AN ODE TO ICELAND

Luisa Wasshausen

Iceland's untouched and wild landscapes captivated my soul ever since my first visit in 2017. As a photographer, I've immediately been drawn to its raw, unspoiled beauty. Spectacular waterfalls crash into rugged rocks, creating a mesmerizing dance of water and mist. Volcanic black sand beaches stretch endlessly, their stark contrast against the white-capped waves creating a dramatic scene. Glaciers carve majestic paths through the wilderness, their black and blue layered ice fuel to the mysterious atmosphere. The often ethereal light - whether it may be during the endless golden hours in summer, the never fading blue hours in winter or the pitch-black absence of it during the night that allows the aurora to dance in the sky in all its splendour - offers endless opportunities to capture its untamed beauty. The ever-changing and unpredictable weather adds another layer of complexity and challenges, with sudden shifts creating dramatic scenes that are a dream for any landscape photographer, but can as well end in a nightmare, wherever gear and humans reach their limits.

Sneaky waves, merciless storms, temperatures way beyond freezing and endless deserts of dust and ash can end up being a fatal enemy to photography gear, if underestimated. There is a sense of untouched purity that permeates every corner of the island. This rawness is a powerful reminder of the earth's ancient, untamed nature, offering a stark contrast to the often manicured and controlled environments we are accustomed to and a perfect way to remind oneself of how small our lives are compared to the existence of our planet.

This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 22.