Around Patreksfjörður, Iceland

Patreksfjörður is a fishing village, with about 650 inhabitants, located on the north side of the eponymous fjord. It is one of the oldest trading posts in the Westfjords. In this fjord the first potatoes were grown in Iceland in the 18th century. The main source of existence in Patreksfjörður is the fish processing industry. But tourism also plays an increasingly important role, the beauty of the region attracts many tourists. This is not surprising, because the fishing village has gems such as the Látrabjarg cliffs, Rauðasandur beach and the Dynjandi waterfall nearby.

Garðar BA 64

Just outside of Patreksfjörður there is quite an interesting site. A Shipwreck. This Icelandic ghost ship, the ‘Gardar BA 64’ is the oldest steel ship from Iceland. It was built in 1912 by a Norwegian shipyard and used for whaling in the Icelandic waters. The ship has been beached for years and is now a rusting ruin. 

The ship, originally known as the ‘Globe IV’ was a state-of-the-art whaling vessel. The hull was specially reinforced to break through the icy Southern seas. During its active lifetime it was sold around to a number of different countries before finding an Icelandic owner in 1950. It was renamed ‘Garðar’ and it was used or fishing herring.

In 1981 the ship stranded at Patreksfjörður, one of the fjords in the north-west of the country. In fact the ship it is still there today. The Icelandic ghost ship is slowly rusting away.


Látrabjerg

Perhaps one of the best known places in The Westfjord area is Látrabjerg. About an hours drive from Patreksfjörður, well that is if you have a decent car for the trip. The road out there can be quite bad and rough. A 4x4 or bigger SUV is ideal for this road.

Látrabjarg is a headland, cliff and the most western part of Iceland and is also seen as the most western part of Europe (ignoring some islands of the Azores). The cliffs are inhabited by millions of birds, including puffins, gannets, guillemots and razorbills. It is of vital importance for their survival as it is home to up to 40% of the world's population of some species such as the razorbill. It is Europe's largest bird cliff, 14 kilometers long and up to 440 meters high.


Hjnótur

The previous farmer of the farm Hnjotur, Egill Olafsson († October 25th 1999) spent a large portion of his life collecting various items and articles of local and national historical importance for his museum. His interest and emphasis was for many reasons oriented towards the aviation history of the country. This museum is among the most interesting in the country and well worth the visiting. The museum also has very interesting setups from local history. Where can you see an old Viking ship, Russian airplane, a preach preparing to burry, old technology a lot of other things in the same little museum.

Dynjandi

Driving up north from Patreksfjörður will get you to the amazing Dynjandi waterfall(s). It is about a 1,5h drive one way. Water flows from the Dynjandisheiði plateau into the Dynjandisá river and then cascades down into the Dynjandi waterfall, also called Fjallfoss. The Dynjandi is the largest waterfall in the Westfjord area of Iceland. And it is a stunning location to spend some time photographing, and admiring the natural beauty and raw power of mother nature.

The waterfall is no less than 100 meters high, 30 meters wide at the top and about 60 meters wide at the bottom. The other six waterfalls further downstream are the Hæstahjallafoss, the Strompgljúfrafoss, the Göngumannafoss, the Hrísvaðsfoss, the Hundafoss and finally the Bæjarfoss. There is a footpath from the parking lot to the waterfall.

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Valahnúkamöl - Iceland

In the south of Iceland, close to the airport you can find this amazing place called Valahnúkamöl. Which is often overlooked, and therefore not visited a lot. Although I think its getting more visitors recently. During my first visit here I was the only person around. But this might be because of the weather. It was pouring down rain. These 3 images are from that first visit. July in 2018. What was supposed to be a nice summers day turned into this grey, cold and wet day. But this is Iceland. And, I don’t mind these conditions at all. I even prefer this over sunny weather.

Valahnúkamöl is an impressive place to hang out. Sea stacks and tall sea cliffs, shaped by the Atlantic ocean and its storms. To me this is one of the most amazing places in all of south Iceland. I love coming back here every time I visit Iceland. In the distance you can see the rock, called “Karl”.

There’s quite a few photo’s out there where there’s a person standing on the shore, and with “Karl” in the background. And guess what? Yes, I have that one too. My friend Þráinn Kolbeinsson from Iceland was kind enough to pose for me, as you can see on the photo below. This photo was taken during another trip. When the conditions were slightly better, but still, very very rough as you can see. Just how we landscape photographers like it.

Be sure to check out Þráinn’s work, he’s an amazing photographer located in the south of Iceland. Check out his work here: https://www.facebook.com/thrainnko

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Faroe Islands - Workshop July 2019

Last week I was doing a photography workshop in the Faroe Islands together with my friend Páll Jökull from Iceland. We had a really nice group of photographers that we showed around the country, shooting tons and tons of locations. And we actually had really decent weather. All in all the trip was a succes, and Páll and I can’t wait to do our Faroe Islands tour next year in May. Interested in that: click here

I will upload some more shots from this workshop in the next couple of weeks, keep your eyes peeled…

Epic views in Norðradalur

Here is a little movie I have put together, filmed during the trip. All shots were taken with my Iphone, so its just a quick capture of how our workshop was. Let me know what you think of the video.

