Photographer in Colorado

After the first night in Saeberg, I headed out for a day trip to the north-west fjords. I had read about the old fishing village at Djupavik. Driving in the north-west fjords can add up a lot of mileage in the car — most of the roads follow the coastline. It took almost 3 hours to make this journey. As with all my trips, there are always a lot of the usual stops along the journey, to enjoy the scenery and make photographs. Most of the day was under overcast skies with plenty of rain, misty and low clouds.

Djupavik, Iceland

The old jetty in the fjord was covered with gulls.

Old Jetty in The Fjord, Djupavik

Apparently there are tours of the old fish factory in Djupavik. However, I arrived far too late to join one of these tours.

Old Fish Factory, Djupavik

I walked through the village, making my way around the fish factory. I included the two rusty steel fishing floats in this composition.

Rusty Fishing Floats, Djupavik

One corner of the factory has windows right in the corner, that I captured in the following image.

Corner Windows, Djupavik

The fish factory is no longer in use. However, there are many disused items lying around the building. I created this composition with the one steel wheel in the foreground with one of the circular tanks in the background.

Wheel And Tank, Djupavik

On the far side of the tank, I found an opening into the tank. I made this image looking into the interior. I decided against getting inside the tank!

Inside The Tank

One of the old fishing boats was beached at the edge of the fjord, just outside the factory. Much of the hull had rusted over the years since it was abandoned here.

Rusting Fishing Boat, Djupavik

On the other side of the boat, I made another image that includes huge rusted holes in the hull.

Rusting In The Fjord

Finally, I took a walk along the road, heading out of the village. I found two boulders that are included in the foreground of this image.

Djupavik And Waterfall

Soon after this, I made the return trip back to Saeberg. Along the way, I stopped along one of the other fjords to make this image of two rock pillars along the coast.

Rock-Pillars-At-Kollafjordur-High-Tide

Soon after this, the weather started to clear. A few miles along the road and the setting sun cast long shadows on a church and farm buildings located at the edge of the fjord.

Church And Farm Buildings, Bitrufjordur

Eventually, I arrived back at Saeberg as it was getting dark.

It was Angela’s last day in Iceland before returning to Denver. We headed east on Highway 1 and stopped at the geothermal power generation station, located about 20 miles from Reykjavik. There are guided tours of the power station, but we missed the last one of the day. However, we did get to see the presentation materials and also the turbine halls located in the main building.

Angela also wanted to make some photos of sheep and horses. Both animals can be seen in great numbers in the fields along the roadsides in Iceland. We headed to Hveradgerdi and left the highway for one of the side roads. After a few miles, we found one field that had both sheep and horses. Both Angela and I made started making some photographs of the horses.

Icelandic Horse No 1

When the horses saw us, they headed over to see us for some attention. These horses are really sociable — both among themselves and also near people — and enjoy the attention of visitors.

Icelandic Horse Close Up

This horse started nibbling my jacket!

Icelandic Horse No 2

These two horses were lined up behind one another. I captured both pairs of ears in this image.

Icelandic Horses, Two Pairs Of Ears

The remaining images are of a pair of horses having some fun.

Horses, Having Fun

I like this image of the pair.

Horses, Having Fun, No 2

And this one.

Horses, Having Fun, No 3

Angela headed over to make some images of the sheep. In contrast to horses, Icelandic sheep are very skittish. Of course, as soon as they see, the sheep run away!

It was a Monday morning and we decided to visit the Hallgrimskirkja. This church is one of the highest points in Reykjavik. The building also happens to be on the top of the above the city. We took the elevator up to the viewing deck. Here is an image made from the viewing deck, looking out across the harbor and the North Atlantic ocean. In the distance, across the bay, is the headland where the town of Arkanes is located.

View From Hallgrimskirkja

Looking down from the other side of the church, I noticed the dome at the end of the church.

View Above Church Roof

The church is constructed from concrete. Here is an image from one side of the main entrance. The viewing deck is behind the arched windows, just above the clock faces. The clocks are no longer functional.

Hallgrimskirkja Church Tower

After leaving, we headed down the street in front of the church, where we stopped for coffee at one of the cafes. There are some colorful buildings in this street. I found a mural on the side wall of one the cafes.

Cafe Mural, Reykjavik

Overcast weather was starting to build up behind the colorful Cafe Babalú.

Cafe Babalú, Reykjavik

Further down the street, I found the Joylato. There were two people inside gazing out through the window.

Joylato, Enjoying Waffles, Coffee

Later we headed down to the harbor area and then walked to the Harpa Concert Hall. The outer walls of this building comprises hexagonal honeycomb shaped windows. Occasional panes in the wall have different colors, as can be seen in the image below.

Harpa Concert Hall Glass Wall

Looking up, the hexagonal honeycomb pattern is repeated in the mirrored ceilings. The honeycomb theme is actually based on basalt. When molten magma cools, it crystallizes into hexagonal columns as basalt rock. Basalt may be found in many locations in Iceland; hence the theme for the Harpa.

