Kevin Palmer

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  • I found these horses on the side of a random road in Iceland. The mother was very friendly, walking up to the fence so I could pet her. But the young foal was more shy.
    Friendly Icelandic Horse
  • There aren't very many waterfalls in the world that allow you to walk behind them and watch the sunset. But you can do just that at Seljalandsfoss on the southern coast of Iceland (foss is Icelandic for waterfall). This is only possible during the late summer and early fall, when the sun lines up and transform the curtain of water into liquid gold. A rain jacket or poncho is essential if you want to get behind the waterfall without getting soaked. The force of the water falling 200 feet and hitting the pool below almost seemed to create it's own wind, with the spray going everywhere. It only took a few seconds before my lens was covered with water droplets. To get this shot I huddled over my camera in a corner, waiting for just the right moment when the sun popped out and no one was walking in front of the falls. This is a popular tour bus stop along Iceland's Ring Road, so it can get very crowded at times.
    Liquid Gold
  • Iceland has no shortage of scenic waterfalls. This one is called Hraunfossar (meaning Lava Falls) and it's located near Húsafell in the western interior. The water splits into numerous cascades as it trickles through the mossy lava field and flows into the Hvítá River. Volcanic activity still heats the many hot springs found in this valley, which includes the most powerful one in Europe. The river is fed by the Langjökull Glacier, the 2nd largest in Iceland. Glacial silt suspended in the water gives it the beautiful turquoise color. A forest of short but colorful birch trees grew around the river, an unusual sight in this mostly treeless country.
    Hraunfossar
  • Iceland has no shortage of scenic waterfalls. This one is called Hraunfossar (meaning Lava Falls) and it's located near Húsafell in the western interior. The water splits into numerous cascades as it trickles through the mossy lava field and flows into the Hvítá River. Volcanic activity still heats the many hot springs found in this valley, which includes the most powerful one in Europe. The river is fed by the Langjökull Glacier, the 2nd largest in Iceland. Glacial silt suspended in the water gives it the beautiful turquoise color. A forest of short but colorful birch trees grew around the river, an unusual sight in this mostly treeless country.
    Lava Falls
  • Kirkjufellsfoss is one of the most iconic scenes in Iceland. Just Google "Iceland" and see how many times it shows up. The name translates to "church mountain waterfall" because of the peak's nearly perfect symmetrical shape. There is a trail (if it can be called that) leading to the top of Kirkjufell which is one of the steepest I've ever hiked. In the evening, tour buses stop here and this small spot is filled with hordes of tourists and photographers lined up tripod to tripod to capture the sunset. But I wanted to avoid that so I came back in the morning when it was much quieter. There was a storm moving in and the sunrise didn't look very promising. But the eastern sky took on an orange glow for a short time.
    Kirkjufellsfoss Sunrise
  • At the end of a peninsula northwest of Reykjavik is a volcano called Snæfellsjökull, which translates to "snow mountain glacier." Without a guide or a 4x4 vehicle this glacier is not easy to reach. But I couldn't visit Iceland without finding some ice, so I headed up the road on foot instead to see how close I could get. Clouds swirled around the dome-shaped peak all day, offering only brief glimpses of the summit pillar. After passing the moss covered slopes I reached the top of a cinder cone at 800 meters, and slid to the bottom. With hands bloody from the sharp lava rocks, I made it to the foot of the glacier. The ice crunched beneath my feet as I slowly took a few steps and stopped at this crevasse. I don't know how deep it was, but didn't want to find out. Snæfellsjökull is one of the most famous sites in Iceland, in part because of the Jules Verne book, "Journey to the Center of the Earth." In the fictional book written in 1864, the passage to the center of the Earth begins here. With numerous caves found in the area and even holes that drop straight into the ocean, it's not hard to imagine how he got that idea.
    Snæfellsjökull Crevasse
  • At the end of a peninsula northwest of Reykjavik is a volcano called Snæfellsjökull, which translates to "snow mountain glacier." Without a guide or a 4x4 vehicle this glacier is not easy to reach. But I couldn't visit Iceland without finding some ice, so I headed up the road on foot instead to see how close I could get. Clouds swirled around the dome-shaped peak all day, offering only brief glimpses of the summit pillar. After passing the moss covered slopes I reached the top of a cinder cone at 800 meters, and slid to the bottom. With hands bloody from the sharp lava rocks, I made it to the foot of the glacier. The ice crunched beneath my feet as I slowly took a few steps and stopped at this crevasse. I don't know how deep it was, but didn't want to find out. Snæfellsjökull is one of the most famous sites in Iceland, in part because of the Jules Verne book, "Journey to the Center of the Earth." In the fictional book written in 1864, the passage to the center of the Earth begins here. With numerous caves found in the area and even holes that drop straight into the ocean, it's not hard to imagine how he got that idea.
