Aerial Photos of Iceland

Our travels in Europe were primarily a mix of volleyball, cuisine, art and history. We shoe-horned a week in Iceland between Paris and London with priority on spa selfies at the Blue Lagoon. Secondary goals were taking in the waterfalls, Icelandic horses, black sand beaches and wide-open roads of the southern coast. Our time in Iceland was brief and not meant for photography, but not to worry: the best way to see a lot of a region in a short amount of time is to hire a plane. The folks at Atlantsflug were excellent to work with, very accomodating with a nice facility just a stone’s throw from the glaciers and only a short drive from the farm house we had rented. One of Atlantsflug’s planes is high-wing with several windows that open, enabling sharp images at low altitude with wide lenses which is the only way to carry out aerial photography. Our pilot was an expert in the region and worked out a flight plan to include several spectacular areas he knew we would enjoy. The highlight was the Landmannalaugar highlands, a gorgeous region of deeply-colored earth with patches of white snow and ice, seemingly devoid of human presence. We also spent time circling some of Iceland’s braided glacial rivers as they were the only subject I was truly keen to photograph in Iceland. On our way to and from Landmannalaugar, we passed over numerous glaciers in the area near Skaftafell and Vatnajokull National Park. Here are a few of my favorite images; I tossed in a few waterfall photos that came out nicely as well. Cheers, and thanks for looking!

Glacial river, highlands of Southern Iceland

Glacial river, highlands of Southern Iceland
Image ID: 35720
Location: Iceland

Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon in Iceland, a Game of Thrones place

Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon in Iceland, a Game of Thrones place
Image ID: 35721
Location: Fjaðrárgljúfur, Iceland

Svinafellsjokull Glacier and Lagoon, Iceland

Svinafellsjokull Glacier and Lagoon, Iceland
Image ID: 35722
Location: Svinafellsjokull, Iceland

Landmannalaugar highlands region of Iceland, aerial view

Landmannalaugar highlands region of Iceland, aerial view.
Image ID: 35723
Location: Iceland

Seljalandsfoss waterfall in Iceland

Seljalandsfoss waterfall in Iceland
Image ID: 35724
Location: Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

Seljalandsfoss waterfall in Iceland

Seljalandsfoss waterfall in Iceland
Image ID: 35725
Location: Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

Vik, Iceland

Vik, Iceland
Image ID: 35727
Location: Vik, Iceland

Reynisfjara near Vik, Iceland

Reynisfjara near Vik, Iceland
Image ID: 35728
Location: Reynisfjara, Iceland

Southern Iceland

Southern Iceland
Image ID: 35730
Location: Iceland

Svinafellsjokull Glacier and Lagoon, Iceland

Svinafellsjokull Glacier and Lagoon, Iceland
Image ID: 35732
Location: Svinafellsjokull, Iceland

Svinafellsjokull Glacier and Lagoon, Iceland

Svinafellsjokull Glacier and Lagoon, Iceland
Image ID: 35733
Location: Svinafellsjokull, Iceland

Fjallsárlón glacial lagoon in Iceland

Fjallsárlón glacial lagoon in Iceland
Image ID: 35734
Location: Fjalls�rl�n, Iceland

Landmannalaugar highlands region of Iceland, aerial view

Landmannalaugar highlands region of Iceland, aerial view.
Image ID: 35739
Location: Iceland

Glacial river, highlands of Southern Iceland

Glacial river, highlands of Southern Iceland
Image ID: 35743
Location: Iceland

Glacier, Skaftafell / Vatnajokull National Park, Southern Iceland

Glacier, Skaftafell / Vatnajokull National Park, Southern Iceland
Image ID: 35752
Location: Iceland

Geysir, Hekla, hit Haukadalur, Iceland

Geysir, Hekla, hit Haukadalur, Iceland
Image ID: 35753
Location: Geysir, Iceland

Lake Langisjor in the interior highlands of Iceland, Aerial View

Lake Langisjor in the interior highlands of Iceland, Aerial View
Image ID: 35781
Location: Langisjor, Iceland

Glacier, Skaftafell / Vatnajokull National Park, Southern Iceland

Glacier, Skaftafell / Vatnajokull National Park, Southern Iceland
Image ID: 35794
Location: Iceland

Skogafoss waterfall in Iceland

Skogafoss waterfall in Iceland. A double rainbow, full on, all the way. What does it mean?
Image ID: 35802
Location: Skogafoss, Iceland

Geysir, Hekla, hit Haukadalur, Iceland

Geysir, Hekla, hit Haukadalur, Iceland
Image ID: 35807
Location: Geysir, Iceland

Glacier Runoff and Braided River, Southwestern Iceland

Glacier Runoff and Braided River, Southwestern Iceland
Image ID: 35726
Location: Iceland

Glacial river, highlands of Southern Iceland

Glacial river, highlands of Southern Iceland
Image ID: 35744
Location: Iceland

Glacial river, highlands of Southern Iceland

Glacial river, highlands of Southern Iceland
Image ID: 35786
Location: Iceland

About Phil Colla

I am a natural history photographer. I enjoy making compelling images in the ocean, on land, and in the air. I have maintained the Natural History Photography blog since 2005 and my searchable Natural History Photography Library since 1997. Here are some tear sheets and behind the scenes views. Thanks for looking!