Gullfoss Canyon

Gullfoss, also known as the Waterfalls of Gold, is one of the most popular and spectacular Waterfalls in all of Iceland. Captured here, looking down along the canyon edge, is the final 32 metres (105 ft) pluge down into the 20 metres (66 ft) wide and 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) long river canyon.

Malarrif

Towering 24.5 meters (80 feet) over the lava formations that form the cliffside on the southwest coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, is the scenic rocket-shaped Malarrif lighthouse. Built in 1917, Malarrif now acts as focal point of Snæfellsjökull National Park. Locals say that elves once uses these lava formations as a church.