    Blue Rift
  • After seeing only about 1 hour of clear skies over 5 nights, I was determined to catch a good aurora display on my last night in Iceland. The southern coast was showing the best weather forecast. So that is where I went, camping in the shadow of the glacier-capped Eyjafjallajökull volcano which was lit up by the moonlight. This is the same volcano that erupted 7 years ago with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII. As soon as it got dark the northern lights came out and stayed the entire night. Compared to lower latitudes, the aurora up here is brighter and moves and changes so much faster. It will often appear anywhere in the sky, not just limited to the north.
    Volcanic Green
  • Skógafoss is a 60 meter high waterfall in southern Iceland. In the evening it is positioned perfectly for vivid rainbows to appear in the mist. I got here at the perfect time, once I made it to the top and back the rainbow was already gone.
    Rainbow of Skógafoss
  • On my 4th night in Iceland I stayed at a small campground in Setburg outside of Grundarfjörður. This was the view at sunset. The mountain on the left is Kirkjufell, but this is a much different perspective than most people see.
    Setburg Sunset
  • After seeing only about 1 hour of clear skies over 5 nights, I was determined to catch a good aurora display on my last night in Iceland. The southern coast was showing the best weather forecast. So that is where I went, camping in the shadow of the glacier-capped Eyjafjallajökull volcano which was lit up by the moonlight. This is the same volcano that erupted 7 years ago with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII. As soon as it got dark the northern lights came out and stayed the entire night. Compared to lower latitudes, the aurora up here is brighter and moves and changes so much faster. It will often appear anywhere in the sky, not just limited to the north.
    Aurora Gap
  • At the base of the 200' tall Skógafoss waterfall in Iceland I saw something I've never seen before: a 360° rainbow. Every rainbow is actually a full circle, but the lower part is almost always blocked by the horizon. There are only a few situations where a full 360° rainbow may become visible. One way is to have a very high vantage point, where you can clearly see below. A steep mountaintop or an airplane window would work under perfect weather conditions. But in this case, it was spray from the waterfall that caused the rare optical effect. The rainbow faded in and out depending on the wind and where I was standing. The amount of mist in the air had to be just right. The sun also needed to be low on the horizon, so that the light would be shining through the mist at just the right angle. The radius of a rainbow from the center (the antisolar point) to the outer edge is always 42°. Since my widest lens only had a field of view of 81°, I couldn't quite capture it in it's entirety.
    360° Rainbow
  • The northern lights shine through evening twilight over the Atlantic Ocean near Ólafsvík, Iceland.
    Overpowering Green
  • The pyramid shaped Stapafell is reflected in a calm pond in Arnarstapi, Iceland.
    Stapafell Pond
  • After seeing only about 1 hour of clear skies over 5 nights, I was determined to catch a good aurora display on my last night in Iceland. The southern coast was showing the best weather forecast. So that is where I went, camping in the shadow of the glacier-capped Eyjafjallajökull volcano which was lit up by the moonlight. This is the same volcano that erupted 7 years ago with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII. As soon as it got dark the northern lights came out and stayed the entire night. Compared to lower latitudes, the aurora up here is brighter and moves and changes so much faster. It will often appear anywhere in the sky, not just limited to the north.
    Sleeping Giant
  • After seeing only about 1 hour of clear skies over 5 nights, I was determined to catch a good aurora display on my last night in Iceland. The southern coast was showing the best weather forecast. So that is where I went, camping in the shadow of the glacier-capped Eyjafjallajökull volcano which was lit up by the moonlight. This is the same volcano that erupted 7 years ago with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII. As soon as it got dark the northern lights came out and stayed the entire night. Compared to lower latitudes, the aurora up here is brighter and moves and changes so much faster. It will often appear anywhere in the sky, not just limited to the north. The aurora transformed into all kinds of interesting shapes, to me this shot looked like a surfing brontosaurus.
    Surfing Brontosaurus
  • The northern lights shine through evening twilight over the Atlantic Ocean near Ólafsvík, Iceland.
    Ólafsvík Aurora
  • At 1AM the aurora spread out and filled almost the entire sky above southern Iceland, while the moon illuminated the landscape.
    Green Skies at Night
  • I found these horses on the side of a random road in Iceland. The mother was very friendly, walking up to the fence so I could pet her. But the young foal was more shy.
    Mud on the Ears
  • ome of the best parts of Iceland are the unexpected spots that aren't on a map. I saw this waterfall in the distance near Rif and followed a gravel road to get closer. But the main overlook was still a ways away, and it looked like I couldn't get any closer without crossing the river. But I watched another group of people make it to the top of the falls, so I followed their tracks. It was worth the effort since the view was much better up close. Svödufoss flows over moss-covered basalt columns below the slopes of Snaefellsjokull volcano.
