Two streams, the Heiðará (left) and Króká (right), converge and leave the outline of a gnarly crocodile in the landscape.

As Lindsey and I were driving through Northwest Iceland in the Akrahreppur region we were treated to some amazing light in this valley. I was actually kind of panicked because I could see this once in a lifetime light in front of us, but no good spots to pull off into to make a good photo. We pulled off the highway onto several first roads hoping to find something, anything, to use as a foreground for this amazing view in front of us. And there was just nothing.

For a photographer, it's tough. There is something about identifying yourself as a photographer that means sometimes you can't just enjoy and take in this epically beautiful sight before you, because "pics or it didn't happen." One of my favorite moments in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is when Sean Penn's character Sean O'Connell says "Sometimes I don't [take a picture]. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it, right there, right here."

I recognize a lot of truth in that line. But I also recognize my love of capturing those moments. And that the struggle is part of what gets my blood pumping.

We continued driving down the highway and passed by some construction. And luckily just past all that we found a pull off in the valley. I got out of the car and looked for compositions with my camera but there was no way to really capture it. I had to use my drone for this.

The highway and the streams created some amazing leading lines for the photos. My favorite though is this one where the Króká and the Heiðará converge, and the rocky landscape looks like a crocodile. Or maybe an alligator since the snout is rounded. But Elton John never wrote a song called Alligator Rock.

With the sun setting we got back in the car and pressed onward. A little more relaxed because we had captured a little bit of the magic.