Located near the community known as Vik lies a beautiful black sand beach called Reynisfjara. This site was swarmed with tourists, bird watchers, and even a local crew conducting a commercial photography shoot. It was a very warm day, very comfortable with minimal wind. It was quiet save for the soothing lap of the waves on the black pebble beach and the crunch of approaching feet.
Beach Pebbles
The parking area was full, a clear indication of the area’s popularity. Yet the view from here does not fully reveal the drama to come. First, one passes through a black sandy plain with boulders strewn about. Then comes an incredible stack of basalt columns resembling a church organ. Proceeding further, a dramatic sea cave is soon revealed, featuring some very interesting shapes and subtle colors within the basalt. I arrived at low tide, so I easily ventured inside the cave and enjoyed the panoramic view looking out toward the sea. The shape of the cave seemed to amplify the soft hush of the waves when inside so it gives a wonderful three-dimensional quality to the sounds. I was able to take some time to photograph in here and just relax, looking out to the ocean, watching the waves, photographing the tourists, feeling the presence of the mountain hovering over me. I think some of my images here are the most striking from the trip. These were made with minimal effort…they just happened from my sitting position looking out. In one, the model from the photo shoot walked right in front of one of the sea stacks…creating a happy formal accident where the human and geological silhouettes struck an uncanny resemblance to one another.
