Vik, Iceland
Vik (pronounced Vig) has the dubious honour of being the wettest place in Iceland. Having visited many times I can certainly vouch for this however, on one particular winter’s day this year, driving from Höfn in the east of the island, as we headed toward Vik, a sort of half-way point between Höfn and Reykjavik, we emerged from heavy snow and leaving the blizzard behind, we drove into a wonderfully bright sunny day.
Here’s a few rare, at least in my collection, picture postcard photographs of Vik in the sunshine. The town is hidden behind the dunes but the church can clearly be seen up on the hill. The rocks are known as Reynisdrangar and are basalt sea stacks. I’ve also included a look back at the blizzard we left behind which incidentally pursued us relentlessly as we continued our journey to Reykjavik. Finally catching us up a few hours after we arrived in the capital, it made the drive to the airport the following morning for our flight home a little more hazardous than we’d have liked as it was still snowing.. :-)
32mm f/11 1/160 sec. ISO-100
70mm f/11 1/250 sec. ISO-100
32mm f/11 1/6400 sec. ISO-100
32mm f/11 1/160 sec. ISO-100
Cornwall Photographic 
Fantastic shot of the church!
July 13, 2016 at 5:03 pm
Thank you Harold!
July 13, 2016 at 5:20 pm
Beautiful! I’m writing a novel which is partly based in Iceland and your photos inspire me so much
July 13, 2016 at 8:20 pm
Thank you very much Nashrah! I’m glad these photos give you inspiration. Iceland is a very wild but very beautiful landscape! :-)
July 14, 2016 at 6:15 am
wonderful series…oh to be in Iceland..it is one of my dreams.
July 13, 2016 at 8:27 pm
Thank you Paula! I hope your dream comes true very soon! :-)
July 14, 2016 at 6:16 am
Amazing pictures of a wonderful land and landscape
July 13, 2016 at 9:25 pm
Thank you as ever Lou! Yes Iceland really is a wonderful land and landscape! :-)
July 14, 2016 at 6:17 am
Perfectly lovely!
July 13, 2016 at 10:30 pm
Thank you Gunta! :-)
July 14, 2016 at 6:17 am
Amazing photos, Adrian. That church look so small in that cold and uninhabited landscape. Is the rock formation in the third photo, just natural rocks, or is that very thin one something man-made?
July 13, 2016 at 11:34 pm
Thank you Sylvia! The basalt sea stacks are natural although Icelandic legend has it that trolls are responsible as they seem to be for most things in Iceland! :-)
July 14, 2016 at 6:18 am
I cannot get enough of your beautiful Icelandic images. That black sand, the white snow, the blue sky and the red roof of the tiny church. Perfect.
July 13, 2016 at 11:54 pm
Thank you very much Jude! The blue sky in Vik was certainly a novelty for me and I was keen to take advantage. :-)
July 14, 2016 at 6:19 am
Just beautiful! : ))
July 14, 2016 at 9:27 am
Thank you very much Trees! :-)
July 14, 2016 at 10:45 am
I love the contrast between the looming hill the sliver of bright snow with it’s touch of red from the church and then that wonderfully dark foreground. Makes the artist in me long for a trip to Iceland but it’s such a long way from Tasmania!!
July 14, 2016 at 9:46 am
Thank you so much Lindy. Hmm, yes the journey from Tasmania to Iceland really would be a long one. Never say never..! :-)
July 14, 2016 at 10:47 am
Magnificent shots. The depth of the blue sky is amazing. And nicely added perspective with that church. Very picturesque.
July 14, 2016 at 10:14 am
Thank you Mr Dragon! It was a very picture postcard, picturesque sort of a day. :-)
July 14, 2016 at 11:02 am
so jealous! I really like the colours and just the view of this photos, it must have been magnificant there :3
July 14, 2016 at 3:23 pm
It was a very beautiful day! We left such bad weather behind. I took many pictures in the blizzard but emerging into the sunshine was very special. Thank you for your comment! :-)
July 14, 2016 at 6:33 pm
Those are certainly picture perfect photos, Adrian. Good luck to encounter sunshine and blue sky in Vik!
