My last trip to Iceland was almost a year ago. Meanwhile, I published quite some Iceland blogposts that you can find here (at the bottom of the page). What I did not post as of today is my pictures and thoughts of one of the most beautiful spots: Reynisfjara black beach. So here it finally is. Take your time to review and let me know your opinion.
September 2016, Iceland: I was on a 4x4 road trip in Iceland for 10 days. We spent half of hour time in the highlands, the rest at the coast near the ring road. After our turning point Höfn we were slowly going westwards again and stopped at Vik i Myrdal for one night to enjoy the local beauty. Vik is mainly about three spots: the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, the black beach of Reynisfjara and Dyrholaey - a cliff with a hole.
Reynisdrangar sea stacks
When you arrive in Vik i Myrdal and just head south you can't miss the local beach and the lookout towards the Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks. They are framed with a black sand beach that was ranked one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world back in 1991. Legend has it that the stacks originated when two Icelandic trolls dragged a three-masted ship to land unsuccessfully and when daylight broke they became needles of rock. My favorite shot at this beach is this one. A low angle perspective of a black stone surrounded with spray after the waves withdrew.
Reynisfjara black beach
Reynisfjara black beach is the centre of the Vik beauty. When you are facing south towards the open Icelandic sea you see the Reynisdranger sea stacks to the left. Shortly before the stacks you have a huge cave with basal stunning columns. Looking right, you see the Dyrhólaey rock in the distance with its lighthouse on top. The beach itself i pitch black with lots of pebbles. The waves at Reynisfjara can be ferocious and have proven to be lethal - people have drowned there many times! So be careful when visiting the place, especially during high tide.
One of our very few sunsets
When you hardly get any sunrise or sunset during a 10 day trip to Iceland a sunset like this is special anyway. We got lucky to get a sunset like this at the beautiful Reynisfjara black beach. With this shot I was facing towards the Dyrhólaey rock and the setting sun. I waited until the photographer we met in the nearby cave went home and made for a perfect silhouette with his tripod and camera shouldered. I like this picture a lot and even made it my desktop background reminding me of a very special afternoon in South Iceland. It is also part of my epic light blogpost.
A little long exposure gallery of the skies over Reynisfjara beach beach after an epic sunset turning to blue hour.
Dyrhólaey
The Dyrhólaey peninsula is located west of Vik at the other end of Reynisfjara black beach. In front of the peninsula, there is a gigantic arch of lava standing in the sea, which gave the peninsula its name (meaning: the hill-island with the door-hole). Dyrhólaey is of volcanic origin and has a lighthouse on top of it. It consists of a square concrete tower, painted white with red trim. Researching the area I had this picture of Thor Photography in mind. I am more than happy with the result that day. Be sure to also check the other pictures of the area facing down the endless beach to the west.
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