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Another photo of Strokkur in Iceland, this time taken later in the day as the column of boiling water rises towards the dimming sky only to fail, in a hiss of steam and crash of falling water.

For a sense of scale, there is a person walking on the right side of the frame. This photo was taken when the geyser was at around two-thirds of its height so that it fit neatly into a square composition, and before the structure of the shaft of water disintegrates into a cloudy mess.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS

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Strokkur is a geyser in southwest Iceland a short trip from Reykjavik. Every 5 minutes or so it erupts into a 20 - 30m high column of boiling water which is rather spectacular.

Strokkur is the only consistently erupting geyser in the Geysir area. Great Geysir was dormant when we were visiting, but it used to erupt to many times this height in it's prime. Geysers are alive, going through periods of dormancy only to begin erupting again, usually following an earthquake or other geological event.

This photo was taken a few hundreths of a second after an eruption began when the column was only around 2m high. You can see the mass of bubbles just beneath the surface which would soon continue the rise of the column to around 25m (80ft).

Taking this photo involved keeping the camera focused and steady on the opening for several minutes and then clicking away as the explosion began. Since I was quite close to the eruption, I had to scamper away before the column collapsed, and be aware of which way the wind would blow the boiling water as it landed. Thankfully the water cooled considerably during it's ascent and descent through the chill Icelandic air.

Unhappy with the light at this time, we visited the area again on the way back at twilight.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS

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Just as we were planning to head back to Reyjavik after spending much of the afternoon at Gullfoss the sun broke through parting clouds and warmed the plain with golden light. One of our party spotted this mistbow that had formed on the first stage of the waterfall and we all scampered over to the edge of the ravine to photograph it.

A video would have done the scene more justice as seeing the mistbow in motion as the mist danced in the wind was a sight to behold. It seemed like some of the river avoided tumbling over the edge by escaping heavenbound in a climbing column of colour.

Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS

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Gullfoss along the Hvítá river is probably one of the most photographed waterfall in Iceland. And there are thousands upon thousands of waterfalls in Iceland.

Gullfoss is unique in that it falls in three distinct stages, but it's true claim to fame is that its final stage empties into a narrow crevice at right angles to the continuation of the Hvítá. This results in it appearing as though the waterfall simply vanishes when viewed from certain angles. This photo is not taken from that angle but is instead taken looking along the river and crevice hidden from the more commonly found images.

To take this photo I walked down to a platform of dense rock that has survived the thousands of years of water erosion better than the surrounding terrain. Walking down to this vantage point a few metres above the surging water offers a nearly 180 degree view of the three stages as the waterfall curves around the platform.

If you look closely at the ridge beneath the clouds to the right of the image you can see people enjoying a panoramic view of the waterfall. This should give a sense of scale of this popular attraction a short trip from Reykjavik.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS

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Before it plummets in stages at the Gullfoss waterfall, the Hvítá river in western Icelend carves it's way through plains. This photo is taken over the west side of these plains with the distant mountains that mark its boundary in the background.

In the foreground are three of the many cairns that dot the plains around the Gullfoss waterfall. Shot at this angle and perspective, they seem to mimic and nearly match the size of the distant, cloud-shrouded mountains.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 27-200mm f/4L IS

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