It was my experience shooting the 2014 eruption of Holuhraun from a helicopter that my passion for landscape photography in Iceland was truly cemented; I cannot describe the exhilaration I felt soaring above its exploding ravines. After my first shoot, I grabbed every opportunity to take flight and capture it again, with each trip as awe-inspiring as the last. In spite of its ever-changing appearance allowing for endless compositions, it was my winter shoots here that were most rewarding.

The battling forces of fire and ice are part of what make this country’s landscapes so unforgettable, yet such a stark display of both occurs rarely. Not only was the wilderness cloaked in an untouched blanket of white snow, but it reached right to the banks of the molten rivers. [split]

Capturing this scene in the blue hour of dusk felt perfect enough, until the clouds above dispersed, and began to mirror the vividness and contrasts of the colors below.

The way in which the volcanic fumes pouring from the underworld matched the remaining cloud cover allowed the two scenes to blend seamlessly, creating a composition that truly captured the living beauty of the Land of Ice and Fire.