When you have spent decades photographing Iceland, it becomes harder to find new locations, creative compositions, and subjects. Sometimes you manage to find new compositions, sometimes not, and this photography trip to the mysterious mountain Snæfell in East Iceland demonstrated what we’ve often encountered: you need to return to some places, again and again, to get different conditions and lighting for your photography – and not least to learn the location and do what photographers call “working the scene.” Few shots from the photo journey Gyða gives a sense of scale, standing in front of the Hafrahvammagljúfur canion. The patterns and abstract formations created by the small ponds in the desert are amazing. The wind was strong when this was taken. The colors of the Snæfell mountain remind of Landmannalaugar. The colors are similar since this is a volcano. Some believe the mountain is still an active volcano.

Waiting for the right light in landscape photography can be challenging. Gyða and I spent two nights at Herðubreiðarlindir in the jeep to capture Herðubreið at sunset. Herðubreið has fascinated me as a subject, as it's called the ‘Queen of Icelandic Mountains’ and was voted Iceland's national mountain in 2002. Most pictures of this beautifully shaped mountain found on the internet are what I call midday photos. Harsh light that does the landscape no favors. This is probably because most people visit Askja and Herðubreiðarlindir when the weather is bright and clear. But that’s not necessarily the best light. We needed colorful photos of the national mountain, so we set out to achieve that goal. The sunset on the first evening was decent but didn’t offer the vibrant colors we had hoped for. So, we spent the time walking around the area, searching for foregrounds and suitable compositions. On day two, we woke up to scorching heat, a swarm of insects, and harsh light with pitch-black shadows and scorched clouds. Nevertheless, we decided to wait out the harsh light and let the insects feast on us all day, hoping the light would soften by evening. As sunset approached, we weren’t optimistic. A thick cloud bank had formed over the mountain, and the conditions didn’t look promising. But when the time came, the clouds thinned, and we were treated to an explosion of colors that we won’t soon forget. After 11 p.m., the sun began to paint the sky, reaching its peak between 11:00 and 11:30. We stayed up until 1 a.m. and went to bed content, despite the mosquito bites. Actually, I wasn’t bitten at all. For some reason, the mosquitoes found Gyða much sweeter than me. Different foregrounds place different emphasis on the mountain in the composition. However, the mountain always remains the...

Photographing the queen of all mountains There is this mountain in Iceland called Herðubreið, sometimes referred to as the queen of Icelandic mountains. We have always wanted to photograph this mountain during the golden hours. This is what we did. We spent two days photographing in the highlands and camped in our car. In this video, we drive into the highlands, where we have a great time.

One of the most enjoyable things we do is search for and discover new locations in landscape photography. Find motifs that spark creativity because you have no preconceived ideas about the subject.Finding new locations or perspectives is rewarding. We see it incredibly fulfilling when they are close to our home.In this video, we scout the local landscapes for inspiration and avoid the more famous waterfalls and photo locations.

We use camo-nets in our bird photography. In this video, we use camo-nets to get closer to shorebirds and give a few audio tips, and tips on how to switch between video and photography efficiently in the field. There are many ways to get close to wildlife, long lenses being the most common solution. I use camo nets, not only to get closer but also to get a more relaxed subject. The birds behave more naturaly when they don't see humans, even at a greater distance. This video was shot on the go and is simply about us trying to get intimate shots of birds by using camo-nets spiced with a few tips.