Wow, where to begin? I’ve finally had the chance to edit and compile all of the images I shot with my DSLR and medium format on my trip to Iceland this summer. The sort of wonky square cropped images strewn throughout are from my Argus 75, shot on Fuji 400H 120 film. I cannot believe it’s been almost 2 months since I was there. I am forever changed by that magical island. I want to go back as soon as absolutely possible!
Iceland has been very high up on my bucket list forever and apparently the whole world has discovered how amazing it is too. It’s bittersweet to see it EVERYWHERE. A million people I know went this year as well and I see it in advertising from Apple to American Express. I can only hope that this huge increase in tourism stays positive for the pristine ecosystem….it’s very conflicting to be so grateful that I was able to go and also know that I could be contributing to it being overrun.
I will focus on my gratitude for this post as I attempt to re-cap how truly amazing it was. Sabra
and I set off for our 1 week journey in utter disbelief that it was finally time, and it was actually happening. We purposely laid over for 8 hours in NYC so that we could sneak off into the city. Sabra had never been so it was even more fun to show her one of my favorite spots, The High Line. We wandered and stopped by The Standard for a cocktail on the rooftop. It was a warm, clear, and gorgeous day. We stopped off for a delicious dinner in SOHO before racing back to JFK to board our 5.5 hour flight to Reykjavik.
We didn’t sleep a wink and arrived at 8 am local time. We grabbed out little manual Chevy Spark and raced off directly to the Blue Lagoon. PERFECTION. After being awake for 30 hours dipping into the warm water and swimming up to the bar for a proseco was HEAVEN. I still have to pinch myself. We crashed at our airBnB in town that afternoon before exploring quaint old town in the capitol.
The next day we drove…..we did a lot of driving. If you were following me on instagram @ashlee_hamon_photography you hopefully noticed the little map I drew on detailing out loop de loop to the North to the South and back again. Between long stretches driving through the most gorgeous scenery imaginable we went whale & puffin watching and hiked to hidden waterfalls.
The landscape went from the moon like lava flow of the airport and Blue Lagoon to emerald green fjords that made me think of both Hawaii, Ireland, and Norway. Then we would pass through red and rocky patches that looked just like the America Southwest. All along the way we passed sheep, horses, sheep, cows, and sheep. The wild horses were absolutely gorgeous in their bohemian majesty…….the only thing I think like we missed was the glacier and a plane wreck we didn’t find out about until the last day. I already have a wish list for the next trip: glacier, plane wreck, more natural hot springs, and the aurora.
We also made a wonderful new friend in Caitlin! We met her in the comments of our mutual idols FB page, Sam Hurd. I’m so glad we met up with her! She has been criss crossing the world for the past year and was an absolute doll to hang out with!
Amazing. Just amazing. Universe, if you’re listening, I want to go back often, and capture destination elopements. YAS. Ok enough of my ramblings…..enjoy. #nosmiling
::: Soundtrack to the trip :::
Sylvan Esso || Future Islands || Lola Marsh || Jose Gonzalez
