Vatnajokull, a photo from Austur-Skaftafellssysla, Asturland

Photographer's Note

Vatnajokull is Europe's largest glacier, by volume of ice at least, and covers a huge area of Iceland, 8,100 km�. Literally translated, Vatnajokull means 'Water-glacier'. Much of it is an ice cap averaging 400m deep and 1000m at its deepest. It also contains Iceland's highest peak - Hvannadalshn㝃ur (2,109m). This peak can be seen, apparently, from the Faroe Islands, making it the longest line of sight in the world at 550km.

This photo, taken on a mostly 'bad' day (again) shows one of the many glacial arms of the ice mass, as seen from the ring road not far from Skaftafell. I was able to find almost the exact location of my photo on Google - you can see the 'street level' view if you CLICK HERE. I was standing by the side of the 溣鶇vegur, or Ring Road.

Exposure Time: 1/640
F-Stop: f/10.0
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 160mm

snunney, pajaran, ChrisJ, macjake, jean113, Cricri, GyurMaster, Royaldevon, abmdsudi, lucasgalodoido, PaulVDV, COSTANTINO has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

snunney (130967) 2018-01-10 2:26

Hello Andrew,
The low lying cloud contributes an air of mystery to the composition very appropriate to the subject. The point of view is well chosen using the gap between the rocks to draw the viewer into the scene. The sliver of blue sky provides some brighter contrasting tone to offset the predominant greys and blacks.

pajaran (116011) 2018-01-10 2:49

Dobro vece.
Interesantan pogled i trenutak, dobar tekst ...
Lepo pokazan glecer i trenutak, dobar kontrast i perspektiva, lepo uhvacen trenutak.
Lepa priroda i trenutak sa oblakom, lep glecer.
Zelim vam mirnu noc, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good evening.
Interesting view and a moment, good text ...
Nice glacier and moment, nice contrast and perspective, beautifully captured moment.
Beautiful nature and a moment with a cloud, a beautiful glacier.
I wish you a quiet night, all the best.

ChrisJ (171888) 2018-01-10 2:50

Hello Andrew

I'd bet people in western Sydney could sit and stare at this all day after the 47.3c temperatures they endured on Sunday. And 42c in Melbourne a few days before. Good landscape from this little visited country. Tfs!

holmertz (102800) 2018-01-10 3:16

Hello Andrew,
Good for you to get there in time. Unless global heating is stopped very soon the Vatnaj闥ull is expected to be completely gone within 200 years, probably sooner. It is already reported to be melting at a faster rate than at any earlier period. In spite of the "bad" clouds we are left in no doubt about the still impressive look and huge dimensions of the ice and the surrounding hills.
Best regards,
Gert

macjake (98456) 2018-01-10 3:20

Hi Andrew
I really enjoy these Iceland landscapes, it hard to beat a country like Iceland. and yes, bad weather in Iceland and shifting weather patterns are common, its just luck i suppose. The weather conditions here add to the scene I think, gives it a bit more ruggedness and makes it even more intimidating. Cheers
Craig

jean113 (27895) 2018-01-10 3:54

Hi Andrew, a fascinating set of notes to accompany this very atmospheric picture.
The low dark cloud makes the scene look even more intimidating.
Excellent, this is what TE is all about!
Regards Jean.

jimmj63 (0) 2018-01-10 4:33

ciao Andrew,
that place is majestic, and your shot capture it very well. TFS.
ciao, Giacomo

Porteplume (4036) 2018-01-10 6:41

Wow Andrew!

When I see such landscapes I get crazy!!! Wishing to visit Iceland once but when...? :o)
Very moody photo reminding me of my beloved Norway... Very well achieved indeed.

Wishing you a wonderful 2018 but maybe you got a card from Holland? ;o)

Amiti廥,
viviane

Cricri (176) 2018-01-10 8:02

Hi Andrew
WOW cela doit 皻re merveilleux d'assister a une telle sc鋝e, malgr� le froid, magnifique image
Belle soir嶪
cricri

GyurMaster (24840) 2018-01-10 10:07

Hello Andrew,

Mesmerizing view. I really like the feel of this great, almost endless.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

jemaflor (147248) 2018-01-10 23:52

Hi Andrew,
great landscape, well composed with mountains and glacier, interesting soft light and silver colors,tfs.

Royaldevon (85932) 2018-01-11 1:19

Hello Andrew,

A photograph that feels to deeply mysterious, perhaps a little sinister.
The low cloud seems to be a descending curtain, whilst the curve is a guide towards the sky and the beckoning light. Can we reach it before totally enveloped!!

Wow! What a thrilling shot!

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

abmdsudi (95869) 2018-01-11 1:59

Hi Andrew
A beautiful panoramic image of this glacier - looks a daunting place with such a feeling of depth and it really takes you there! Band of grey low clouds feel like they are still moving across over the mountains with superb break of magical blue. Majestic and stunning to view in such great detail. Top-notch!
Best regards

sacimar (38173) 2018-01-11 6:54

Hello Andrew,

this is an impressive photo, I like the composition with the clouds and the beautiful landscape, the visual effect is very nice, well done,

Best regards,

Sergio

emka (158204) 2018-01-11 11:23

Hello again,

Famous Vatnajokull. Interesting view of this large glacier. It seems heavily polluted. Or maybe the grey are just the ashes? I saw very big glaciers in Patagonia, it was fascinating, I even walked on them. The heavy cloud hanging over looks dramatic. I look with the great interest as I plan to go to Iceland in summer. How have you moved around? I ma afraid you went by car. I have no driving licence :( so I do not know how to visit interesting places.

Kind regrad s MAlgo

kasianowak (17676) 2018-01-13 3:07

Hi Andrew
Another "bad" day resulted in another stunning photo. The low cloud adds drama while we can still catch a glimpse of the blue sky behind it.
The glacier looks like the surface of the sea.
Best wishes
Kasia

gervaso (28177) 2018-01-17 16:13

Hello, Andrew!

The weather is really not so good, but it makes that blue part of the sky stand out beautifully in the composition, and the view is amazing with so much ice! The cloud on the upper one third of the image gives an interesting atmosphere to the scene. Wonderful job!

lucasgalodoido (27698) 2018-01-19 4:05

Ol� Andrew,
impressionante as condi踥es de tempo na foto, n緌 parecem nada agrad嫛eis, mas o resultado fotogr塻icop ficou fant嫳tico. Belo trabalho.
Parab幯s e Abra蔞,
Lucas

PaulVDV (62978) 2018-01-27 3:45

Hello Andrew,
It looks like you've taken this picture right on time. I have the impression that not much later the entire landscape would be covered by a thick layer of clouds and even fog.
Yet we see a piece of blue sky that adds nicely colour to the photo.
It's not easy to get an exact idea of the scale but I suppose this must be enormous.
Very impressive.
Best regards, Paul

COSTANTINO (116604) 2019-02-02 23:38

Hello dear Andew and have a nice time
and a happy new day Sunday
thanks for seeing you again because
we have been lost for a long long time
Here we can see a wonderful photo
from Vatnajokull Eyropes
largest glacier
original version
welldone and welseen
regards
Costantino