Iceland's Diamond Beach

[Kyle Jones]

A visit to the Diamond Beach outside of the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon was a bucket list item for me when I went to Iceland in May. I'd been tracking the weather and we picked a sunrise that looked promising and started the drive from our hotel in Hofn at about midnight. As we drove, I started getting concerned because we were driving through thick fog almost the whole time.

By the time we arrived, I'd resigned myself to the moody monochrome shots I'd seen with water flowing back down the black sand around chunks of ice. Like this...

It was fun, even in the "dark" of night (never really gets dark in May) and overcast skies looking for ice compositions:

And then to my surprise we were treated to a beautiful sunrise. I'd previously shared some of the detail shots I took that morning, but here are some wider views. It was a thrill running up and down the beach as the light changed, looking for new icebergs to photograph. These last two are a couple of my favorites.

As always, any thoughts are welcome!

 

[JimFox]

Hey Kyle,

These are really great looking.

I like the first 2 a lot. They don't have sparkles of color from the sky, but they do allow from some cool jeweled effects with the overcast sky.

#3 is probably my favorite, I am thinking you really scored here.

So I guess I need to book my airfare now for May?

 

[Ben Egbert]

I agree with Jim on 3, but all of these are just great images.

 

[AlanLichty]

Wow - I can see why you had this on your bucket list. That's an incredible sight and some great shots here. I hate picking a favorite since that implies that the others aren't incredible (they all are) but that third image with the sunrise colors and the interesting dark space with backlit chunks of ice is riveting.

 

[MonikaC]

Really nice set, Kyle! Was it super crowded when you were there? As cliche as it is, it's one of my favorite places in Iceland. Different every day.

 

[Kyle Jones]

Hey Kyle,

These are really great looking.

I like the first 2 a lot. They don't have sparkles of color from the sky, but they do allow from some cool jeweled effects with the overcast sky.

#3 is probably my favorite, I am thinking you really scored here.

So I guess I need to book my airfare now for May?

#3 is my favorite as well. Usually I'll put my favorite at the top of a post but I felt the story worked better showing them in order.

Book a trip anytime - there are always pluses and minuses. May avoids the summer crowds and there are puffins around, but most of the interior roads are closed and it never really gets dark enough for stars. Winter gives you northern lights but very little daylight and no puffins.

I agree with Jim on 3, but all of these are just great images.

Thanks a lot Ben!

Wow - I can see why you had this on your bucket list. That's an incredible sight and some great shots here. I hate picking a favorite since that implies that the others aren't incredible (they all are) but that third image with the sunrise colors and the interesting dark space with backlit chunks of ice is riveting.

Thanks a lot Alan - that one is my unabashed favorite of these.

Really nice set, Kyle! Was it super crowded when you were there? As cliche as it is, it's one of my favorite places in Iceland. Different every day.

Thanks Monika. My two friends and I were the only ones there! There were a couple of campers in the parking lot sleeping through sunrise. They missed a good one. I agree about it as a favorite place. One of my most enjoyable mornings shooting photos ever.

 

[Jim Sanderson]

These are nice Kyle, I like that third one the best. It has the diamond like appearance with some of the ice, but also has a nice background which helps give it a sense of place.

 

[Tom Narwid]

Beautiful images Kyle!

 

[BarryHamilton]

Wonderful set, Kyle! Had to be a very cool experience!

 

[Jeffrey]

Fine group of images. Kyle. Never seen ice look so good.