Every Day is a New Adventure

As I indicated in my previous post, I got a little later start on Day 3 so didn’t leave the campground until late morning.  My plan was to continue east and head towards Hofn, but I first wanted to stop at Jokusarlon, the glacier lagoon.  By the time I got there, the parking lot was packed, and the place was jam-packed with tourists!  (Darned tourists.  Didn’t they know I was coming?)  It was also still raining.  However, my Frogg Toggs® rain jacket, pants and hat were up for the task and worked amazingly well (fortunately it wasn’t windy).  I took quite a few shots and decided to go back to the “Diamond Beach” where I was the night before (they call it this because the ice chunks setting on the black sand look like huge diamonds).  After a while the sun came out again (whoo-hoo), and when I eventually turned around, I could see the mountains behind the glacier lagoon, and the glacier itself, clear as a bell!  OMG, what an impressive sight!  Needless to say, I had to go back to the lagoon.

Spending more time at Jokulsarlon than I had planned, I finally set off for Hofn.  I checked into the campground (which ironically was right across the street from the gas station where I stopped to check the map to determine it’s location), and since the skies were still clear, I went to the Stokksnes peninsula, the preferred vantage point for Vestrahorn mountain.  The angle of the sun wasn’t ideal, but I did shot shots from the black sand dunes.  Suddenly the wind kicked up, creating a horrific sand storm.  I felt like Jim Cantorre as I leaned into the gale force wind and headed back to the van!

Arriving back at the background, I discovered yet another issue: my portable WiFi was dead and wouldn’t take a charge!   I bought a new charging cord at the gas station (for $39, thank you very much), thinking this might be the issue.  Nope!  It still wouldn’t accept a charge.  Finding free WiFi at a gas station (a different one this time), I live-chatted with a support person (for the second time this week).  They could send me a replacement, but it wouldn’t arrive until two days before I was scheduled to leave.  So now what?  Well, onto Plan B, which is to upload blog posts when I can find free Wifi.  But, it would be nice to have WiFi continuously, so I do have a Plan C in, which unfortunately might not come to fruition until late Saturday or even Sunday.  Oh well, we will just have to deal with it!

What have all the issues I’ve experienced so far taught me?  Three words come to mind: resilience, fortitude and most importantly, gratefulness.  We have so many “conveniences”, especially in the US, that we forget these are truly luxuries.  Would having Wifi all the time be desirable?  Of course.  But, do I really need Wifi to survive and in my case, carry on with my trip?  Absolutely not.  In the end, we need to be ever grateful for the things God has provided and ask Him for strength and courage when things don’t work out like we expect!

Stay tuned for more new adventures!

Icebergs floating in Jokulsarlon, the glacier lagoon (you can see the 9/10ths of the front iceberg that is below water – apparently, sometimes this bergs will flip over as their center of gravity changes)Add caption

Some tourists getting ready to kayak around the lagoon (I heard the guide tell them about the iceberg flippy thing and not to get too close as it might make for a bad day).  Also on the lagoon were motorized rafts and big “duck boats” full of tourists, all of which I found quite annoying and hampered the scenic splendor.

If you look closely, you can see the head of a seal peering at me (or at something).  I saw several seals in the lagoon, which are quite common along with many shore birds

The surf retreating from small stones on the black sand (a.k.a., Diamond) beach

A rather large chunk of ice on the beach during clear skies

Clear skies over Jokulsarlon – isn’t this beautiful?  (The glacier, which isn’t visible at this angle, is at the far right of the picture)

On the way to way to Hofn, I found a road side picnic area with porta potties, which I had to use.  While inside, I heard some running water.  I know I had to go, but not that bad!  I discovered there was a small stream running behind the units (see just to the left), which was fed by a waterfall in the distant mountain. The water was clean and fresh, so I filled up my water bottle (no worries, they say this is safe to do).

Vestrahorn from the black sand dunes on the Stokksnes peninsula.

The sun breaking above the clouds and the mountains in the distance as seen from the back window of the van.  Time: 5:13 am!  (I was awake anyway, but it does mean I may need to use the eye shades after all.)

Three Words: A-Maz-Ing

I'm actually writing this on Day 3 because Day 2 was an extremely long one (15+ hours), but these "three words" really sum up the day. 

