Walking in Winter

Saturday, we got a day off from the frigid temperatures here in Quebec, so I was able to stay outside for more than 5 minutes at a time. I went for a drive in the country and spotted three snowy owls along these country roads. I would call that an afternoon well spent.

Of the Gods

As photographers, we often have "the shot" we want to get in our mind's eye before we get to a location. When we arrive, we discover we have so little control over so many factors. The only rational response is to be humbled by nature and to put aside expectations. I photographed Godafoss in Iceland in June of 2013 and there had been a lot of snow over the winter. It, of course, was all melting at this point and there were near-record amounts of water flowing over the falls, so they looked quite different from what I was expecting. The water level in the basin was so high that it was impossible to stand where needed to get "that shot".  In such moments, a few deep breaths are always helpful in clearing our noggins of preconceived notions and allowing our eyes and our hearts to take over.

Foss

"Foss" is the Icelandic word for waterfall. If you say it slowly enough, you can hear the water falling.

Valley of the Kings

Waipi'o Valley sits five miles deep on the Big Island. It is known as the Valley of the Kings as it was once home to many of the early Hawaiian rulers. At this time, however, fewer than 100 people live here. Other than on "Main Street", there is no electricity. It is remote, wild, and gorgeously lush. The descent into the valley is something of a white-knuckle affair, but the rewards are incredible.

Ice Age

Jokulsarlon is a glacier lagoon in Iceland and is one of the most spectacular places I have ever visited. At the edge of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, which has been in retreat since the 1930s, icebergs of various sizes break off into the lagoon creating a ghostly procession. The luminous chunks of blue ice punctuated by striations of black lava create an endless variety of beautiful forms and designs.  I spent the day  capturing a multitude of icy compositions, eating hot fish soup to keep warm, and riding out on a Zodiac to float amongst the icebergs.

The Ring Road

Route 1, the Ring Road, circles Iceland. It is 832 miles (1,339 km) long and these are just some of the  incredible scenes I viewed through the windshield on my beautiful adventure.

Midnight Sun

The longest part of the trip around Iceland was from Snaefellsnes in the northwest to Lake Myvatn in the northeast. This trip normally takes about 6 hours by car but took us about 16 hours because there was just so much jaw-dropping beauty to stop and photograph along the way. We arrived at our destination at about 1:30 AM. The sun never set completely, and for the last two hours of the trip we were treated to spectacular colors and landscapes such as these.