ICELAND RIVERS

Of all the things I've photographed, the glacial melt rivers in Iceland may be my favorite. Years ago I saw photos of them and I simply couldn't believe what I was seeing. It looked like a painting, but you're telling this is a landscape?!! I looked forward to shooting these rivers on my first trip to Iceland, but it didn't happen. Most photo tours were focused on iconic locations, and not aerial photography. I was determined though, and after a lot of research I found out where to go and how to get there. I would be in a plane and flying over the Icelandic landscape. Most of these images were made shooting out the window of a Cesna airplane. From this high perspective (200--3000 feet) the rivers look like vasculature running through the black sand plains. The patterns and colors are surreal — more like a fine art abstract painting than a landscape.

These photographs show Iceland’s braided glacial rivers from the air as they spread across the black sand plains of the highlands.