First off, the weather turned around.  The wind and the rain stopped (for the most part) and the sun even came out.  If anything, it was a bit too sunny for picture purposes, but hey, I'm not complaining!  Second, I saw a lot of incredible scenery.  I can't even begin to list, let alone accurately describe everything I saw, but suffice to say, Iceland is truly a diverse and beautiful place.

But, there were some downs as well.  Number one, my hiking boots became filled with water while taking pictures on the black sand beach near Vik.  While I was safely away from the dangerous big waves, films of water and foam would flow up the beach after a wave would crash.  On two occasions, the film came further than expected and I was unable to retreat in time.  The good news is that I had a pair of rubber boats (yes, I know, I should have been wearing them at the time), and my hiking boots are now dry thanks to the heater vent in the sleeping area of the van.

Number two, when I went to fill the van up with gas, the pump indicated the PIN for my Visa card was invalid.  This is strange because it worked fine the day before.  Fortunately, my debit card worked (which is also a Visa), and I will try the card again today.  Perhaps I just put the number in wrong.

Number three (and the biggest downer), my primary camera stopped working.  I have no idea what the problem is, but I put it in a plastic bag with some desiccant thinking it may have gotten a bit of moisture in it.  I'll check it out later but honestly I'm not optimistic.  Fortunately, I had the foresight to bring a back-up camera body, so I was able to keep shooting.  But now that body HAS to survive!

I drove further east and managed to make it to a nice campground near Hof, which is less than 2 hours from my east-most loction, Hofn and the majestic Vestrahorn mountain.  So, I'm making good progress geographically.  I'm getting a late start this morning because (a) I slept in, (b) I needed to edit some photos and write this blog post, and (c) it is raining again.  However, it is supposed to taper off by the time I get to Hofn, where I will stay for a good day to day and a half.

So, that's about it for today.  I will leave you with some pictures.

Some very cool basalt rock formations on the black sand beach

 

Water flowing around rock on the black sand beach (where my hiking boots filled with water, twice)

A quaint little church (there are a lot like this one in Iceland)

The black sand beach looking from Dyrhólaey with the
Reynisdrangar sea stacks off in the distance

The black sand beach in the opposite (westerly) direction, this time in color.  This shot gives you idea of the scale of things in Iceland.

A general view of the mountains and rock formations north of Dyrhólaey.

The mighty Skogafoss again, this time up close and personal (and in black & white)

Kvernufoss waterfall.  Many say that this relatively unknown and less frequented waterfall is perhaps the most beautiful in all of Iceland, and so far I would have to agree.  And, you can walk behind it, just like the more well known and touristy Seljalandfoss waterfall.

A close up of Kvernufoss's water hitting the rocks, which is quite thunderous

A black & white time exposure of an ice chunk on the black sand beach near the famous Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, where icebergs are born from the great Vatnajökull glacier, the largest in Europe.  This is just 40 minutes east from where I camped, and light conditions were  not the best (it was after 10 pm), so I will go back!  This was one of my 5-star (must see) locatons.

Hey, a place named after me!

No, not really.  I have no idea what this place is, but Kerlin (actually Kerling with a "g") shows up in several places, including in the name of a mountain.

Rain, Wind and MORE Wind!

Wow!  What a day it's been...well, more like two days actually.  I arrived safely in Iceland this morning, with my bag.   Everything went without a hitch, with one minor exception.  After I deplaned, I fired up the portable WiFi device I had rented to make sure it was working properly.  Unfortunately, I couldn't connect to the internet.  Ugh!  Thank goodness, though, there was free WiFi in the airport, and I was able to live chat with a support person who was able to solve the problem relatively quickly.  Phew!

From the airport, I picked up my campervan and headed off to buy some groceries.  First, though, I wanted to stop into Costco.  Yes, Iceland has a Costco!  I didn't expect to buy anything (I really didn't need 62 rolls of toilet paper or a big screen TV), but I was curious to see what it was like.  Guess what?  It's exactly like every other Costco I've been in...I mean EXACTLY!  Same merchandise, same layout, same signs, same snack bar, same everything!  The only real difference was that it was not crowded.  I guess Icelanders just haven't quite gotten the Costco bug yet.

