The mountains in Iceland reflect the ever changing skies

It is beautiful in Iceland. God's geology experiment.

In Reykjavik, the sky never sleeps

Standing behind a roaring waterfall is about the most exhilarating experience I've ever had.

You become overwhelmed by the force of nature and you feel very small indeed.

Mark from Melbourne. Not exactly the camera you would use at Wimbledon.

Interesting guy, he develops the plates himself. I never got around to

getting his contact details, would love to see how his shots turned out.

When lava solidifies, the different metallic ores crystallise into different colours.

I never knew that.

Reykjavik, I loved it. Drama and peace in a changing land.

Geysir, 'the original' from which others got their name. This erupts every

4-5 minutes blasting boiling sulphurous fumes into the air.

Happily, the whaling boats are laid up and rusting,

there is thankfully more money in getting tourists to watch whales in the sea,

rather than persuading tourists to eat them.

There is a mistaken belief that whale meat is a traditional

Icelandic cuisine and hence tourists are tempted to try it.

I did not.

Please visit Iceland and view the remarkable landscape and flora and fauna.

But please do not eat whales.

Go out on a boat and watch them, they will love you for that

and you will have a better day.

Quiet and unassuming, the Icelanders are nevertheless welcoming and friendly, even if they do not move very much. I had interesting chats with these guys.

Iceland. It's strange..

it's eclectic..

Weirdly humorous..

..and then you go a few kilometres outside Reykjavik, and nature's beauty just captivates you

Centre of Reykjavik, Monday Evening. Hell's Angels burst in on the scene. Park their choppers and stand menacingly. The square clears.

I went up and said, "can I photograph your bikes?"

They looked at each other in disbelief and said.. OK

They were clearly unused to anyone walking up to them to talk. They expect people to scatter! Confront them with a photo opportunity and they turned around on their heels and scuffed their boots like 6 year olds being asked to join the choir.

Then these menacing guys turned into complete nervous puppies as I tried to get them to pose with their bikes.

Only Einar, The Courageous agreed to pose. I think it's because he had the

Harley that I liked.

There's some trekking involved, here on our way to the newest mountain in the world, and lunch is strictly 'al fresco'.

All terrain vehicles are needed to get to the best spots for photographs. This landrover's tyre pressure had to be adjusted each step of the way depending on ice conditions and altitude on the glacier. For soft snow the tyres are deflated and on the descent they need to be inflated by the compressor connected to the engine. I'll never moan about a bit of snow on the road again.

Please visit my Iceland Gallery of 2011

http://michael-canning.artistwebsites.com/art/all/iceland/all

and my blog of my 2012 trip on:

http://michaeliniceland2012.blogspot.dk/

When the sun never sets, you can go and meet happy friendly people. This is where I uploaded my images from last year's trip. People just came up and said, "Where are you from, where have you been today, can I see your photos? You should go to such and such, great sunsets, iceberg shots". The Icelandic people are welcoming, friendly and great company.

Downtown Reykjavik. The houses and shops are made of corrugated iron and people drive around in huge Porsche Cayanne 4x4 trucks.

Viking beer on every corner

Stayed at the Plaza, great location in the centre of Reykjavik.

Next to the tourist office for booking trips. Really helpful, friendly staff.

Dull lounge, but I never needed it. Clean comfortable rooms with good showers.

Reykjavik Sky

This is Reykjavik July 2011. A quirky town of some 300,000 people who wander the streets all night in summer and drink vodka all winter. Nice, friendly and welcoming, it is hard to be otherwise when you live in constant awe of the surrounding nature.

Going to Iceland in July 2012

I'm returning to Iceland in July 2012 and seeking out the majestic beauty of this land which I caught a glimpse of in the summer of 2011. I'm joining a professional photographer, Julieanne Kost in her 'Persuing your personal project' workshop where I hope to take my photography to a new level.

I will be there in one week, please follow my new blog entries of my return to magical Iceland.

Going to Iceland in July

http://blogs.adobe.com/jkost/2011/11/returning-to-iceland.html