Viewpoint

Skaftafellsjökull is a Glacier finger descending from Vatnajökull Glacier (Iceland’s largest ice cap). This scene was captured from Skaftafell National park. These are many hiking trails in the National park, but we followed the trail as it split to the right just before Svartifoss waterfall. The viewpoint is a fair hike if you go via Svartifoss waterfall. There is a more direct path close to the visitor’s center which takes you straight up to this point. Although it s called a viewpoint, any point along the edge of Skaftafell hill can work equally well.

Summer Hiking

Our photography trip was in the Autumn and there are 2 benefits to making this hike at this time of the year. Firstly, the days are long enough to take your time with the hike. Secondly, the mountains are usually free of snow, so the glacier stands out much better.

Panorana

The reason for shooting this as a panorama was to communicate both where the ice was coming from and where it is going to. On the right of the scene, yo can see how the glacier ice is breaking up and melting into the lagoon and eventually the rivers. To the left you can see the glacier rise up into the mountains and even getting lost in the clouds. So the panorama is able to tell the whole story when an individual frame at 24mm would only tell you one half of the story.

Photography adventures

The following tours may include Skaftafell National Park. The longer tours may allow opportunities for hiking.