Iceland #10 - Day 5: No Icebergs, Again!

Having got to bed at around 2am after my northern lights trip and subsequent celebratory beers I treated myself to another lie in; it was forecast to snow or sleet until around midday anyway. I finally managed to turn the alarm off the repeated snooze at around 11am, still catching up on sleep from the first few nights with companions. The weather was better than forecast, with a patch of brightness over the sea, so I got myself dressed and geared up and headed off to the beach. Before I set off I took a few shots of the partly-frozen lagoon that lies between Hali and the sea - it always looks so serene. A photographer was down on the ice to give a little scale. The sky was a strange mix of large ominous white clouds to the east and grey stripey ones to the west. The sun was desperately trying to break through.

Driving along the east beach at Jökulsárlón I could see that there were still no icebergs there, so I drove across the bridge to the other beach. The tracks down to the parking area were still very snowy but the beach was mostly snow-free. I took both cameras and both tripods with me, and all my lenses, thinking I might do some time-lapse shots, or something. There was no sign of rain, but I had the camera's rain cover with me, just in case. As I reached the top of the beach I saw a couple of scraps of ice, but nothing really resembling an iceberg. I wasn't despondent yet, since the main group I'd seen the previous day had been a little way along the beach. A woman crouched down to capture the scrap - I hope that wasn't her only chance of seeing ice on this usually wonderful beach. I passed a couple more pieces of ice as I headed away from the car.

I walked for 15 minutes along the beach and only saw one, small iceberg in the surf. 

Again I felt devastated. It was quite a nice little iceberg, but nothing special. I put on a few filters and started playing around with different exposure lengths. It started off looking pointy, but then the waves knocked it over and around, so at least it changed shape!

The sun came out a little from time to time, so I started to try out just taking shots of the sun on the waves, again with various filters on. I got the second camera set up so I could try different combinations simultaneously. I tried the step-down ring on the 24-70mm lens again, but it still didn't allow me anything other than a 70mm shot without dreadful vignetting. Using the selection of filters I had a strange collection of photos of blurry waves and stripey skies, with a variety of different colour casts (bluey-green from using the Tiffen 10-stop Apex and pink from using the B+W 3- and 6-stop ones).

iPhone 4S photo

iPhone 4S photo

In addition to the lens, I'd also rented a 1.4x extender to use with the 70-200mm lens, to give me a little extra distance. I tried it out on the 60D (giving it even more reach, as it's a cropped frame), hoping to capture some decent wave shots. The light was very strange and the waves were growing, but I still wasn't quite getting what I wanted, with or without filters. 

The clouds were thickening and darker ones approaching, which I knew meant imminent snow or rain. I packed away the 5Diii and little tripod and wandered back along the beach towards the car. It began to snow and by the time I reached the parking area it was bucketing down, I was getting wet and the snow had already begun settling. A man drove an SUV to the top of the beach and got out to stare at the sea, the snow falling heavily around him. He'd come to retrieve something (a glove) and soon got back in the car. 

I headed back to Hali, stopping at the usual place along the way to capture a spot I've now photographed in various weather conditions. It wasn't looking quite so impressive swathed in mist. I passed a car at the side of the road that had turned off and become stuck in heavy snow, with the wheels spinning on the spot. I didn't have the ability to help, so I kept on driving.

I had a spot of lunch, plugged in the batteries, had a nice big cup of tea and checked the weather forecast. It wasn't likely to improve, and any leftover northern lights certainly wouldn't be visible in the evening. I headed back to the beach for "sunset" but ended up taking some more slightly disappointing shots of the waves again, with pebbles; no icebergs had miraculously appeared with the change in tide. The sky was flat and grey with no contrast whatsoever and as it darkened it just became even more dull. The sea briefly became a more interesting greenish-blue colour, but other than that it was totally uninspiring and I drove home, having had a very disappointing day.

Click here for my blog from Day 4 - Some Icebergs and Some Lights!
Click here for my blog from Day 6 - The Icebergs Return

My 2015 in Photographs

I didn't managed to focus on my photography as much as I'd have liked in 2015 (had to get a day-job half way through) and didn't managed to fit in many trips (two to Iceland, a long weekend in Bruges, a 12-day beer tour to Japan in the rainy season and a couple of long, grey weekends in the UK). I did buy some lighting equipment and taught myself how to use off-camera flash, so that was some progress on the photography front! As per last year I thought I'd collate some of my favourite shots of the year. Here are some of my highlights from each month.