    Svödufoss
  • Kirkjufell is said to be the most photographed and one of the most beautiful mountains in Iceland. But not many people get to see the view from the top. The trail going up was the steepest and most exposed hike I've ever done. A system of knotted ropes must be used to make it up some of the cliffs. Once at the summit, the evening sun broke through, and low clouds floated past. The view was breathtaking.
    Kirkjufell Glow
  • This halo stayed in the sky for most of the evening over the Icelandic village of Arnarstapi. The pyramid-shaped mountain is Stapafell, which is a lower peak of the glacier-capped Snæfellsjökull volcano behind it.
    The Halo of Arnarstapi
  • Golden sunlight illuminates a white seaside house in the Icelandic village of Arnarstapi.
    White Seaside House
  • Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted in March of 2010, with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII.
    Eyjafjallajökull
  • The F570 road which heads up the east side of Snæfellsjökull volcano is quite steep and rough. I couldn't drive it with my rental car so I walked it instead.
    Road to Snæfellsjökull
  • This was the only time I was able to see the Snæfellsjökull volcano in it's entirety. The clouds on the left would soon move in and block the view of the glacier.
    Snæfellsjökull Barn
  • The 60 meter tall Seljalandsfoss tumbles over a cliff in the evening sunlight.
    Mist in the Air
  • This is the lower view of Kirkjufellsfoss. The light had already gone flat by the time I made it down here.
    Cloudy Kirkjufellsfoss
  • After waiting hours for thick clouds to clear over Grundarfjörður, I gave up and headed back to my campsite. But to my surprise the clouds parted briefly as I got close to Olafsvik. I stopped at this perfectly calm lagoon, which was lit up by the moonlight. The aurora wasn't as active as before, but it was still visible.
    Inverted S
  • Just as I had hoped, the sun began to break through the clouds while I climbed Kirkjufell.
    Breaking Through
  • I walked the loop around Seljalandsfoss about 3 times, capturing the different angles as the light changed. I was glad I had my rain jacket with me.
    Seljalandsfoss Evening
  • It was interesting seeing the contrasts of black lava, verdant moss, and glacial ice on Snæfellsjökull.
    Glacier and Moss
  • After reaching the top of Kirkjufell, the trail keeps going until that cliff at the end. This view is looking north out over the Atlantic Ocean.
    Where the Land Ends
  • Öxarárfoss is a small waterfall in Þingvellir National Park (pronounced Thingvellir). Morning is the perfect time to look for rainbows in the mist if it's sunny.
    Öxarárfoss Rainbow
  • The Rauðfeldsgjá Ravine is tucked away in a very narrow canyon below Snæfellsjökull. This was shot at the entrance, and you can't go any further without getting wet. I tried going up a little ways, but I found that the light and the moss looked better at the beginning.
    Rauðfeldsgjá Ravine
  • Since I was camping near Seljalandsfoss, I went over to get a few shots of the aurora above the falls. I wished I could have turned off the spotlights, since they were a bit too bright. The moon was positioned at the top of the falls.
    Seljalandsfoss Aurora
  • After shooting the sunrise I returned to my campsite at Setburg. This was the view looking across the bay at the mountains above Grundarfjörður.
    The Fjords of Grundar
  • After walking up the F570 road, I came to this view of the Snæfellsjökull glacier.  I knew I had to find a way down to the ice.
    Tongue of the Glacier
  • After waiting hours for thick clouds to clear over Grundarfjörður, I gave up and headed back to my campsite. But to my surprise the clouds parted briefly as I got close to Olafsvik. I stopped at this perfectly calm lagoon, which was lit up by the moonlight. The aurora wasn't as active as before, but it was still visible.
    Shallow Lagoon
  • Between the tiny village of Hellnar and Arnarstapi there is a path along the top of the sea cliffs. This was at the end of the trail overlooking Hellnar.
    To Hellnar and Back
  • It would have been too dangerous to stay on the summit of Kirkjufell for the sunset, and descend in the dark. So instead I shot the sunset from half way down, past the steepest part with the ropes. The view was almost as good anyway.
    Sunset From Kirkjufell
  • Vatnshellir Cave can only be entered with a guide. So I settled for this view from the surface.
    Vatnshellir Cave
  • The spine of Kirkjufell is lit up in the golden evening sunlight.
    Kirkjufell Spine
  • There are lots of rifts like this one in Þingvellir National Park. It is here where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. The plates are moving apart at about 3mm per year.
    Between Continents