Jökulsárlón Glacier, Iceland.

I shot this abstract image near Jökulsárlón – a glacial lagoon – bordering Vatnajökull National Park in south-eastern Iceland.  There is a beach nearby, which is a surreal place, with massive lumps of ice washing ashore.  They have all kinds of different shapes.

It takes patience and creativity to detect shapes in the blocks of ice, sculped by Mother Nature.  Watch it from a certain angle, and you might see nothing but an uninspiring block of ice.  Move around, explore different angles, and you might see a beautiful shape.  This is easier said than done.  There are massive crashing waves and the water is literally freezing.  You need to act fast!  Spot that composition, …setup your tripod, …ensure it is stable, …out of reach of the next wave; and press the shutter!  In some cases, you have no more than 10 seconds to do so.  It is rather stressful.  A quick wave can engulf your camera equipment.  Or worse; there have been countless accidents where people and their camera equipment have been dragged into sea.  Sometimes with deadly consequences.

When taking this photograph; it was a cold, cloudy night.  Being in the middle of summer in Iceland; it wasn’t completely dark.  The sun had already risen, although it was hidden far behind the clouds.  I spotted this heart shaped block of ice.  However, due to the constant crashing of waves, it took me a long time to take just a handful of usable photographs.  I ended up selecting 2 images for my gallery.  “Diamond Heart” and “Stranded Heart”.