Graham Gilmore | Fine Art Landscape Photography

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Skogafoss Waterfall

Photo from a cold windy day above Skogafoss waterfall in Iceland. The Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country with a width of 25 metres (82 feet) and a drop of 60 m (200 ft). Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow which is normally visible on sunny days. According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. The legend continues that locals found the chest years later, but were only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again. The ring was allegedly given to the local church. The old church door ring is now in the Skógar museum. At the eastern side of the waterfall, a hiking and trekking trail leads up to the pass Fimmvörðuháls between the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. It goes down to Þórsmörk on the other side and continues as the Laugavegur trail to Landmannalaugar.The 60mph winds that lasted my whole trip made for some interesting conditions. There were barely any people around and hiking up behind this place was a challenge. The rain created very slippery conditions that proved a challenge when trying to get a decent shot on the side of a mountain, the rain also kept beating down on my lens which required constant wiping and ruined a fair few shots. Skogafoss waterfall and the whole of Iceland in particular was a stark contrast from the sunny Los Angeles weather I normally shoot in.

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