Looking Up At Harpa Ceiling

While waiting inside Harpa, I made this image of a visitor waiting outside.

Waiting Outside Harpa

There were several people gathered inside. Looking down, I noticed several reflections from the floor. One of the images I made was this pair of shoes. Having a meeting?

Shoes Meeting, Harpa

After the weather lifted, we headed out for another location.

After the Golden Circle tour, we spent the Sunday in Reykjavik. Tomas, our walking tour guide, recommended having hot dogs at the BBP hot dog stand. Tomas stated that this was the “most popular restaurant” in Iceland!  It is also the best hot dog stand in Iceland. President Bill Clinton even had a hot dog here. Check their web site at www.bbp.is. Every day that we were here, there were always lines of people waiting for hot dogs. So we waited for ours too. That is Angela on the right hand side of the image.

BBP, Best Hot Dogs In Iceland

One other attraction of Reykjavik is the Flea Market, that Tomas recommended to visit. This market is only open at the weekend, so this was the only opportunity that we would have. There is wide variety of different vendors in the indoor Flea Market, selling goods such a wool sweaters, clothing, used books (in Icelandic), vinyl records, videos, fish and some other foods.

Reykjavik Flea Market Woolens

Here is another booth lined with coats and jackets.

Coats And Jackets In Flea Market, Reykjavik

After spending a couple of hours in the Flea Market, we headed back along the Old Harbor walk. There are many very colorful buildings along the walk. I stopped to make this image of the teal colored building. The red stripes and orange paving provide a great color contrast.

Harbor Walk

I found one “porthole” in the wall by the harbor. During previous visits to Reykjavik, several boats were hauled out of the water and up the ramp at this location. This included cleaning the hull and repainting. Not much activity on this day.

Reykjavik Old Harbor

It had rained earlier in the day, so there were puddles of water that allowed me to capture some reflections along the harbor walk.

Reflections Along Harbor Walk

I had mentioned to Angela that there was a pretty drive along a nearby fjord. Hvalfyorður is located about 25 kms (15 miles) north of Reykjavik on Highway 1. The highway to Arkranes bypasses the fjord through a tunnel below the fjord. With the tunnel handling most of the traffic, there is very little traffic around the fjord. One has to leave the highway before arriving at the tunnel. The road around the fjord is about 100 kms in length. However, we only had to drive a short distance to reach on of my favorite waterfalls along this road (Laxa I Kyos).

Waterfalls Laxa I Kyos, Hvalfjorður

These falls are located on private land adjacent to the road and are crossed by a short single lane bridge.

Waterfalls Laxa I Kyos, Hvalfjorður, No 2

During World War 2, the fjord served as an anchorage for allied ships sailing between the US and UK. After the war ended, most of the structures in the fjord and buildings along the shore were removed. Only the jetty remains, but is a fair distance from the road.

After spending about an hour in the fjord, we headed back to Reykjavik. The sun was setting behind some clouds hanging above the North Atlantic ocean.

Sun Setting Behind Clouds, North Of Reykjavik

I could not resist making these images of the setting sun, after a couple of overcast days!

Sunset, North Of Reykjavik

By the time we arrived back, it was dark… just in time for dinner.

A few weeks before leaving for Iceland, we made reservations for the Golden Circle tour. The tour includes a visit to Þingvellir, Geysir and Gulfoss. This is a popular tour that many visitors make because of the close proximity of these locations to Reykjavik. Þingvellir is the site where the first democratic parliament was formed in the year 930. The Geysir Geothermal Field is the location where geysirs (or geysers) got their name. Gulfoss is a spectacular waterfall.

Most of the day was overcast with lots a rain — nothing unusual for Iceland during September and October. Iceland is located on the junction of the North American and European tectonic plates. Þingvellir is located right on the rift that is formed by these tectonic plates. We stopped here at the Visitor’s Center where the wind was howling! We then moved on towards Geysir, arriving at about noon. Angela and I made our way to the geysir “Strokkur” that typically erupts every 5 minutes. I set the camera for continuous shooting and managed to make an image of peak of the action.

Geysir “Strokkur” Eruption

This was my third trip to Iceland, so I was not concerned about missing any images. After having lunch, we headed to Gulfoss. The word “foss” is Icelandic for falls. The water flowing into the Hvita river is melting glacial waters from the nearby Langjökull glacier.

Gulfoss Waterfalls, 2017

The river flows down over a series of ledges that forms the upper falls and then flows over the edge of the huge lower falls the feeds into a chasm.

Into The Chasm, No 1, Gulfoss

Here is another image looking down into the chasm.

Over The Edge Of The Chasm, Gulfoss

The volume of water flowing through Gulfoss is astounding. The total annual precipitation in Colorado probably represents a few minutes of the flow at Gulfoss!

Upper Falls, Gulfoss

This volume of water can really only be appreciated by visiting the falls, as Angela soon discovered.

