iceland

Kirkjufell Mountain in Iceland

~ laura lecce ~ 4 Comments
Kirkjufell Mountain in Iceland – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This particular mountain in Iceland has become famous due to it’s use as an impressive back drop in the Game of Thrones television series. Usually it is photographed as a formidable snowy mountain or a luscious grass-green temple with waterfalls in the foreground. Since these two scenarios are hugely overdone, I thought I’d share a spring time photo. A photo that marks the end of the snow melting away but before the grass has had a chance to spring back to life and regain its green complexion. It showcases the orange/brown grass which contrasts the blue of the sky and it’s reflection in the water below. The cute little house that also features in this photo is typical of almost all the houses and buildings you see in Iceland – they are all uniformly white with adorable red roofs. One thing this photo cannot convey to the observer is the extreme wind that is blowing through here in this moment. I took this photo from the car because going outside was almost unbearable.

There’s always one

~ laura lecce ~ 2 Comments
There’s always one – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This photo makes me smile… While each of these gorgeous Icelandic horses are warming their faces in the sun, there is one with his bum to the sun. So here’s to being different, interesting and unique, especially if it brings a smile to someone’s face and keeps your butt warm at the same time.

For other posts about Iceland click here.

Icelandic horses

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Icelandic horses – Photograph by Laura Lecce

These beauties are Icelandic horses which are enjoying some afternoon sun during a short break in the relentless wind that seems to dominate each day. These unique horses are bred in Iceland and more closely resemble ponies from which they were developed. They are the only type of horse you will see in Iceland and are generally seen huddled together, eyes closed and grumpy looking. Although I would be grumpy too if I had nothing around me to shield myself from the unforgiving wind, as there aren’t even many trees around, if at all. You may have noticed that they are furrier than regular horses because they have a double coat to keep them warmer in cold temperatures. They come in a wonderful range of colors from very light to silky black and are definitely worth saying hello to if in Iceland.

Northern lights in Iceland

~ laura lecce ~ 12 Comments
Northern lights in Iceland – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This photo was taken on a trip to Iceland in March, the season of the Northern Lights (Sept to Apr). I learned many things while practicing my night photography on this spectacular display.

Firstly, the lights themselves look brighter in a photo than in real life. This is because to take a night photo you will use a long exposure, so the photo is a collective of multiple seconds of light put together.

Due to the long exposure of a night photo there is plenty of time to accumulate blurry movement into your photo. Essentially a tripod is your best friend so that your camera is as still as can be. Not wanting to travel with a tripod, I found a table to rest my camera on.

The lights are in the North. This may seem obvious enough to most people, but the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. So when you see stunning photos of Northern Lights over a mountain or lake, that landscape must also be to the North of you.

They aren’t around every night or all night and to see them best, the sky needs to be mostly clear of clouds. This mysterious light display comes and goes at will, popping up and disappearing whenever it chooses. They are higher than the clouds, so clouds will obstruct your view of them. This means that to take the ultimate Northern Lights pic you needs a bunch of patience to sit up all night and watch the sky in a freezing cold environment.

Conveniently we stayed in a hotel which gives you a wake-up call when the night security person sees the lights appear. Great for us to get some sleep, but this means that the landscape you are photographing the lights in wont be as impressive as camping on the south aspect of a gorgeous mountain or lake.