A Trip to Iceland


About 18 months ago, I went to visit Iceland with my brother Shane and his fiancé Lauren. It was January. It was wild, cold, beautiful and rugged! 

Iceland is one of those places that shows Mother Nature to be fierce and in charge. She takes no prisoners. Weather conditions can change dramatically in seconds. The light changes, the sky, the wind and you are completely exposed to the elements. I’m not gonna lie, it could be genuinely scary at times. A fog descended while we were driving in the middle of the snow and literally all we could see was white. On another occasion, as we drove along the coast, the strong wind was blowing the cars and the pull was not a comfortable thing to experience as you battled with the steering wheel trying to keep the car on the road! On the third day of our trip we had planned  to drive over to the other side of the island but we were warned by some locals in a shop we stopped at along the way not to travel there. Apparently, it was too dangerous, with 120km winds! 

Along our journey we saw cars and vans abandoned at the side of the road. Many had to be rescued. The snow was deceptively deep so when tourists pulled over to take that ‘epic scenic photo’, they underestimated how deep the snow was at the side of the road. It was metres deep!!! 

It’s a wild place, with epic scenery on a grand scale. I held a sense that this place is not to be messed with. On the black beach there were signs everywhere not to go close to shore where the waves break. If you get swept up in a wave it’s almost impossible to get out. Tourists who haven’t heeded this warning have lost their lives. Mother Nature rules here and you MUST respect that! 

I loved this about Iceland; the wild beauty of the place, the ever-changing landscape, the rapidly changing weather and the light meant that it was a great place to visit for a photo holiday! 

I’d love to go back and have more time to shoot the locals. We met few and far between along our journey, the population is mostly settled in Reykjavik which is where we based ourselves. The people remind me of the Irish; they are warm and fond of the craic. A friendly ‘mad’ bunch with a thirst for beer and a good party. Island folk just like us! Iceland, you were magnificent and I’ll be back!