The sixth and last day of our trip was here and after checking out of Hotel Vik, we were on the van and heading West.
We were on our way to the Sólheimasandur plane wreck.
About Sólheimasandur
On 21 November 1973, a Douglas C-117D transport aircraft operated by the United States Navy crashed onto Sólheimasandur beach in southern Iceland during severe icing conditions.
All seven crewmembers on board survived the accident, and the aircraft was written off.
The main fuselage wreckage has remained relatively intact since the accident, leading to the crash site becoming a tourist destination.
The Shoot
We arrived at the car park and we were booked on the second bus. Below is a Google picture of what the bus looks like.
As we waited in the van, we observed the first bus trying to drive through the snow, and it then got stuck at the side slightly leaning into the verge.
The passengers all got out and while we waited, I was wondering if we would end up having to abandon this visit.
It’s a 2-3km walk to the wreck site hence a bus service and warning signs to those that have walked it too late or inadequately dressed.
After a while, two 4×4 vehicles raced by Starksy and Hutch style and eventually pulled the bus back onto the snow covered road.
As the bus moved on, we observed how bumpy the bus was and those that have been before said you’ll need to hold on.
We got on the next bus, belted our self in and off we went. It was a bit of a squeeze with a camera bag and tripod but manageable.
The bus drivers seat must be spring-loaded as I could see his seat moving up and down beyond any vehicle seat I have ever seen.
On arrival at the site, there’s a short walk to the wreckage.
It not apparent in the shot above, but the bus has quite a number of people on it. Yes, people! Ew! How dare they enjoy a tourist spot and hinder our photography! Outrageous!
As we made our way down to the wreckage, the tourists are running to it and filling their boots with selfies.
I asked Steve how the hell add as going to get a shot. He said you have to take lots of images to try and get different sections clear of people, then merge all the images in Photoshop and then paint out the people.
I was thankful I didn’t have to do that in the end – more on that in a little while.
So, tourists who take a look, do a selfie then move on are to be congratulated.
What we witnessed were, quite frankly, knobheads!
While there were many rude Asian tourists observed this week, the first prat was a young Italian guy. He stood up on the top of the plane and then did a series of ‘Titanic’ style poses for picture from his impressed mates below.
Of little consequence to him was our scowling and disgruntlement / disgust at what a foolish thing to do on a structure covered in ice. He almost lost his footing a couple of times but lucky for him managed to avoid slipping off and breaking bones.
He eventually climbed down but managed to annoy us regularly by his climbing up and posing routine at various parts of the wreckage.
That was surely a one-off right? No!
Next up was a Chinese chap, but you can’t blame the young un’s this time. This guy was an older guy. Up he went, climbing on and doing his selfie with a smug “Look at me, aren’t I clever?” look on his face. Fuckwit!
As time moved on, eventually, many of the tourists started walking back to where the bus would arrive to pick us up.
Thankfully, this gave us 20-30 minutes of peace and quiet and save for a handful of tourists, time to get shots free of them.
Although I took the multiple shots with people in it, my first real decent shot was the other side of the plane.
I then decided to move around the plane and get some different angles.
This next one is one of my favourites, the vibrant red colour against the storm sky with mountain in the background.
I also like the snow and patterns in the foreground.
I grabbed a couple of shots from three back of the wreck.
We could see the bus approaching in the distance so packed up and went to join the queue.
Despite early frustrations with the tourists, that 20-30 minutes were invaluable to grabbing some decent shots. I found this wreck very interesting and glad we were able to visit.
Back at the van, we were on way to a famous waterfall called Skogafoss.
About Skogafoss
Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the Iceland, with a width of 25 metres (82 feet) and a drop of 60 m (200 ft).
Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days.
Visitors can be drenched if they go too near the waterfall, again due to the spray.
According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. The legend continues that locals found the chest years later, but were only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again.
The ring was allegedly given to the local church. The old church door ring is now in the Skógar museum.
The Shoot
We arrived at Skogafoss and enjoyed a nice lunch in their café.
The car park was like an ice rink and we observed many visitors in totally inappropriate footwear slipping over. It was an awkward crossover between funny and not so funny!
We then got our camera gear and made the careful walk to the waterfall to set up our tripods for a composition.
My first shot is below, just a classic scene.
I took a few shots here, and decided to try a portrait shot with some foreground interest.
The conditions were dull such that these captures almost appear monochrome in their presentation
We finished our shoot and headed back to the van.
We were heading West now back to Keflavík. My fellow photographers were staying an extra night as their original flight had been cancelled.
They kindly dropped me off at Reykjavik at the hotel where Kathryn had already arrived and was having a sleep.
The Incredible Iceland photography workshop was over. A year in the waiting, saving up to pay for it, purchase of kit, clothes and general over-buying of goods and we were done!
I had an amazing time with great people and some super memories of the experience, not just the images but the friendships and bonds I have made.
It seems a good point to share a photo of us all on the van.
I was dropped off at the hotel and said my goodbyes, and I was looking forward to meeting up with Kathryn.
It was good to relax and have a bit of downtime as the workshop was awesome but full on.
Now it was time for Kathryn and I to have a few days doing touristy stuff. Fear not, a blog post will be written in due course summarising our experiences.
Onwards and upwards…