Iceland: Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon

The ice is restless. As the lagoon inhales a wave, the ice crackles and snaps drifting slowly inland away from the shore – the beach outside the lagoon’s entrance.

Then, an exhale as the water level lowers and the ice changes direction rushing back towards the sea.

“The tide must be going out,” I think since the ice seems to move that way more freely.

Inhale. Exhale. The ice is always on the move.

The experience of observing the lagoon and noticing the motion of the ice changed the way I approached making my images. I didn’t anticipate this motion, so a faster shutter speed was necessary to freeze the action. Slow as it may be, it’s still moving, and that can make a difference between a sharp photo and a soft photo.

As part of the experience, I decided to join some friends on a boat tour of the lagoon. I mean, how often do you get an opportunity to go boating on a glacial lagoon? I couldn’t resist.

I was glad I took the tour because I was presented with countless opportunities for creating abstract images of the ice.

There was even a seal!

Back on shore, I noticed that the larger the iceberg, the less it moves, so I did try some long exposures that blurred the small pieces of ice that quickly drifted by the larger, more stationary, pieces.

Just like the ocean currents, there was a moment of slack between the inhaling and exhaling that could be used for longer exposures as well.

I found it fascinating to learn how to change my technique based on the size of the subject and the timing of the waves.

Photographing the ice turned out to be much more challenging – and rewarding – than I expected.