Straight Down an aerial perspective on iceland

Once you have tasted flight you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will always long to return.

Aerial photography has been on my list for a while now, and where better to start than my favourite place on the planet - Iceland. The Arctic maritime weather system on this island has evolved its own saying - 'if you don't like the weather in Iceland, just wait 5 minutes.' This wasn't truer and my flight was cancelled time and again until, on my last day, Nordurflug gave the green light for my flight from Reykjavik to a nearby summit.

The front seat of the chopper was mine and the view all around was spectacular. The volcanic landscape - among the youngest on the planet - was incredible. The scenery is littered with craters and fault lines where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet and interact, energising the earth for 3 earthquakes a week on the Reykjanes peninsula.

The evidence of volcanic explosions, geothermal activity, and lava flows scatters across the land which literally cracks open to reveal what's going on deep underground on the planet we call home. The fauna and flora here are hardcore, surviving long, dark, cold winters and temperate, bright summers. You can see signs of it here and there, but more noticeable is the effort mankind has gone to in order to make the most of things. No matter what happens, thetta reddast - that's Icelandic for 'everything's going to be alright.'

From the windows on the AS 350B (yes, I'm an aviation geek) I was given a grand tour by clearly experienced pilot, Eggert. He was keen to show and tell the sights of his fascinating country. The new challenge of aerial photography was cool and I learned that, although I have flown in helicopters before, there is much more vibration than you think and getting a stable shot is actually quite a challenge. That said, I'm happy with what I got and I'm happy to share some of those shots with you here. If you ever visit Reykjavik and want a view and experience that's different to the mainstream, consider a flight with Nordurflug.

This short video gets a bit more up close and personal with the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates down on the Reykjanes peninsula....

Created By
David Williams
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