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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.
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.
Nikon D800
24-120mm f/4 Lens
Once it was one of the largest brick homes in Charles County, Maryland. Once it was the site of an amusement park. Once it was burned by arson. Once a truck drove through the middle. And now...
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Ingólfshöfði is a nature reserve that's home to thousands of nesting sea-birds, like puffins and great skuas. This tour was taken with the group Local Guide, which hauls people across a massive black sand beach in a hay cart to reach the headland and cliffs where the birds live.
I had taken my glasses off since it was misty outside and I didn't like the lenses getting wet. They slipped out of my rain jacket pocket and through the slats of this hay cart. The guides were phenomenal with helping me find the glasses during our return trip--and ensuring that the hay cart didn't crush them! This seems borderline impossible in such a huge expanse of black sand, but somehow they accomplished it!
Ingólfshöfði is a nature reserve that's home to thousands of nesting sea-birds, like puffins and great skuas. This tour was taken with the group Local Guide, which hauls people across a massive black sand beach in a hay cart to reach the headland and cliffs where the birds live.
So here we are then, back at the reception. The guy in olive green shorts and sleeveless vest was the one who informed us about the 'buntis' (pregnant) tarsier, which was the subject of my previous four photos. Here is seen here dealing with another tourist couple. The girl in yellow was our volunteer guide, who was so sweet,and went out of the way to ensure great tarsier spottings. There is a 'donation box' on the counter in the background, but I think it's also a good idea to tip your guide if he or she is particularly good. I saw a lot of foreign volunteers as well. But we got this charming girl.(Bohol- Tagbilaran, Philippines, May 2013)
Once it was one of the largest brick homes in Charles County, Maryland. Once it was the site of an amusement park. Once it was burned by arson. Once a truck drove through the middle. And now...
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.
For our third stop, we joined up with Einar's son and another group to head into another ice cave on Vatnajökull Glacier, about 15 minutes away from the first one. This cave had two floors! We had to do a small rappel about 8 feet down to get to the bottom floor.
This shot is from the first floor in the winding entrance way. Here my wife accepted the challenge of holding a steady pose through 5 long exposures on a self-timer.
Being in these caves was unlike anything we've ever experienced. They were well insulated so it wasn't extremely cold, but the textures and formations were completely otherworldly. The ice will often take on a rich, deep blue color in these caves. However, we were told that because it was a bright and sunny day, that blue became more of the aqua/teal type color you see here.
Interestingly, due to the constant changing of the glaciers and temperature changes, these ice caves are rarely ever around for more than a couple of weeks at a time. You can go back every year and have a completely different experience every time. We were told that the ice caves we enjoyed, for example, were gone within a week of our visit. This cave in particular, had partially collapsed the day before we entered it, so we only got to see about 2/3 of the cave they had intended on showing us.
Nikon D800
14-24mm f/2.8 Lens
5-Exposure HDR bracketed at 1-stop, on a Gitzo Tripod with a remote trigger release, blended in Photomatix
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.
Nikon D800
24-120mm f/4 Lens
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 second stop was to head into an amazing ice cave adjacent to the Svínafellsjökull Outlet on Vatnajökull Glacier. Being in these caves was unlike anything we've ever experienced. They were well insulated so it wasn't extremely cold, but the textures and formations were completely otherworldly. The ice will often take on a rich, deep blue color in these caves. However, we were told that because it was a bright and sunny day, that blue became more of the aqua/teal type color you see here.
Interestingly, due to the constant changing of the glaciers and temperature changes, these ice caves are rarely ever around for more than a couple of weeks at a time. You can go back every year and have a completely different experience every time. We were told that the ice caves we enjoyed, for example, were gone within a week of our visit.
Nikon D800
14-24mm f/2.8 Lens
5-Exposure HDR bracketed at 1-stop, on a Gitzo Tripod with a remote trigger release, blended in Photomatix
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.
For our fourth and final stop, we hiked about 5 minutes to another ice cave on Vatnajökull Glacier. This one was small in terms of corridors, as there was only one real section, but it was a massive cavern with a chocolate colored stream running through it.
This shot was taken from the back of the cave. The texture on the top of the cave was mesmerizing. I loved how the low afternoon sun created some intrigue in the sky and lit up some ice formations to the right. You can also see water dripping from the cave slowly melting all along the entrance arch way.
This shot had an incredible amount of dynamic range, from the shadows in the back of the cave to the bright sun on the water and in the sky. This required a whopping 9-stop bracketing to properly capture the dynamic range I was able to see with my eyes.
Being in these caves was unlike anything we've ever experienced. They were well insulated so it wasn't extremely cold, but the textures and formations were completely otherworldly. The ice will often take on a rich, deep blue color in these caves. However, we were told that because it was a bright and sunny day, that blue became more of the aqua/teal type color you see here.
Interestingly, due to the constant changing of the glaciers and temperature changes, these ice caves are rarely ever around for more than a couple of weeks at a time. You can go back every year and have a completely different experience every time. We were told that the ice caves we enjoyed, for example, were gone within a week of our visit. This cave in particular, had partially collapsed the day before we entered it, so we only got to see about 2/3 of the cave they had intended on showing us.
Nikon D800
14-24mm f/2.8 Lens
9-Exposure HDR bracketed at 1-stop, on a Gitzo Tripod with a remote trigger release, blended in Photomatix
On September 27th, 2008, Trooper 2 responded to Waldorf, Maryland to assist the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department with a motor vehicle crash. Working alongside first responders, two patients were identified for transport. A second medical provider would be required to assist with patient care in the helicopter.
Trooper 2 encountered poor weather while attempting to deliver the patients to a trauma center, and diverted to the closest airport. The helicopter crashed in Walker Mill Park on approach to Andrews Air Force Base.
The flight crew, one patient, Ashley Younger, and the Waldorf VFD medical provider, Tonya Mallard, were killed in the crash. One patient, Jordan Wells, survived the crash and was located, treated, and transported by rescuers.
Ingólfshöfði is a nature reserve that's home to thousands of nesting sea-birds, like puffins and great skuas. This birdwatching tour was taken with the group Local Guide, which hauls people across a massive black sand beach in a hay cart to reach the cliffs where the birds live.