Powerstrips and Plugs and Traveling Every Day

This is one phase of what was plugged in. Utilizing a few plugs for many devices.

One of the less glamorous aspects of our trip to Iceland was keeping everything charged and organized. We only had two night stays in two hotels on the trip. Every other stop was check in at night, check out in the morning.

I took “charge” of making sure we had fully charged batteries every night. Also had to power computers, ipads, charge phones. It could get to be a logistical nightmare. What you see in the photo is my Belkin travel powerstrip on the left. It has three regular outlets and two usb outlets. That is plugged into a two prong travel adapter that works through most of Europe. To the right is a Brookstone travel adapter that has adapters for every outlet in the world. It also has two USB outlets and one regular outlet.

Plugged in to everything are batteries for two camera systems, a drone, a battery pack for Lindsey’s heated vest, and my watch.

*quick aside, at one point the charger to the Fuji batteries stopped working. It was the only charger I brought for that camera system, and not being able to charge batteries would’ve rendered it useless. There are also only 3 stores in all of Iceland that might have carried that charger, and all were over 4 hours away… and no amazon prime available either. I did a deep dive on google and repaired it myself.

We were very lucky our luggage fit into the back of our rental car. Those bags were a tight fit every day, fortunately Lindsey did a great job reorganizing everything on our first day in Iceland, so we only ever needed to take one bag, or one bag plus a case. That made everything go a lot faster in the morning as we were trying to catch a sunrise or get to our destination on time.

This type of vacation came with a lot more logistics to navigate than a more relaxing type vacation. But Lindsey and I both thrive under that type of stress. It is its own type of fun.

In addition to setting up this charging station every night, i also had to transfer data from all the cameras to the computer so we’d have clear cards every morning. Some nights I would have that work overnight (because transfer rates could sometimes be over an hour with some of the larger video files we got). We actually had almost no time to review photos on the trip. Because so much time was spent transferring.

Suffice to say we relished the two nights we spent at the same hotel. It was our opportunity to recharge ourselves, enjoying a chance to sit and look out a window (like the window in the third photo!).

Our bags fit perfectly in the back of this Suzuki Vitara.

View from Hotel Budir on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Fagradalsfjall

Fagradalsfjall arial shot from a helicopter with a helicopter in the smoke of the crater

The above photo may be one of the best photos I've ever taken, and might be one of the best photos I ever take in my lifetime. And it's also a photo that leaves a lot to be desired.

On our trip to Iceland, we got to see Fagradalsfjall twice. The first was 3 days into the trip and we hiked to the lava flow in the valley. The weather was spotty. Sun for brief moments, but mostly clouds that brought a light rain. The cold rain hitting the freshly hardened lava produced cool looking bits of steam throughout the lava flow.

We were able to get right up next to the flow and see beautiful color contrasts of red rock on the black. And some cool bits where rock was engulfed by the lava to become something new. The whole area felt very primal. Our hike took us about an hour plus the time we spent photographing. But we inevitably cut things short because of the rain and we had to get to our next spot before it would get too dark. That meant not climbing the hill that would lead to a view of the crater.

Our second visit was 13 days into the trip and the day before we'd leave Iceland. We were lucky to get a spot on a helicopter that would take us over the crater and land near by. Again weather would be a crapshoot as well as the conditions of the volcano, would it be erupting? Tracking the weather that morning it looked like some ugly stuff would be coming in near our take off time. But luckily it held off just long enough for our flight.

The volcano was not erupting that day. It had just gone dormant after several days of erupting. While that was disappointing, it's really no less incredible. I think we're all intrigued and attracted to moments of chaos and color, which is what an active eruption embodies. Molten magma is just fun to say. But the results of the fury and fire are also breathtaking. The black trail of scorched earth and the discoloration left from the lava. The tiny bits of new growth that had taken root. It was an amazing sight of the life cycle earth has been experiencing for 4.5 gigaannum.

