While I did not get the opportunity to shoot the larches in fall, I did have the opportunity to travel to Iceland and capture its breathtaking natural scenery. Driving around its vast windswept plains with nothing to provide a sense of scale, it becomes easy to misjudge the size of mountains or the distance to a particular place. In addition, the lack of a focal point in the composition becomes a serious hindrance to capture a captivating image.
Thankfully, Iceland has plenty of churches dotted around the island, with many situated outside of the villages and communities they serve. Like this one in the Snaefellsnes peninsula in western Iceland. See this large in my 2025 calendar, available for purchase at this link.
Olafsvik
Iceland
Icelandic Greenery
From the vast windswept meadows, to the beautiful moss-covered rocks, and the towering mountains, greenery is everywhere in Iceland. But it is only in Iceland that you can see greenery even in the night. When the charged particles from solar wind impacts the earths magnetosphere, the skies above Iceland, being so close to the North pole, lights up in a brilliant display of greens, purples, reds and blues. And during a strong storm, one can even glimpse the rare occurrence of the dance of the aurora, when the bands of the aurora scintillate and change shape by the second.
This was captured during one such brilliant shows above the glacier of Fjallsjokull in Vatnajökull National Park in southern Iceland. See this in large in my 2025 calendar available, for purchase at this link.
Vatnajökull National Park
Iceland
Winter is coming
Plunging temperatures and low sunlight heralds the arrival of winter in Iceland. And it arrives early this far north, with cold, windy and dry conditions taking over from the blissful and wet summer.
Signs of these changes were everywhere. Waterfalls had an aura of winter all around, puddles and streams on trails became icy, while lakes in the highlands had already started freezing. These conditions make outdoor adventures in Iceland challenging, but offers unique conditions and compositions. This is one of the multitude of falls showcasing its winter sheen.
Kvernufoss
Iceland
A Blast of Red
The geomagnetic storm I witnessed in Iceland on Oct 10 led to perhaps one of the brightest auroral events I had ever witnessed. Even with my eyes blinded by the headlights while driving, I could still see the reds and the pinks in the sky. The splash of color in the sky danced and morphed continuously, highlighting an intensity of storm that was off the charts. A few moments later, when I stopped to take a look, the bulk of the auroral activity was occurring in the southern half of the skies.
I had never seen such bright band of red span across the entire sky from east to west. These colors show up rarely and only during intense storms where the charged solar particles react with Oxygen above 200mi (320km). The typical aurora with green hues occurs from this same reaction occurring at much lower altitudes (60-190mi or 100-300km). This is also why you see the greens band below the reds.
This storm continued for the entire night, though it ebbed and flowed throughout. I was glad I had an opportunity to witness this.
Fjallsárlón
Iceland
Bruarfoss
It didn't look like much on the map. And even the short walk from the parking lot didn't inspire confidence. But once I got to the wooden bridge straddling the river downstream of the falls, I was taken aback. It wasn't the typical Icelandic waterfall, featuring a tall column of water descending from the lip of hard basalt that you see everywhere. Instead, it was a diffuse waterfall, spreading along a long ledge over which a multitude of streams pour over. Perhaps what was most fascinating was the tiny canyon barely 3m tall and a meter wide that cut its way into the face of the waterfall.
I spent an hour admiring every single detail of the waterfall, from the columnar basalt in the foreground, the faded clumps of orange grass that contrasted with the deep blue water, and the roaring sound of the gushing river.
Bruarfoss
Iceland
And the Curtains part
I distinctly remember where I was when I heard about the May 11 G4 geomagnetic storm that would go on to create auroral displays in nearly all the states in the US. It was a slow-moving storm, and that gave enough time to evaluate locations to catch the aurora. This G4 storm earlier this month came with much less warning and lead-time. This fast moving storm would impact earth in just 24 hrs after it was detected. Were I in the US at that time, I would have struggled to find the right location to shoot it, but I happened to be in Iceland at that time. And while October usually results in changing weather patterns, I happened to be just an hour away from locations with 360 views, fairly calm conditions and very little light pollution.
The intensity of the storm was such that, even with my eyes blinded by headlights, the deep red glow was visible as clear as day as the storm was starting to build up. I pulled over, anticipating a sub-storm that would blow up the sky. And it did. As the intensity of the storm peaked, beams of light stretched from the coronal center all the way to the peaks in the horizon. It was as though the curtains of the sky had parted, and brilliant multi-colored light hiding behind the jeweled night sky filtered from the heavens.
The storm would continue for many more hours of that long night, with periods of quiet interlude between sudden showers of light. Nearly a decade since my first aurora, I couldn't believe that I would get to witness such an incredible spectacle so many more times. It was a night I wouldn't forget for a long time.
Kalfafellsstadur
Iceland
Church Mountain
Sometimes I like to revisit photos of places that I had visited in the past to help kindle that sense of nostalgia. And after California, I often go to my archives from Iceland. It has been one of the diverse landscapes I had visited, where glaciers and geysers coexist, where sheep-filled meadows end in a rocky landscape and where one can enjoy the northern lights from outdoor hot-springs.
Kirkjufell is perhaps one of the most iconic locations in the island nation, featured in every travel poster. I visited the peak during the tail end of my trip, and I still have fond memories of the beautiful sunrise I witnessed there.
Kirkjufell
Iceland
Winter Lights
The Pacific Northwest, though known for its amazing landscape and inspiring outdoors, is a tough place to live in in the winter. As we approach the winter solstice, the prolonged conditions of short days that last only 8 hours, and the ubiquitous grey and gloomy skies can put anyone in a dank mood. This double whammy has been exacerbated this year by the pandemic restrictions on travel and socializing, and poor economic and social outlook. Many people have lost their loved ones or their livelihood.
But there is hope around the corner. The vaccines are coming, and after tomorrow, the days will slowly get longer. Our lives will slowly achieve a sense of normalcy, and we can soon look forward to traveling and experiencing the delights of the world we live in. Like this display of the aurora borealis from Iceland.
Bordeyri
Iceland
Sublime Sunrise
It was one of those dreamy mornings where the light and location came together in perfect harmony.
After having spent a late night hunting for the aurora, motivating myself to leave the cozy confirms of a warm bed out into the cold still morning didn't feel like an easy proposition, But as soon as I saw the clear skies and the just a tinge of clouds on the horizon, I knew I had to rush to the inlet near the village of Grundarfjörður to capture the majesty of Kirkjufell.
I am glad I did, because it turned out to be one of most sublime sunrises I had ever witnessed on that memorable trip to Iceland about 4 years ago.
Kirkjufell
Iceland
Driving Around Iceland
The problem with driving around Iceland is that you’re basically confronted by a new soul-enriching, breath-taking, life-affirming natural sight every five goddamn minutes. It’s totally exhausting.
- Stephen Markley
Every turn, every mile, and every day brought out a new scenery to stare at, a new waterfall to wander to, a new mountain to be amazed by, a new glacier to gape at, a new terrain to traverse, and a new landscape to shoot. The long days of driving around this tiny island, while tiring, was anything but boring. It was a wonderous destination with jaw-dropping beauty, a magical place I would love to return to.
Ring road
South Iceland