The ice from Jökulsárlón reaches Diamond Beach and Fjallsárlón in different ways. One site confronts the photographer with crowds and fleeting compositions; the other offers solitude but persistent rain. Both reveal the glacial system’s reach under real-world conditions.

Diamond Beach – Ice on Black Sand

Jökulsárlón’s ice does not end in the lagoon. Some of it is carried out through the narrow channel and washed back onto the nearby black sand shoreline, known as Diamond Beach. Here, glacial ice in all sizes and shapes lies scattered across volcanic sand, forming a constantly changing foreground for the Atlantic surf.

The ice blocks on Diamond Beach originate as parts of icebergs calved from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. Over time, wind, currents, and tides move these bergs through the lagoon and out into the sea. Wave action and collisions break them into smaller pieces, rounding edges and polishing surfaces. What ends up on the beach can be everything from fist-sized fragments to large, sculptural blocks, some transparent, some milky, some streaked with trapped air and sediment.

On the shore, the contrast between ice and sand is stark. The black volcanic beach absorbs light; the ice reflects and refracts it. Even in flat light, the forms remain clearly defined. The ice blocks are temporary structures, constantly reshaped or removed by the next incoming tide. No composition remains available for long.

Photographing Under Crowded Conditions

Diamond Beach is one of the most visited photographic locations in Iceland. This density of visitors creates practical constraints. Compositions are often interrupted by people walking into frame, tripods being placed directly in front of the camera, or others moving unpredictably along the shoreline. Waiting for a clear scene can become a significant part of the process.

These conditions require a degree of flexibility. Instead of focusing on a single perfect composition, it can be more productive to work with several alternative frames and adjust quickly when the foreground is obstructed. Choosing lower camera positions can help isolate ice against water and sky rather than against crowds. Working slightly away from the main access points often provides more room, even if the ice there is less dense.

The situation also influences the rhythm of shooting. Moments when the scene is briefly free of people become more valuable. This leads to a working method based on readiness: compositions pre-visualized, exposure settings dialed in, and the camera prepared so that a frame can be captured as soon as the foreground is clear.

Exposure Times for Moving Water

One of the key technical decisions at Diamond Beach is exposure time. The interaction between the tide and the ice creates streaks and lines in the receding water. Very short exposures freeze individual droplets and chaotic patterns. Longer exposures smooth these patterns into continuous lines and soft surfaces.

For visible streaks that still retain structure, moderately long shutter speeds are effective. Depending on wave energy and water movement, exposures in the range of around half a second to two seconds often render the water as flowing lines without losing all detail. Shorter than that, the motion may appear too busy; much longer, and the water can become a flat tone with less visible direction.

The choice ultimately depends on intent. If the focus lies on the graphic relationship between ice, water trails, and sand, a shutter speed that preserves directional lines while softening turbulence is often preferable. Consistent timing with the receding wave, rather than the incoming one, helps emphasize those streaks leading from foreground toward the sea.

Fjaðrárgljúfur’s Smaller Cousin: Fells and Lagoons

From Diamond Beach, the journey continues inland to Fjallsárlón, a smaller glacier lagoon west of Jökulsárlón. The access road leaves the Ring Road and follows a gravel track toward the glacier. The change in scenery is gradual at first: low vegetation, dark rock, and distant views of ice.

From the parking area, a short path leads up and over a low hill. The moment you cross this rise, the landscape changes abruptly. The lagoon lies below, filled with icebergs of varying sizes, with the glacier front in the background. The impression is of stepping into a different climatic zone — an environment that feels distinct from the coast, quieter and more enclosed, with fewer visitors and a more concentrated view of ice and water.

Photographing Fjallsárlón in the Rain

During the visit, the conditions at Fjallsárlón were defined by persistent rain and subdued light. Visibility remained sufficient, but contrast was low and colors muted. For black and white work, this kind of weather offers certain advantages: reduced glare on the water, softer transitions, and a generally even tonal scale.

The choice of focal lengths from roughly 20 to 70 mm allowed for both wider contextual views and more selective framings of individual icebergs or sections of the glacier front. Wider focal lengths captured the relationship between lagoon, ice, and glacier. Mid-range focal lengths isolated groups of ice blocks or sections of the calving front, emphasizing structure and pattern.

Working in the rain required continuous attention to equipment: wiping lenses, shielding the camera from direct droplets, and monitoring for fogging. The subdued light, however, supported longer exposure times without extreme settings, making it possible to slightly smooth the lagoon’s surface while keeping ice forms sharp.

Horizontal and Square Frames

Compositional experiments at Fjallsárlón focused on both horizontal and square formats. The horizontal frame suited the wider context: glacier, lagoon, and sky aligned in a layered structure. It allowed icebergs to be arranged as repeating elements across the frame, guiding the eye along the waterline toward the glacier.

The square format encouraged a different approach. Instead of emphasizing breadth, it supported more centralized compositions: single icebergs, small clusters, or details of the glacier face. In square images, balance becomes more dependent on internal relationships between forms and tones rather than on lateral movement through the frame. This format worked particularly well when the scene contained strong vertical and diagonal elements, such as the edges of ice blocks or fractures in the glacier.

Switching between formats made it easier to respond to changing conditions and different subjects within the same location. The lagoon’s structure — a dense concentration of ice, water, and glacier within a relatively narrow field of view — lends itself naturally to this kind of variation.

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