Angela At Gulfoss

Before leaving for Iceland, one of Angela’s friends had mentioned visiting the hot springs at Blue Lagoon. Investigating further, we decided that it was pricey. We selected this particular Golden Circle tour (operated by Sterna) because it also ended with a visit to the Secret Lagoon. Water in the pool is fed from geothermal springs that supply natural hot water to springs. I made this panorama of the pool area after we spent a 1/2 hour in the pool.

Secret Lagoon Springs, Fluðir

The hot springs are also used to warm greenhouses in the nearby town of Fluðir. Across the river are greenhouses where tomatoes are grown.

Greenhouses Along River, Fluðir

After our swim in the hot springs, we headed back to Reykjavik at the end of the day.

In September this year, we made a trip to Iceland. After arriving in Reykjavik, we headed towards the old harbor. All the flights from Denver arrive at about 6:30 am. So we were looking forward to some breakfast. After parking the car, we walked to the Cafe Haiti, located in the Old Harbor area. This is one of the houses in the area with some art on the street fence.

House And Street Art, Reykjavik

During breakfast, we decided to join one of the Walking Tours of Reykjavik. The tour that we joined was run by the city. We made online reservations for the tour later in the early afternoon and slowly meandered through the streets of Reykjavik to the tour group.

Outside the old school, I found this huge puddle at the side of the street; it had been raining earlier in the day. The house across the street was reflected in the water. I managed to make this image just before one of the city buses drove through the puddle. I had to run back away from the street to avoid being drenched with the spray!

Reflections In The Street, Reykjavik

Tomas was the leader of our tour. Here is an image taken while he was introducing himself and outlining the itinerary for the “free” tour.

Reykjavik Walking Tour Guide, Tomas

During the tour, Tomas provided an excellent history of Iceland and Reykjavik, as we were walking through some of the neighborhoods close to the city center. The yellow house below is covered by sheets of corrugated steel. This is typical of the very old houses in Reykjavik. The older houses have been constructed from timber. Corrugated cladding is used to protect the underlying wall timbers from the cold winters. Newer houses are constructed from concrete walls and do not require cladding.

Older Housing District, Reykjavik

I found this artwork etched into the window panes of another house.

Window Art, Reykjavik

Towards the end of the tour, we passed behind one of the oldest schools in Reykjavik. Here, there is a parking lot, where students and teachers park their cars. With all the cars in close proximity, there is no space to move a car from the back of the lot without moving cars out of the parking lot. Tomas explained that drivers have to put their contact details on the dashboard. When someone needs to drive out, for an early appointment or event, they need to contact the other drivers to have them move their cars!

Parking Lot Behind The School, Reykjavik. Let’s get my car out of here!

The final stop of the walking tour was the city hall. Outside city hall is this unique statue that has been titled “The Unknown Bureaucrat”.

Unknown Bureaucrat, Reykjavik

Inside the city hall, there is a large relief map of Iceland. Tomas gave an overview of the island, identifying various points of interest. These tours are free, but the guides are happy to receive a tip for their efforts. Tomas made a very entertaining tour for all of us. We gave him a generous tip.

The annual Crush Festival took place in the Rino District this last weekend. Our night shoot Meetup Group had organized to make photographs of the event. It was good to meetup with the group again. After outlining a plan of action in one of the parking lots, we headed out to find some new muralists and their murals.

The murals were not only confined to building walls in the street and back alleys. This is no longer a yellow bus!

Not A Yellow Bus, On Larimer Street

Earlier this year, I visited the alley where the mural below was made. The mural has changed! While setting up camera on a tripod, the image on the back of the camera looked like a car — purple grill with two headlights.

Mural With Twin Portholes

Maybe it is supposed to be an illusion? The two porthole windows form a clever part of image. An eye in the lizard (?) on the left, and an eye on the human face on the right.

Nearby I found a line of spray canisters sitting on the wall. Twelve of them, and — yes — I counted them!

Twelve Spray Canisters Sitting On The Wall

This artist — I’m guessing he is D!nkc — since he was adding his logo to a mural on this wall. He was one of many artists that made use of scissor lifts to reach the top of the building walls.

D!nkc At Work, Rino District

Looking back along the alley, D!nkc was busy at work. Setting up the camera for another image, I captured a couple of photographers too. That looks like Sean in the foreground. This image looked better as a monochrome image.

Alley Muralists, Rino District

After dark, several artists had to continue to work with headlamps. In this image, the alley looks like a riot of color.

Working Under Headlamp, Rino District

Further down the alley, another artist was on a scissor lift. In this image, the street light in the alley cast his shadow on the wall. This image really works much better as a monochrome image — the shadow is more pronounced.

Shadowed Artist, Rino District

Finally, I headed back home, passing the parking lot with the truck mural painters. Stopping at the parking lot, this artist had made considerable progress on the image of the eagle.

Eagle Artist, Rino District

A fun evening!