One thing I did not expect when we landed was to step on the scorched moss. Throughout Iceland there is moss everywhere. It is an important part of the ecosystem. To walk on it is spongy. You can imagine just laying down and taking a nap it's so comforting. The scorched moss near the volcano's crater was no different. It had just as much bounce as the green moss had.

From our landing spot we had a view overlooking the lava field we had hiked to just 10 days earlier. It was cool seeing people moving around down there. So tiny. Next to this volcano we are all tiny.

My best photo came after we took off again. Earlier I had been in one of the 4 seats in the back of the helicopter. But on the way home I got to sit in the co-pilots seat. It was from that vantage point that I got to frame up the crater and the other helicopter levitating amongst the smoke. The helicopter gives the whole thing a sense of scale and again that feeling of smallness. The photo would certainly be more dynamic with an erupting crater and flowing lava. But as is it's still incredible. And I'm proud of it.

Tiny people dot the landscape walking towards the lava flow

Discoloration on the scorched Earth

A sculpture emerges from the lava flow

Rocks melding into one new rock

Discoloration on the scorched Earth

Discoloration on the scorched Earth

Contrast of red rocks and lava rock

Steam from the hot lava flow and cool rain coming down

New growth atop scorched moss

The edge of the lava flow

Contrast of red rocks and lava rock

The lava flow coming down the valley

Reykjanesviti

Reykjanesviti, Iceland

We saw Reykjanesviti in the distance from a geothermal area. That first image I got from the parking lot of the geothermal area (Lindsey Marks got some great photos of the steam coming up from the Earth). It's Iceland's oldest lighthouse and marks landfall for Reykjavik and Keflavik. At this early point in the trip we were already running behind, and we very nearly left without taking a closer look.

"Well we might as well. We're right here." So we drove on the lighthouse road to the shoreline and were treated to an amazing cliffs and rough water situation.

As will be a running theme for the entire trip, the weather was shitty. Winds and intermittent rain. It was nearly impossible to keep my lens and camera dry long enough to take photos. The first thing we'd do every time we'd return to the car was wipe all the gear down.

At this shoreline the waves would rhythmically batter the rocks kicking seaspray up into the air. It was peaceful yet incredibly violent. A reminder why lighthouses like Reykjanesviti are needed.

I played with the color grading on this image a bit more than usual.

Waves crash the shoreline.

Reykjanesviti viewed from the gap in a rock.

Holmsberg Light

Holmsberg Light, Iceland

This lighthouse wasn't on our itinerary. In fact it's rarely on anyones itinerary. It was a lighthouse that Lindsey found when looking for sights between our destinations. Spots that might be interesting for a stop off. And this just happened to be the first place we stopped.

What I'll always remember is that we were just getting our feet wet in terms of driving in Iceland. I mean driving anywhere is always the same, but when you're driving in a different country there is a heightened sense of dread. The signs are all a little different. And even if you've studied what they mean, you'll doubt yourself the first couple times. Driving to Holmsberg Light we had our first transition from paved road to gravel road. At the time that was a shock. Here in the US, switching to a gravel or dirt road can often mean a private drive. So one starts to think of trespassing. Holmsberg Light is also near some industrial plants, and our GPS guided us towards some of their gatehouses.

But ahead we forged, eventually up a winding gravel road that ended with the view you see here.

As the trip went on, we found that we spent an equal amount of time on paved and gravel roads. Often driving 80/kph (50/mph) on the gravel roads like it was nothing. Holmsberg Light proved to be a first step acclimating to our new environment. From this point on we were better prepared for all the challenges we'd face including rain, sleet, snow, and near gale force winds.

Kirkjufell on Iceland's Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Kirkjufell on Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Kirkjufell (Church Mountain) is on the north shore of Iceland's Snæfellsnes Peninsula and is probably one of the top 5 most photographed places in the country. If you search photos of Iceland, you'll immediately see it and the two nearby waterfalls.

