How to bring home a special picture from Diamond Beach in Iceland without being dazzled by the diamonds and the icebergs, and what to watch out for.
Diamond Beach in Iceland, on the south coast, is a magical shore and among the most unusual in the world. It photographs wonderfully, and it is also very dangerous.
What makes Diamond Beach in Iceland so special
The sand is black because of volcanic ash from eruptions. Sitting calmly on that black sand are hundreds of chunks of ice in different sizes and shapes, until they melt away. They come from the break-up and melting of an enormous glacier called Vatnajökull, which covers about 7,900 square kilometres, roughly 8% of the country.
Around the glacier there is a range of attractions: glacier hiking or snowmobiling on the ice, a visit to an ice cave in winter, and in summer kayaking among the floating blocks.
Sadly, because of global warming the glacier is melting and retreating by about a hundred metres every year. The ice that breaks off makes its way into the glacier lagoon, drifts from there out to sea, and the waves then push it back onto the beach. Arriving at sunrise or sunset is a special experience: the ice takes on colour from the sun and looks like glittering diamonds. Now and then you can spot a seal playing in the water or resting on one of the floes.
A beautiful beach that can be very dangerous
Iceland is an island nation sitting in the Atlantic Ocean, and giant waves can arrive suddenly. They wash over the beach without warning and can sweep everything out to sea. Believe me, I have run into them more than once, and it is not pleasant at all. People have drowned in places like this.
On my first visit I saw a large block of ice, climbed onto it and thought I would photograph the others from above. Suddenly a huge wave came and washed me and the camera into the sea. By a miracle, only I got soaked and not the camera.
My recommendations for photographing
- Arrive around sunrise or sunset.
- Look for an interesting angle, crouch down and get close to the ice with the camera, carefully.
- Wait patiently for a wave to arrive and shoot as the foam slowly retreats.
- With a professional camera, this is the moment for a long exposure of about one second.
So if you find yourself on this lovely beach, be very careful, and do not forget to take a camera with you.
More from Miki Spitzer: the northern lights in Iceland and the tulip bloom in the Netherlands.
