Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon and ice beach

[Mitchell]

Jökulsárlón is a glacial lagoon in Iceland filled with icebergs from the Breiðamerkurfjall Glacier. The massive blocks of ice collect in the lagoon and gradually make their way out to sea through a narrow inlet. Just beyond this pass is a black lava sand beach which collects thousands of pieces of ice as the waves crash them onto the shore.

1. Glacial lagoon with light on the glacier in the distance. Three members of my tour group are visible.

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2. The crashing waves wash huge blocks of ice onto the sand.

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3. The ice has a striking blue color.

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4.

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5. We spent several mornings on the beach watching the sunrise and looking at the beautiful ice shapes

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6.

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[Butlerkid]

Dang! These are just outstanding!!!!! Really! I can see why you used the 14-24 so much! I assume you used the polarizer quite a bit due to the reflections. What about the ND?

 

[Mitchell]

I used the ND quite a bit on the beach in the sunrise to get the motion in the water. I did use the CPL as well, but I've read about how the CPL can cause some funky coloration in the skies on wide angle lenses so I was a bit hesitant.

 

[Mason Jarr]

I have the Fotodiox Wonderpana system for my 14-24 and the CPL does cause me some issues with irregular skies....especially clear skies. I've gotten to the point where I almost don't use it much anymore, but I do like the GND and ND filters. Beautiful images again, Mitchell. Did you get any that weren't keepers? LOL...

 

[Pa]

Jökulsárlón is a glacial lagoon in Iceland filled with icebergs from the Breiðamerkurfjall Glacier.

Can you pronounce those names?

These are very good, Mitchell. I really like the interesting foreground subjects with the background to provide context. I have been considering purchasing a wide-angle lens and these push me further in that direction.

 

[Mitchell]

I have the Fotodiox Wonderpana system for my 14-24 and the CPL does cause me some issues with irregular skies....especially clear skies. I've gotten to the point where I almost don't use it much anymore, but I do like the GND and ND filters. Beautiful images again, Mitchell. Did you get any that weren't keepers? LOL...

Mike, thanks for your insight with the CPL. This was my first outing with these filters on my 14-24mm which I have owned for years. From what I have read (and your own experience) clear blue skies will result in some uneven shading with a CPL when you are very wide. We had mostly cloudy days so I did not really notice this issue. I used the ND5 more than the CPL for most of my shots.

BTW, I do have loads of tossers from this beach. Many were caused by me running away with my tripod to escape the incoming waves!

 

[Mitchell]

Can you pronounce those names?

These are very good, Mitchell. I really like the interesting foreground subjects with the background to provide context. I have been considering purchasing a wide-angle lens and these push me further in that direction.

Thanks, Jim. I've had this lens for years but don't use it too often since I don't shoot a lot of landscape. For this trip, this great wide angle zoom was indispensable. It rarely left my camera.

 

[JMontes]

Mitch, beautiful. So jealous. Last year I got a call from Nikonians, I got accepted from the waiting list for a cruise to Iceland. I had registered many months before, and by the time this came up I had work obligations and couldn't go Iceland is definitely on my list!

 

[Cleanimage]

Mitchell - Thanks so much for posting. I certainly enjoyed the photos and the opportunity to get a look at that faraway place.

 

[nu2scene]

Oh wow, what awesome images! Great job!

By looking at the ice it makes me want to shine something like a flash light on them or something to see if they would glow.

 

[mysh]

great stuff. The ice looks surreal

 

[jadlh]

Wow, what a great place to take your camera, nice work.

 

[Kees de Bruin]

Great shots Mitchell. Would have loved to get some nice shots at the lagoon but we only had a grey sky so the ice was quite dull.

 

[Mitchell]

Great shots Mitchell. Would have loved to get some nice shots at the lagoon but we only had a grey sky so the ice was quite dull.

Kees, you should return and try again.

We went to the beach every morning in an effort to catch the best sunrise light. I was amazed at how the ice shapes all changed each of those 4 visits.

 

[jbailey930]

Beautiful scenery well captured, Mitch! The ice floes on shore are nature's sculptures!

 

[BarryD3]

Incredible! If you used a polarizer, kindly share which kit you used and any comments about it. I also love my 14-24 mm lens.

 

[Kees de Bruin]

Kees, you should return and try again.

We went to the beach every morning in an effort to catch the best sunrise light. I was amazed at how the ice shapes all changed each of those 4 visits.

Oh don't worry, we will return Aside from the south we also would like to see some of the waterfalls up north in winter time.

 

[pictureted]

Wonderful series - what an interesting and beautiful place!

 

[Mitchell]

Incredible! If you used a polarizer, kindly share which kit you used and any comments about it. I also love my 14-24 mm lens.

Barry, I don't recall using the CPL on the beach for these shots. I know I did use an ND5 or a soft graduated ND at times.

I used the fotodiox filter system on the 14-24mm. The setup is a real beast with huge (145mm) filters! Overall, I was pleased with the system. If interested, read Glenn's excellent review from his blog.

 

[Darrell C]

there are less than a handful of people that capture photos like those, just astonishing work.