Date: 5th Mar 2023

Around Vik

Today we had another opportunity to explore the area around Vik. First we visited the black beach at Reynisfjara for sunrise. This is one of the most famous beaches in Iceland, and has been voted as one of the top 10 non-tropical beaches in the world. The main attractions are some cliffs made up of basalt columns, and the Reynisfjara Pinnacles out to sea. When we arrived before sunrise, there was already a line of photographers on the beach, which restricted our composition options a little, and even so, one photographer insisted in being in the picture!

Photographing Reynisfjara Beach

Unfortunately the morning was quite misty and the sunrise did not develop any further. The cliffs at Reynisfjara face west, so are in shadow in the morning, Therefore we decided to return to Vik and re-visit the black beach which is on the other side of the headland, so the cliffs face east and catch the early morning light. At first the sun was behind cloud, but that made for some moody wave pictures.

Waves At Vik Black Beach

Vik Black Beach

Gradually the sun rose from behind the clouds  and there was then some nice light on the east facing cliffs.

Waves At Vik Black Beach

Early Morning At Vik Black Beach

Looking back towards Vik from the beach, there is a view of Vik church, backed by mountains. This is a long focal length shot take from the beach car park.

Vik Church

Despite the promising start to the day, the weather closed in significantly and it began to rain heavily by mid morning. We therefore returned to the hotel, and spent the rest of the day indoors editing pictures – the only time during the holiday that we were held by the weather.