Waterfall in Eiði - The Faroe Islands

In the Faroe Islands there are a lot of waterfalls, big, small, popular and a little bit more unknown.
This particular one is located just north from the town of Eiði, on Eysturoy island. It is fairly unknown, but rising in popularity among photographers. I don't know if it has an official name, not too sure.

I’ve heard that this waterfall isn’t always there. For example in the summer, when there’s less water in the streams on the hill the waterfall will be reduced to a mere single stream running down the cliff. But in Autumn when I visited this location there was a decent amount of water plunging down into the Atlantic ocean. Take a look at some of my shots from this location.

Panorama of the entire coastline just outside of Eiði.

Long exposure shot of the waterfall.

Looking back into the other direction you can see the 71 meter high sea stack “Risin” in front of the rugged clifss. Absolutely amazing scenery.

Massive waves crashing into the cliffs, and the wind is blowing the waterfall back up onto the cliff.

Another long exposure, with me trying to stand still. Which was pretty hard with heavy winds throwing you around.

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Tórshavn by mobile phone

In September I’ve spent 9 days in the amazing Faroe Islands. I have been travelling through the country, shooting some amazing stuff with my DSLR. But with modern technology so advanced and available for everyone it made sense to take some snapshots with my Iphone. Like basically everyone would do right?

Below is a selection of shots that I’ve taken with my Iphone, in the capital city of the Faroe Islands. Tórshavn. You can easily go about capturing this small, but super cosy and amazing city with your mobile phone. A great picture doesn’t necessarily need to be taken with and expensive and professional camera.
Not at all. (technical) Quality matters, but not always. In my eyes, composition and “feel” is key to a great photograph. Tórshavn is so pretty, and photogenic that you will find lots and lots of good compositions and perspectives to snap a very nice photo with your mobile phone.

Have a look at the ones I took!

Down by the water at Tinganes. Kneeled down to get a little bit more of the water in the foreground in the frame.

Down by the water at Tinganes. Kneeled down to get a little bit more of the water in the foreground in the frame.

Very famous spot among photographers, in the heart of Tórshavn. Tórshavn Cathedral and Bryggjubakki street (left) and Undir Bryggjubakka street (right) at the centre of the city

Very famous spot among photographers, in the heart of Tórshavn. Tórshavn Cathedral and Bryggjubakki street (left) and Undir Bryggjubakka street (right) at the centre of the city

Tórshavn by night. This was the street I stayed on during my visit.

Tórshavn by night. This was the street I stayed on during my visit.

Narrow streets, down by Áarstova. One of the best restaurants in The Faroe Islands.

Narrow streets, down by Áarstova. One of the best restaurants in The Faroe Islands.

Old, new, big and small… all types of boats in the harbors of Tórshavn.

Old, new, big and small… all types of boats in the harbors of Tórshavn.

SMS, the shopping centre in Tórshavn. And the biggest in The Faroe Islands

SMS, the shopping centre in Tórshavn. And the biggest in The Faroe Islands

Typical street scene in Tórshavn

Typical street scene in Tórshavn

I just can’t get enough of how cool these houses look!

I just can’t get enough of how cool these houses look!

Tinganes, the old and very cozy area of Tórshavn. Tinganes is the historic location of the Faroese landsstýri (government)

Tinganes, the old and very cozy area of Tórshavn. Tinganes is the historic location of the Faroese landsstýri (government)

Romantic and beautiful, Tórshavn is both!!

Romantic and beautiful, Tórshavn is both!!

Typical and beautiful Faroese houses.

Typical and beautiful Faroese houses.

Hey, this street smells like fish… makes sense!

Hey, this street smells like fish… makes sense!

View on Tórshavn, seen from the town/area of Argir.

View on Tórshavn, seen from the town/area of Argir.

The amazing people at Visit Faroe Islands will provide you with all information and details you need.

The amazing people at Visit Faroe Islands will provide you with all information and details you need.

Lots of cozy coffeehouses to take a break, and enjoy the city, staring through the windows.

Lots of cozy coffeehouses to take a break, and enjoy the city, staring through the windows.

Skansin is a historic fortress in Tórshavn. And it has a nice lighthouse

Skansin is a historic fortress in Tórshavn. And it has a nice lighthouse

Thank you for checking out my images. Keep in mind, all these shots were taken with an Iphone. They were edited on an Iphone as well. With the VSCO app. That lets you apply certain looks and feel to a photograph, and gives you control over some basic edit tools as well.

It also supports RAW files. So you can also transfer your DSLR images to your app, and edit them on your phone, on the go, very modern, very nice.