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The power of Mother Nature is never so clear as when one stands on the edge of Dettifoss – Iceland’s most impressive waterfall. A massive 193 cubic meters of water thunders over its edge every second, creating a plume of spray that can be seen one kilometre away. Standing on the edge of the basalt cliffs is like being inside a jet engine; the noise is thunderous, like a continual endless explosion. The water is a churning milky-grey and is almost entirely glacial run-off. The colour is given to the water by the glacial silt carried down stream. Dettifoss has the greatest volume of any waterfall in Europe – this is truly nature at its most spectacular and awe inspiring.

In this photograph I tried to capture both the scale and size of Dettifoss as well as its majesty and power. To help with scale I included people – which is something I do not normally do in my landscape work. However, it really is needed to help understand just how big this waterfall really is. I used the LEE 10-stop “Big Stopper” Neutral Density filter to give me a 30 second exposure to soften the water against the harsh contrast of the canyon walls. Look very carefully at this first photograph to see if you can spot the two people standing on the far bank. A 100% crop is included below for reference if you are having trouble spotting them.

Now look at the 100% crop below and you will get some idea of just how massive this waterfall really is. Dettifoss is an absolute monster and I enjoyed photographing it very much.

Below is some short video I shot at the falls on the pocket Canon S90 that gives an overall impression of their size, location and setting. Sorry, no commentary as it was impossible over the explosive noise of the water. Tim and Martyn can be seen setting up their cameras on the edge of the falls. Now its time to get some lunch, gear up and head back out for another nights photography.

We headed up to Namafjall near Myvatn after lunch yesterday to photograph the volcanic fumerals. Namafjall is a strikingly other-worldly place dotted with steaming fumerals, sulphurous smells, volcanic vents, boiling mud pools and a dizzying array of volcanic colour and texture. It is a beautiful, macabre and menacing landscape that belongs to another time, or another planet for that matter.After a good session at Namafjall we packed up and headed into the Jokulsargljufur National Park along a very rough dirt road to photograph both Detifoss and Selfoss waterfalls. We spent several hours shooting the falls before a quick bite to eat in the field followed by two and a half hours sleep. We then headed back up to Namafjall for the sunrise. This photograph was taken at 3:30am this morning just as the sun was rising over the distant mountains. Now its time to crawl back into bed and get a few more hours sleep before we head back into the Jokulsargljufur National Park for another long night shoot.

We have arrived in the small town of Myvatn in the north-east of Iceland. It is about 3pm in the afternoon and we have just finished a very nice lunch at a local cafe; consisting of a tasting plate including smoked raw lamb, smoked Salmon and smoked Arctic Char along with home made rye bread, salad and dill mayonnaise dips. Desert was a scrumptious blueberry pie – it was most delicious!  Now its time to gear up and head out for some more photography. We will be out all night tonight so a large coffee to keep the caffeine levels topped up is definitely in order along with a few energy bars to see my through an all-nighter in the field.

A quick morning update before we pile into the 4WD and head Northeast to Lake Myvatn where we will be staying for the next four nights. From here we plan to head up to the geothermal areas of Namafjall, Leirhnjukr and Theistareykir – some of which are only ten minutes from where we will be staying. A day will be devoted to going into the highlands south of Myvatn to visit Askja. We will also make a trip to the waterfall trio  in the Jokulsargljufur canyon, Selfoss, Dettifoss and Hafragilisfoss and of course Godafoss. I am particularly looking forward to seeing Godafoss – “Waterfall of the Gods”; which is supposed to be spectacular for photography.

One of the things I was hoping to be able to photograph in Iceland was the beautiful Icelandic horses that are found throughout the countryside. These Icelandic horses are the original descendants from the first horses the Norse bought with them when they came to iceland hundreds of years ago. Today they are virtually disease free and can be found all over Iceland.

After we arrived at the small town of Egilsstadir yesterday evening and unpacked a few of us grabbed our cameras and headed down to the shores of the lake to have a look around. The scenery was stunning and the light was quite good, despite the overcast rainy conditions. There were several of the Icelandic horses milling around by the waters edge which we spent the next half an hour so photographing. I wanted to try and capture some of the drama in the sky as a backdrop so lay down on the ground and pointed my camera upward – the result is a photograph I am very pleased with.