July 15, 2016 at 12:30 am
Thank you Otto! Yes, that lovely sunshine in Vik was certainly a first for me and quite a surprise given the weather we’d left behind. :-)
July 16, 2016 at 8:43 am
Absolutely fabulous shots, Adrian. We love the almost monochrome, minimalistic photos you have presented from Iceland, but you make it look magnificent on a sunny day as well. The black basalt make a perfect contrast in this setting. No wonder, you are looking forward to going back there. :-)
Wishing you a great weekend,
Hanne and Klausbernd
July 15, 2016 at 5:30 pm
Thank you very much Dina. Some of the minimalist photos you speak about were taken in the blizzard we’d left behind. Coming into the sunshine was quite a surprise and certainly a first for us visiting Vik. All in all it turned out to be a good photography day and a day of contrasts. I hope you and Klausbernd have a fabulous weekend also! :-) x
July 16, 2016 at 8:45 am
Thank you, Adrian. We were thinking about day out at Blakeney Point, but the weather is not the best – what happened to summer?
– so we’ll do some gardening and just go to the beach. It’s very windy!
Will send you an e-mail soon. 😊
Greetings from Cley,
Hanne and Klausbernd x
July 16, 2016 at 9:13 am
What happened to Summer indeed! I hope you enjoyed the garden Hanne, say hello to Kausbernd for me. Enjoy your Sunday! :-) x
July 17, 2016 at 6:52 am
Fabulous captures! Amazing how big the sky seems. The black sand against the blue sky is beautiful.
xoxo Inger
July 16, 2016 at 3:42 pm
Thank you for your lovely comment Inger. I really appreciate your visit! :-)
July 17, 2016 at 5:07 pm
Somehow the wetness makes the blue that much brighter Adrian. Love the capture with the rocks (or icebergs?) in the distance.
July 16, 2016 at 5:10 pm
Thank you Tina! Very much appreciated. Those are rocks in the distance. Basalt sea stacks that if you follow Icelandic legend, trolls have a lot to do with them being there! :-)
July 17, 2016 at 5:07 pm
Oh that last image is masterful – the way it dissolves into three bands of color, but still gets across all the power and raw wildness of land and sky: , wonderful.
July 16, 2016 at 8:48 pm
Thank you so much Lynn. Whilst we tend to look forwards when taking photographs, I’ve found it always pays to look behind you. :-)
July 17, 2016 at 5:05 pm
Such an inspiration Adrian.
July 17, 2016 at 8:56 am
Thank you again JD!
July 17, 2016 at 5:04 pm
Fantastic photos…and beaches and landscapes are fantastic too…Iceland have nice landscapes what you can shot on many different way…
July 17, 2016 at 4:39 pm
Thank you very much. Iceland is indeed a very varied landscape with ever changing weather conditions that give you the opportunity to capture many different types of photographs. :-)
July 17, 2016 at 5:04 pm
Yes, I agree with you, on that I was thinking in my last comment…
July 17, 2016 at 7:46 pm
:-)
July 18, 2016 at 10:09 am
These are desolate yet exquisitely beautiful- I love Iceland as you capture it!
July 18, 2016 at 10:19 am
Thank you so much Carol. It’s the wild and very beautiful nature of Iceland that keeps me going back for more! :-)
July 18, 2016 at 12:14 pm
Simply beautiful Adrian…as usual.
July 18, 2016 at 5:29 pm
Thank you Edith! :-)
July 18, 2016 at 7:50 pm
My daugther and her husband are now in Iceland for a14 days vacation.They had a lot of information, from looking at your blog.Thanks a lot.
July 20, 2016 at 8:12 pm
Thank you Lou! I’m glad my blog was useful to them. I am sure they are going to have a lovely time! :-)
July 21, 2016 at 6:45 am
That black sand is incredible……
Nicely done, Adrian….the solitary church in the white “wasteland;” I’m not much for symbolism, but I admire the image. :)
July 23, 2016 at 5:37 pm
Thank you very much Scott! I know what you mean about symbolism but the church was a bit of gift from a composition point of view! :-)
July 24, 2016 at 7:55 am
You’re very welcome, Adrian….and yes, it was a sweet gift, in regard to the composition. ;)
July 31, 2016 at 7:06 pm
:-)
August 1, 2016 at 7:49 am
Another stunning series Adrian, and the placement of the church in these photos is magnificent. Truly indeed a picture-perfect postcard of Vik, made even better with it doused in the sunshine.
July 27, 2016 at 6:09 pm
Thank you very much Randall. The church in this setting was a real gift and a bit of sunshine certainly helped lift the image. :-)
July 31, 2016 at 7:48 am