In February 2012 I was lucky enough to join a group of fabulous people on a trip to Iceland. I'd had a yen to visit the land of ice for many years but had never really pursued the idea. The lovely AY (as was, as she's now married) and her friends had discovered a very reasonable package and suggested the group I met on a Berlin Photography holiday trip, should also sign up. And so I did, and twelve of us found ourselves in a surprisingly balmy Reykjavik!
They were more organised than me and had signed up for a variety of activities. I hadn't and opted instead to play it by ear. Reykjavik was so snow free I was determined to find some, ooh and maybe some jet black volcanic dust coated landscapes. Ooh and a glacier, maybe a waterfall or two and a geyser. With these thoughts in mind I signed up for a couple of four-by-four tours. Being chauffeured around in an off-road vehicle has the advantage of us being able to reach those inaccessible places and I thought this would be perfect for photography. On my second trip, we were battling through freezing, blustery winds and we drove up to the glacier I'd been hankering after. The idea was that we'd board some snowmobiles and head off into the distance for a ride. My vivid imagination made me convinced that I'd be flung off en route so opted to stay behind with my camera, as that's what I wanted anyway. From my vantage point on the glacier I could see for miles in every direction. And I couldn't see anyone else once the conga line of snowmobiles had whooshed off. It was so quiet, the wind was blowing crazily but there were no trees to shake, no houses to buffet so despite the fact I could barely stand, the utter tranquility descended. I could take shelter in our Range Rover thing but I was determined to try and capture this serenity, this pure, uncomplicated landscape. Boots firmly planted in the deep, crisp snow to steady myself I took a series of pictures looking back towards Reykjavik. I had a warm coat but I couldn't get it to stay fastened, so in the violent wind it formed a v-shape above my head ensuring it was not doing the slightest bit of good in the function of keeping me warm. Fortunately I had two hats, several scarves and gloves but it was still mighty cold. It was curious, the weather was violent but the photographs show calmness.
This week’s Frui Friday challenge was “simplicity” so I harped back to my sojourn on an Icelandic glacier and posted the first of these photographs. I always imagined these as a set as I rotated slightly to get different views. Simplicity itself.
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