After shooting at the cliffs and sea stacks on the eastern end of Reynisfjara Beach in the morning, we returned in the afternoon to enjoy the less crowded western part of the beach. As with most locations we visited in Iceland, I found the crowds centered around the key Instagram photo-worthy attractions and ignoring anything else. It was true on this day as only a few people wandered to the bigger western side of the beach, and if they did, they stuck to walking near the surf.  We went our separate ways to do some exploring and shooting to meet up later. I was enjoying doing some landscape photography when I noticed a magnificent composition. With the sunny and mostly cloudless day, you could see the glacier that sits atop the mountains that run along the south coast. You could frame a shot that included the black sand beach and grasses growing on the edge of the beach in the foreground with the glacier in the background.  I can imagine that most of the time the glacier would be hidden by fog, so this was a unique opportunity.

 

At that same moment, my mind melding partner came skipping down the beach with her newly found treasure of a white bird feather.  She said that we should shoot here and mentioned the same view I was thinking of.  I chuckled and said that I was thinking the same thing. So we looked for a place in the grass that hid us from direct view from the beach, but gave us enough room to create.  She found the perfect place and we began to shoot incorporating her white feather and a white knit shirt in addition to nudes. I love the richness of the colors of the green grass, deep black sand with the bright blue skies and mountains in the background.  As with most places I have visited, if you are aware of your surroundings, unplanned opportunities like this always present themselves. It is so fun and satisfying when you find them, like finding treasure waiting to be discovered.