Photo Locations of Iceland - Diamond Beach

Fellsfjara is one of the most visited places in Iceland. People may know it by a different name - Diamond Beach, however this is not a historical name, but rather a successful marketing attempt to popularize the site. It's clear to see why it worked, as icebergs from the nearby Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon shimmer like pieces of diamonds against the volcanic black sand of the Atlantic ocean. 

The lagoon itself is relatively new. Jökulsárlón began forming when Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier started retreating about 90 years ago. Before 1934 the outlet glacier reached the highway but then began to retreat. The lagoon is now only about 250 meters away from the Atlantic Ocean and around 30km² in size. Jökulsárlón is also the deepest lake in Iceland with a maximum depth of around 260 meters.There are dozens of glacier lagoons around Vatnajökull, but only one where so much ice is deposited alongside the beach.

As the tide rises, warmer ocean waters enter the lagoon, mixing with glacier water and uplifting the glacial outlet. When it retreats, the tips of the glacial outlet break off and drift out to the sea and get washed up on the nearby shore. This is a year around process, so barring very specific conditions (Strong south eastern winds that blow ice chunks away from the mouth of the river, or extreme cold freezing the lagoon) it can be observed any time of the year.

Images taken with Nikon D810, Tamron 15-30mm

Photo locations of Iceland - Goðafoss

Goðafoss (waterfall of the Gods or waterfall of the Goði) is one of the most iconic landmarks in Iceland. Couple it with one of the most spectacular natural phenomena - northern lights and you get a magical moment. Overall green tones of the image is caused by a moonless night as the only source of color the camera was able to pick up was these green overtones of the northern lights.

Waterfall sits on the river Skjálfandafljót which has its source at the northwestern border of Vatnajökull glacier. From there it streams through Icelandic highlands and finally flows into Skjálfandi bay north of the country. Waterfall itself is about 30 meters wide and drops down from the height of 12 meters. 

There is also an interesting backstory to this waterfall. Goðafoss is connected to Icelands conversion from Norse paganism to Christianity. In the year 1000 AD, þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði þorkelsson, chieftain from nearby Ljósavatn, was at that time a lawspeaker in Icelanding Alþingi (Parliament). He was faced with the task to settle growing disputes between those who practiced old customs and Christian followers. Despite being a pagan himself, he decided that all of Iceland should be Christian. Legend says that, once he returned back to Ljósavatn, as a symbolic act, he took relics of the Norse gods and threw them into the waterfall. This is how the waterfall got its name.

Surprisingly only last year, 2020, authorities of Iceland finally declared that Goðafoss is a protected site. The protection means that the natural flow of the water into the waterfall will be maintained and preserved, limiting commercial activity along the river.

Camera used: Nikon D810, Irix 11mm