Rob Schop
Iceland Day 6 - Icedolphin
Standing in front of Jökulsárlón and looking back at all the sceneries and experiences we’d witnessed, it was clear that so far all my expectations had been exceeded. This is probably what got me so excited about our tour to the ice cave also. And I’ve seen so many amazing photographs of ice caves, that thoughts of the final image already began to form itself in my mind. I know this is a pitfall, but sometimes it’s so hard to avoid this one. We really kicked off in a huge 4x4, and bumped our way as far as we could towards Vatnajökull. Then a half-hour walk and a funny guide that gave us a lot of information about the area. So far so good!
As we got closer to the cave the first thing I noticed was a lot of people, waiting on their turn to walk the pathway inside. I remember thinking it was going to be very difficult to come away with a clean shot here. But, believe it or not, the photography doesn’t necessarily comes at first place for me on these little adventures. Still very excited we entered the cave, which wasn’t as big as I expected. Well, it turned out not to be difficult, but impossible to make a shot with the tripod, and when you carried all your gear because you’re not sure what you’ll find, this was kind of a bummer. The groups of people, all walking in line on the small pathway, forced us to keep moving almost constantly. This made it feel a bit rushed, even without a photogenic point of view. It was very special and beautiful to see this big layer of ice above our heads however, although it didn’t look anywhere like the photographs I had seen on the web and in the books. There was the pitfall again, and I had to let go of this idea. I then started noticing more and more textures around me, and decided to quickly change the wide angle for the long lens, hoping that with a bit of luck I could make a handheld shot of something small but beautiful. And this was the shot that immediately caught my interest. Maybe it’s my crooked mind, but this dolphin in ice almost asked me to be photographed. I let the line of people behind me wait a minute and took 5 or 6 shots. Most of them had motion blur, but this one was all I needed. The light and tones were so amazing, if only I had more time. But already it was time for us to get out, and make place for the next group that paid an awful lot of money to get here.
All in all I must conclude that it was a wonderful experience, although not quite what I expected. I also think it was a bit overpriced. I’m not going to tell the exact amount of money we paid, but thinking about all the tourists that were waiting for their 4x4, and knowing this goes on 365 days a year the profits just has be enormous. But hey, you want to visit an ice cave or not! I also believe that every cave is very different and Jökulsárlón is of course already a very popular place, which definitely doesn’t make it any quieter.
But the photographic conclusion is that, as long as you keep your eyes and mind open to the environment, there are shots to be found. Don’t get hung up on your expectations, but explore by looking around and sometimes you’ll be amazed what you find!
Thanks for having a look! All faves and comments are highly appreciated!
Iceland Day 6 - Icedolphin
Standing in front of Jökulsárlón and looking back at all the sceneries and experiences we’d witnessed, it was clear that so far all my expectations had been exceeded. This is probably what got me so excited about our tour to the ice cave also. And I’ve seen so many amazing photographs of ice caves, that thoughts of the final image already began to form itself in my mind. I know this is a pitfall, but sometimes it’s so hard to avoid this one. We really kicked off in a huge 4x4, and bumped our way as far as we could towards Vatnajökull. Then a half-hour walk and a funny guide that gave us a lot of information about the area. So far so good!
As we got closer to the cave the first thing I noticed was a lot of people, waiting on their turn to walk the pathway inside. I remember thinking it was going to be very difficult to come away with a clean shot here. But, believe it or not, the photography doesn’t necessarily comes at first place for me on these little adventures. Still very excited we entered the cave, which wasn’t as big as I expected. Well, it turned out not to be difficult, but impossible to make a shot with the tripod, and when you carried all your gear because you’re not sure what you’ll find, this was kind of a bummer. The groups of people, all walking in line on the small pathway, forced us to keep moving almost constantly. This made it feel a bit rushed, even without a photogenic point of view. It was very special and beautiful to see this big layer of ice above our heads however, although it didn’t look anywhere like the photographs I had seen on the web and in the books. There was the pitfall again, and I had to let go of this idea. I then started noticing more and more textures around me, and decided to quickly change the wide angle for the long lens, hoping that with a bit of luck I could make a handheld shot of something small but beautiful. And this was the shot that immediately caught my interest. Maybe it’s my crooked mind, but this dolphin in ice almost asked me to be photographed. I let the line of people behind me wait a minute and took 5 or 6 shots. Most of them had motion blur, but this one was all I needed. The light and tones were so amazing, if only I had more time. But already it was time for us to get out, and make place for the next group that paid an awful lot of money to get here.
All in all I must conclude that it was a wonderful experience, although not quite what I expected. I also think it was a bit overpriced. I’m not going to tell the exact amount of money we paid, but thinking about all the tourists that were waiting for their 4x4, and knowing this goes on 365 days a year the profits just has be enormous. But hey, you want to visit an ice cave or not! I also believe that every cave is very different and Jökulsárlón is of course already a very popular place, which definitely doesn’t make it any quieter.
But the photographic conclusion is that, as long as you keep your eyes and mind open to the environment, there are shots to be found. Don’t get hung up on your expectations, but explore by looking around and sometimes you’ll be amazed what you find!
Thanks for having a look! All faves and comments are highly appreciated!