Kerið is one of most recognizable volcanic craters in Iceland. To give the image a little perspective, there is a person standing in the top right corner of the image. Its steep walls are approximately 55 meters (180 feet) deep. The caldera is 170 meters (560 feet) wide and 270 meters (890 feet) across. The small lake inside the caldera with a strikingly vivid aquamarine color which is due to minerals in the soil. This was once a typical cone-shaped volcano, but after an eruption some 3000 year ago, the top has collapsed into its empty magma chamber.
Sitting on the Atlantic Ocean coastline of the 16th century fishing village of Hellnar (Iceland), is a beautiful red-roofed church called Hellnakirkja. A rather unique feature of Icelandic spirituality is the "Gate to the Afterlife". You will find at most locations where people have been buried some type of "Gate". In several places the gate consist of just a single standing door with no attached fence.
In planning my trip to Iceland, Kirkjufell on the northern coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, is the one image I most wanted to capture. I planned and setup to capture this image at sunset (around 9:30pm), arriving two hours early to secure the ideal location. Along with about 10 other photographers we waited for the right moment as the light struck the Mounatin illuminating it in a stunning warm glow. As luck would have it, I captured a single person on the hill vieing the sunset, and giving perspective to the scene. Kirkjufell is the most photographed mountain in Iceland, and for good reason. As a side note, beware of the incoming high tides. By the time I left (around 10pm), I had to wade through water to get back to the road.