January
I spent a couple of days at my parents' house in late January, and wandered down to the Chess Valley on a couple of mornings. The English landscape can be so stunning and serene, and looks particularly lovely covered in frost (something we're missing right now!).

The wonderful Chess Valley near Chenies

Hoar frost on rose hips on an incredible January morning in the Chess Valley

February
I went to Iceland a little earlier than usual this year, in mid-February - to see if it would be any different from late March. It wasn't really - quite a bit of snow, some dreadful weather de-railing a few plans, but a far more sociable sunrise time (so much more sleep). I had some pretty good weather and northern lights, and all in all it was a successful trip. The kind people at Tiffen had given me a few filters to try out, which is always nice.

A patch of sun lights up a tourist on Jökulsárlón Beach

Jökulsárlón Lagoon

Iceberg still-life on Jökulsárlón Beach

When the sun comes out over Jökulsárlón lagoon it can be quite spectacular

Northern Lights over Hali, south-east Iceland

A beautiful, peaceful morning at Jökulsárlón Beach

My favourite tree in Iceland. Yes, I have a favourite tree...

Icelandic horses are just so pretty!

Another moody scene in Iceland, taken near Hvalnes with my Tiffen Apex 10-stop filter

Teddy bear face in the ice at Hvalnes beach

Imposing mountains at Hvalnes in rather nasty weather, using the Apex filter again

Waves falling over the rocks at Hvalnes Beach on a horrid day

Seaweed on Hvalnes Beach

Using the Apex 10-stop filter again over the dunes at Stokksnes

One of my favourite shots of the year - water trails over pebbles at Stokksnes (made National Geographic Photo of the Day on their website!)

Waves at Jökulsárlón Beach; another favourite

There are reindeer in south-east Iceland. Funny looking chaps. The 100-400mm lens I hired helped to get a little closer

Sunrise at Reynisfjara beach. It was so cold I actually thought my fingers were going to fall off when I got back to the car

March
In March we revisited Bruges and its surrounds. Some nice beer, a lovely cycle along the canal to Damme again and some more nice beer.

Trees reflected in the canal near Damme - just love those canals and cycling along them

Tasty beer at De Garre in Bruges

Canal at dusk in Bruges

Delicious sugar pancakes at Damme in the sunshine overlooking the canal. Nom nom nom...

A woman cycles along the cobbled streets of Bruges - pretty timeless shot!

April
No travel, but played around with a few macro shots of fruit and smoke, before heading out to the countryside to capture the bluebells.

A macro shot of a slice of lime, backlit

My first attempt at photographing incense smoke

A carpet of bluebells in Philipshill Woods, near Chorleywood, where I grew up - how did I miss that in my childhood?

May
I made another trip to the bluebells of Philipshill Woods for a photoshoot with my friend Alli and her baby Stella.

Stella in the bluebells of Philipshill Woods

Bluebell blur and new leaves in Philipshill Woods, Chorleywood

The other highlight of the month was getting my first ever magazine cover printed! It was for the Beverage Journal (a booze-industry publication in Maryland, US), via a brief on Imagebrief. Here's a screenshot:

My first-ever magazine cover. Hopefully more next year!

June
We took at last-minute trip to Japan, in the rainy season, just before I started a new (proper) job. We'd been before together, and it was a wonderful trip back there, enjoying many of the local beers, as well as the incredible sights and sites. The weather was generally dreadful, but fortunately there's loads to do (and eat, and drink) even when it's raining and grey.

Miyajima, near Hiroshima, helped to stave off the jetlag

On a miserable day, but still striking - Kinkaku-ji temple, Kyoto (the crowds are behind me - it's a lot less peaceful than it looks here) 

The big bamboo walk at Arashiyama, Kyoto - not quite as impressive in the flesh with hundreds of other people

My favourite temple complex in Kyoto - Fushimi-Inari - worth heading up the hill and waiting until the crowds die out

The "snow monkeys" at Jigokudani, near Nagano - so human!

The "snow monkeys" at Jigokudani, near Nagano - good time to see the babies

The "snow monkeys" at Jigokudani, near Nagano - just chillin' out in the hot spring, even in summer

Difficult to visit (you have to be up very very early) but worth the effort - the tuna market at Tsukiji in Tokyo

Frozen tuna whisked off on a cart at Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo

Salarymen on their way home in Tokyo. I thought Londoners were a hard-drinking lot  - appears the Japanese are too

The view from our room at the Park Hyatt, Tokyo (a one-night splurge) - probably the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in (er, definitely)

Shibuya crossing, Tokyo - didn't get the best vantage point - a reason to return...