It took me a while to get the hang of navigating Iceland roads and driving the van (which is a diesel manual 5-speed), and so I didn't actually get out of Reykjavik until early afternoon.  By then, both the rain and the wind kicked up.  And I don't mean a little wind, I mean a LOT of wind!  Gusts exceeded 40 mph, and the van was constantly being buffeted down the road.  As a result, I couldn't decide where to head and actually changed directions a couple times.  Eventually I just decided to head as far east as I could get before I got tired, and I ended up at a campground in Vik.  I didn't expect to be this far so soon, but this actually worked out since many of the photo locations I am particularly  interested in are in this area (and further to the east).  Plus, I'd rather drive in crappy weather and save the better weather for taking pictures.  And of course I can visit the stuff I passed by on the way back.

Speaking of the weather, it is supposed to improve (though weather in Iceland can be extremely unpredictable). There will likely still be some rain and wind, but nothing like today, and it should be much more manageable.  The net result is that I didn't take many pictures today...it was just too difficult (I can deal with the rain; it's the wind that's a problem).  However, below are some shots that I did manage to capture.

Sunrise over the Arctic Circle taken from the airplane (we were probably over Greenland at the time)

The Sun Voyager, which is a modern sculpture in Reykjavik meant to resemble a Viking ship

Nothing special but just a shot to illustrate the rain

Even the sheep were seeking shelter from the wind and rain!

A example of an old turf house

The mighty and iconic Skogafoss waterfall.  I was amazed that despite the extreme weather, people were still out visiting these attractions...and getting drenched in the process.  I suppose if the tour bus stops there and/or this is your only opportunity, why not?  Me, I stayed in the van, which is where I took this shot.  I'll be back!

The famous Reynisfjara black-sand beach here in Vik with the Reynisdranger sea stacks in the distance.  You can see the size of the waves, which are notoriously dangerous.  This was a tough shot to capture since the rain was literally driving into my camera lens...I had to quick point and shoot before it became coated with rain drops!

Inches & Ounces

I tried hard, I really did!  (To minimize what I packed, that is.)  But it was especially challenging considering that since this is primarily a photographic excursion, I wanted to take a considerable amount of photo gear — including a large, heavy tripod — and that I would be living out of a campervan (and therefore wanted to pack a few essentials, like a small container cooking oil, couple spices, garbage bags, etc., to avoid buying these there).  In the end, and after several repacks to eliminate non-critical items, it literally came down to a matter of inches and ounces to stay within Icelandair’s baggage/carry-on restrictions and avoid paying extra baggage fees.  Even then, I will have a fairly large checked bag, a decent-sized carry-on, and a small backpack which is crammed tight with my camera bodies and lenses.  So, transporting all this stuff from the airport, to a bus, to a taxi, and finally to the van rental company (and vice versa on the back end) will be an adventure in itself!

Since as I mentioned above this is primarily a photo trip, at least three-quarters of the baggage (both in terms of volume and weight) is comprised of cameras, lenses, camera accessories, a tripod and other photo related items (such as a laptop for image storage and editing).  The photo below gives you an idea of the photo gear that I am taking.*

Like most photographers going to a location for the first time, it’s hard to decide what to take and not to take since you don't know exactly what you will encounter ("You know, I just might need that lens!").  I easily could have taken more, but I really had to settle on what I was most likely to use and absolutely couldn’t live without.  But, no doubt there will be some lens or accessory that I will rarely use and could have left behind.  There's always next time!  :-)

Well, I could go on, but that's enough for now.  This is my final blog entry before boarding the plane, which as of this writing leaves in less than 8 hours.  (For those of you who are curious, I am on a direct flight out of Cleveland of all places.  The flight is approximately 6 hours in duration, and since Iceland is 4 hours ahead of us, I will land about 6:20 am.) 

Take care everybody.   See you on other side!

