Iceland

Late September 2023. Based in Reykjavík, driving out each day. The light at this latitude in autumn is low and long and never quite commits to a color.

The Golden Circle

First day out, heading east. Brúarfoss — a series of cascades where the water runs turquoise, glacier melt over volcanic rock.

The South Coast

Next day, south along Route 1. Skógafoss — sixty meters of water dropping off a cliff into a black gravel basin. You can walk right up to the base. The mist soaks you in seconds.

Further east, Reynisfjara. Black sand beach, Reynisdrangar sea stacks. The waves here are genuinely dangerous — sneaker waves pull people out every year. I set the camera low and let the surf draw across the black sand.

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Two days later. Búðakirkja — a small black wooden church, white door, white cross, nothing else for miles. Built in the 19th century, abandoned, rebuilt in 1987.

The Hólmbergsviti lighthouse. Bright orange in a flat field of brown grass under clearing sky. No right angles in the landscape except this one.

Next morning. Malarrif lighthouse on the western tip. White concrete reflected in a tidal pool, mountains behind, clouds wrapping the peaks.

Lóndrangar — basalt sea stacks, remnants of a volcanic crater. I was too close to the surf. The spray hit the lens and I kept shooting.