Buildings and trees, near the Imperial palace in Tokyo - loved the juxtaposition

July
I started my new job at the beginning of July, so from then on the photography took a back seat. I occasionally take my 5Diii to work in the City with me, but not very often.

I love the mish-mash of old and new in the City of London. In 2016 I plan to do a bit more on my "mish-mash" project

Who says you can't take photos in harsh light? Sometimes I think it works...

August
No trips, but a couple of photo-shoots in the City, again.

I do love the Lloyds Building. It's rather over-shadowed by its neighbours now...

Guys with pints and the Shard on a lovely summer's night (English salarymen...)

Not my favourite new building, at all, but actually can look quite good from certain angles: the Walkie Talkie

The City of London skyline has become a bit of a strange mish-mash of old and new and weird

September
The highlight of September was probably the blood moon (lunar eclipse) - another one! The previous year was a bit of a disaster, but I was a little better prepared for this one (it was also much easier, taking the shot from my front path). I played around with the results and made lots of silly patterns (I still think they're quite cool).

Totality of the lunar eclipse, taken from my front path on a luckily clear night in London

The stages of the lunar eclipse, patched together. I went back to bed before the moon returned

October
We had a weekend in the Peak District at the beginning of October to celebrate out wedding anniversary, but the weather and light was terrible, so no highlights there! I did a few more shoots in London, including a 'sunset' at Richmond Park (awful flat light too) and a time-lapse day for Trigger Trap again (global this time - have a look here - some of the clips along the River Thames are mine!).

A little kissing action in Richmond Park (I saw more action, but who wants to see deer having sex!)

At the end of the month I returned to my beloved Iceland for another 10-day trip.

Steamy river at Nesjavellir, in the Golden Circle area of Iceland (brilliant road to get there!)

A serene scene at the southern end of Þingvallavatn

My favourite rocks in Iceland. Yes, as well as a favourite mountain and tree I have favourite rocks in Iceland too. 

November

The rest of my Iceland trip. And there were some magical moments, most of them on Jökulsárlón beach.

Photo time at Jökulsárlón lagoon at sunset

Sunrise at Jökulsárlón Beach, my favourite place in the world

Sunrise at Jökulsárlón Beach (I love the wave patterns in this shot!)

Sunrise at Jökulsárlón Beach

A patch of sun over the icebergs in Jökulsárlón lagoon

A touch of northern lights over Jökulsárlón lagoon

A lovely sunrise over the loveliest of beaches - Jökulsárlón

Another of my year's real favourites - the pebbles on Jökulsárlón beach and their shadows - out of this world!

Pink iceberg in the morning light of Jökulsárlón beach

Pretty damned impressive northern lights show at Hali

Sunrise on my favourite beach, Jökulsárlón

Trees between Jökulsárlón lagoon and Höfn

Even in crappy weather Iceland is still stunning

Stokksnes looks better in amazing light, but it's still pretty impressive

Another of the year's real favourites - I took a few hundred shots of the yellow cabin at Stafafell and joined them together to get some awesome star trail shots. The northern lights came out to play too. 

A wet day that may have permanently left my Canon 5Diii with water damage. It was gorgeous though and beat sitting in the cabin (again)...

I just LOVE driving in Iceland!

Finally a patch of decent light at Stokksnes... just before I have to leave

Always so moody at Vík beach 

Great light driving near Hali

Visible rain (my favourite kind of rain) in the distance, over Reynisfjara beach (it soon came and hit me so I dashed back to the car - didn't want to damage my 60D too...)

Another of the year's favourite shots - the wrecked DC3 near Vík, with Pétursey in the distance bathed in light

Essence of Skógafoss

I love this waterfall - Urriðafoss

It wasn't just Iceland in November; at work I did some portrait photography sessions for people at my company, and they donated money to charity (Seeing is Believing) in return. I won't show any here, as they might not want them on my blog, but it was a great experience and a great way to make some new friends at work outside of my own department (as well as getting more experience with studio lighting and set-up).

At the end of the month we headed to Hay-on-Wye to celebrate Thanksgiving with some American friends. Rubbish weather - again! - but we did have the occasional glimpse of loveliness...

The view from our cottage near Hay-on-Wye - not too shabby (when the sun came out)

A glimpse of distant sun again in the Brecon Beacons

December

The photography in December was predominantly about my 30 day photo challenge, which like last year wasn't brilliant as I was quite lacking in inspiration. One subject keeps coming up again and again - my lovely cocker spaniel, Henry.

Henry looking adorable, as usual (I'm biased)

And that was 2015!