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*For you camera gear heads, here is a listing of the major pieces of equipment:

• Nikon Df body
• Nikon D700 body (I bought this used to serve as a backup to the Df)
• Extra batteries, chargers and memory cards
• Rokinon 14mm f2.8 
• Nikkor 16mm f2.8 full-frame fisheye (vintage, manual-focus lens)
• Tokina 17mm f3.5 
• Nikkor 20mm f3.5 (vintage, manual-focus lens)
• Nikkor 24mm f2.8 (vintage, manual-focus lens)
• Nikkor 35mm f2.8 (vintage, manual-focus lens)
• Nikkor 24-85mm f3.5-4.5
• Nikkor 100-300mm f5.6 (vintage, manual-focus lens)
• Nikkor 2X teleconverter 
• Minolta spotmeter
• Haida 100mm x 100mm ND and graduated filters
• Various other filters and accessories
• Manfrotto 055XProB tripod with Manfrotto 498RC2 midi Ball-head and homemade leg spikes (for setting up on sand)
• LowePro Trekker 350 AW backpack
• Tenba Discovery backpack (why two camera backpacks?  First, my main backpack exceeds the size limits for a carry-on bag, so I had to put the cameras and lenses only into a smaller bag.  Second, there may be situations where a smaller backpack is easier and more convenient to carry.)

Ready, Set...Click!

WARNING: More geeky, technical stuff like the last post!

In just a little over 6 weeks I will be boarding the plane to Iceland, and this will likely be my last post until I am just ready to leave.

In my previous post, I talked about what I wanted to photograph.  While it took quite a bit of time to develop the list of photo locations, the more challenging question was (and will be) how to photograph these.  This question includes aspects ranging from technical (such as ISO setting, exposure, lens selection, depth of field, etc.), to logistical (such as time of day), to artistic (most notably composition).  Virtually all of these aspects will depend on the weather, lighting and other things out of my control (like tourists!).  And, while I have researched most of the locations extensively, it is impossible to predict how I will feel when I'm actually there and in turn how (or if) I will be inspired.  So, the "how question" will have to wait to be fully answered.

This all said, it does make sense to do some pre-planning -- especially for the "must see" locations.  This is to not only maximize the number of locations I will be able to visit, but also to increase the chances of capturing the "ideal" image.  The most important part of the pre-planning (in addition to mapping out the locations) has been to list desirable weather conditions (not always sunny, by the way), ideal times of the day (which impacts lighting), and in the case of seascapes, the preferred tide.  For most of the 5 and 4-star locations, I used the PhotoPills app mentioned in my previous post to determine potential vantage points and, in a few cases, the best time to take a photograph.  For example, I would really like to get a shot of the sun rising just above the ridge of Búrfell mountain with Þjófafoss (Thofafoss in English) waterfall in the foreground, similar to the one shown below (the mist in front of the mountain would be a gift!).

The app can determine exactly when the sun will rise just above the ridge on a given day based on a selected vantage point.  As you can see from from the screen shot below, on May 25 this will occur just after 5:41 am!  


The red pin is the vantage point, and the black pin is the selected spot on the ridge line, chosen by trial and error.  The dashed yellow line indicates the angle of the sun.  The fact it is dashed means that the sun will actually be obstructed at the indicated time. When the time is advanced just a couple minutes, the dashed line becomes a solid line, so this means this is the magic moment!

Of course, this all depends on the weather, not to mention me getting to the designated spot in plenty of time to set up (the road in this example is reportedly pretty bad, and I may need to hike the 3 km).

OK, enough with the technical stuff.  As I mentioned above, one aspect of the "how" is the artistic element, most notably composition.  I have some basic ideas in this regard, but because of the number of variables involved, it is impossible to fully pre-plan every composition.  However, one of my goals is to minimize taking "stock" and predictable photographs that most other photographers would produce.  For example, virtually every photographer who has visited Iceland has the image below of Kirkjufell mountain and Kirkjufellfoss waterfall in their portfolio (just search images in Google, and you'll see what I mean).  Sure, there are minor differences involving lighting, weather, etc., but they are all essentially the same composition.

Here's another example, Skogafoss:

Most photographers have the image on the left as well (often with the person standing in front to illustrate scale), but fewer have the image on the right, which was taken from above the waterfall.  Now it's debatable whether the first picture is a actually "better", but the point is that the second one is atypical and presents a unique perspective of this amazing waterfall.   

To be sure, I will likely take many of the iconic Iceland shots just to have them (and also because they really are cool pictures).  But, I want to challenge myself to capture images that are special and truly representative of my personal style.  Otherwise, why go, right?  To this end, my mantra during the trip will be to take my time, study the scene intently, and pre-visualize the image I want to create (e.g., how will it look hanging on a wall or in a book?).  Only then should I set up my camera and click the shutter!

Ísland er ég kominn! (Iceland, here I come!)