Iceland - Kilfbrekkufossar
Our second photo session happened on the fourth day of our trip. On the second day we headed towards another beautiful waterfall (Hengioss) and a 3-1/2mile, 1,000 foot climb that really didn’t offer any great shots. (What a waste, especially since my knees have been hating me ever since.) Day three was laundry day (we’d been on the road/boat for 8 days already). However, I chose the location for laundry because of the route we’d have to take on the way out, which passed by Kilfbrekku falls.
It again was a true test of patience - clouds on the eastern horizon generally blocking direct sunlight, and a fog that flowed up and over from the adjacent fjord to block most of the sunlight when the sun finally rose above the cloud bank to the east. Long story short, I have a bunch of similar images taken with no sunlight and then with sunlight. In the end, again, patience paid off.
Instead of just waiting, we made our cloud-covered images from the road side and then moved in closer for other images, like the one above. After awhile, the sun started breaking through the clouds so we moved back to our respective original positions.
As you can tell, the sun was fleeting and constantly moving. Interesting when it hits where you want it to hit, frustrating when it doesn’t. And determining the proper exposures for these situations was a nightmare. Still, it was an enjoyable morning working our craft.
About 20 minutes after the sun started breaking through, a massive cloud bank blew over the mountain to our left and blanketed us in darkness again. We took that as an indication that it was time to stop and head out for the rest of our day. That afternoon became our second introduction to just how packed the popular spots can be, so it was more look-see and go, or even not stop at all. However, given the skipped location (Stu∂lag Canyon), there’s a good chance we’ll be able to swing by in late September when nobody else should be around!).
It’s not that we’re curmudgeons, but crowds and us really don’t mix. Certainly not for photography. Give us a little-known falls all to ourselves and we’re as happy as can be.