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Shades of Iceland

This was without a doubt the best day of our trip. We went out with Einar and his son from Öræfaferðir / Local Guide Travel Service. They were both amazing, and we would highly recommend their services! Please feel free to check out the link below for more information.

 

Our first stop was to throw on some crampons and hike along the Svínafellsjökull Outlet on Vatnajökull Glacier. These were some of the most breathtaking sights we have ever seen, and it was even more amazing to be on them and experiencing them first hand.

 

For this shot, Einar found a snowy crevice in the glacier about 10 feet deep. We climbed down inside and got a really nice close up view of some ice walls. As I recall, he told us that when the sun was not contacting the ice, it would be a deep and rich blue color. With a little sunlight the color would change to a light blue, and with a lot it would become more of an aqua/teal color. I believe that is what we were observing here. I could be wrong though, as I was very focused on not dropping my camera in the crevice and didn't catch everything he was saying.

 

Interesting trivia facts from our guide, Einar:

An early fight scene between Christian Bale and Liam Neeson in Batman Begins was filmed on this glacier. Because the glaciers are always melting and evolving, we did not see the glacier exactly as they did, but this is still where it all went down. Interestingly, Liam Neeson was not even aware they were shooting a Batman film at the time of the shoot. Director Christopher Nolan apparently likes to play things "very close to the chest." Here is a shot of my wife and I reenacting their exciting battle.

 

Additionally, episodes from Season 2 of HBO's "Game of Thrones" were filmed here. Icelandic locals get a real kick out of the scenes on display because chase scenes that were intended to take place over the course of several miles clearly show the distinctive "Pig Mountain" (Svínafells, hence Svínafellsjökull means "Pig Mountain Glacier") in the same spot in the background, clearly indicating that they had only moved maybe 100 feet in between shots.

 

You can find more information on guided mountain, glacier and ice cave tours with Öræfaferðir / Local Guide Travel Service here.

 

Nikon D800

24-120mm f/4 Lens

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Uploaded on August 26, 2013
Taken on March 9, 2013