For a photographer in Iceland, this is one of those bucket list locations. I'm not proud to say that I had a lot of anxiety in photographing this location. I've never felt like a very talented landscape photographer. I never felt like that side of my work ever really connected with people, in the same way that my performance work had. But I also felt like I knew the techniques. And I've seen this photo taken by so many other photographers that I felt like, if I could nail the techniques then I'd have at least an image I could hold up for comparison. And at least find some validation that I could make something at an equal level.

That's also a pretty unfair thing to put upon one's self. So many factors come into play. The weather for one could literally be anything. The day before this was gale force winds and snowy. The day after was icy rain. But this day we actually got to see a sunset, and we got some color in the skies.

Personally I have no shame attached to photographing popular spots. I think walking in another photographer's shoes and seeing the scene the way they did can be incredibly helpful. And ultimately I'm proud to have gotten this shot, even if it is the same.

Selfie at Kirkjufell

That’s my camera and tripod holding my space amongst the other photographers

Huginn or Muninn?

Huginn or Muninn?

Whilst hiking on Vatnajokull glacier we were visited by this raven. The guide joked that two ravens often accompany the glacier expeditions and they must be Odin’s ravens Huginn (meaning thought) and Muninn (meaning memory or mind). Odin would send his ravens out to report on what was happening in the world. On this day they would send word that an American tourist got very tired of wearing crampons, but successfully hiked the glacier.

I can’t imagine that Odin would care too much about my accomplishment, despite it being (for me) a life highlight.

I love this photo and I love the blue reflection in the raven’s eyes. As though they are communicating with a deity.

Birds and Waves on Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Birds arch across the sky above crashing waves on Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Snæfellsnes Peninsula is on the western coast of Iceland to the northwest of Reykjavik. It consists of a national park on the westernmost tip, and beautiful scenery throughout. The coast is rocky and has the typical violent, crashing waves seen throughout the island.

On the trip Lindsey and I kept saying "this area is known for a black sand beach, but it's dangerous to get too close to the water." And what I want to note is that ALL the beaches (that we saw) in Iceland had black sand or black rock, and they were ALL dangerous. So one could just call them all "dangerous beaches" and drop the black sand descriptors.

All the beaches were known for "sneaker waves." At most beaches the biggest waves occur every 7 or so waves. It's rhythmic, cyclical. But these sneaker waves come out of nowhere and scurry up the beach past where any other waves went, and sometimes are large enough to pull unsuspecting people back into the surf. As we were planning the trips I did get a bit cocky thinking "that's only dangerous for other people. I'm gonna do what I want." But I watched enough youtube videos that humbled me back to a space of caution.

At Djúpalónssandur beach on the peninsula I immediately noted where the safety ring buoy was just in case, and tried to find good compositions. Then this bird situation happened, arching across the sky and it was a stunning thing to witness. I think it's interesting how, especially with photography, one is often juxtaposing moments of chaos with moments of serenity. And that's one of the things that makes Iceland so compelling photographically, is that everywhere you look there is chaos next to something serene.

Þingvellir National Park

Öxarárfoss with the sky replaced in photoshop.

Þingvellir National Park in Iceland is one of the main attractions on what is called "The Golden Circle", which includes Gullfoss and Geysir. Þingvellir is in a rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, and push each other up. You can walk directly where these two plates meet in what resembles a small canyon.

Here is where we took a small hike to Öxarárfoss waterfall. In my photo, I've tried a new photoshop technique for doing a sky replacement. So what you see in that photo is fake. The sky more closely resembled the photo of the couple walking the path. The weather was rainy that day and we very nearly cancelled our plans to head to Geysir and Gullfoss on account of icy roads. But after a lunch of potato chips and candy, things started to clear just enough that we continued the journey.

Þingvellir, sometimes spelled Thingvellir, is also known as the "Fields of Parliament" as it's where the early viking inhabitants held the Althing. It is regarded as the oldest parliament in the world having started in 930.

It can be an incredibly difficult spot to photograph without the capability to do aerial photography. Looking over the large gash in the earth must be amazing. But even without the view, standing there feels primal. And ancient.

Walking in the rift of Þingvellir National Park

Rain falls on mossy rock in Þingvellir National Park