Before I flew to Iceland for the first time, I had already imagined the story I wanted to tell with my photos. A story of the smallness of man in the face of the vastness and power of nature. Our journey around Iceland lasted two weeks and I didn’t feel that way once. Everything, despite its boundlessness, had good proportions and was in its place. Mountains covered with clouds. Water penetrating every possible crevice. The sun is not setting. Empty spaces filled with lupine flowers. I felt a very natural comfort.
Isolation
The journey around Iceland was supposed to be a story about solitude because, after all, there are only 368,590 people on the island. But I didn’t get to experience that either. Everyone has their own space of privacy and autonomy there, so there is no need for barriers. There are no fences or curtains. Even the sheep don’t bother and come right up to the road. Maybe that’s why it’s so easy to understand that we are not the center of the world.
Vanishing
Unfortunately, this is also a bittersweet story. In the face of ubiquitous nature, it is very easy to see its scarcity in the daily life of crowded cities. It’s as if the lack of space to wander with our eyes diminishes our perspective. However, I was most struck by this when visiting the Langjökull Glacier. It is the second-largest in Iceland (roughly the size of Lisbon) and could disappear in about 80 years.
Travel Palette of Iceland
Fortunately, the journey around Iceland is still a story about colors. It’s surprising how many shades can exist in such harsh conditions of fire and ice. Everything has deep hues that change tones. Cool and silvery in the fog or warm as soon as the sun comes out from behind the clouds. In addition, somewhat playfully contrasting yellow and purple flowers. A color palette so different from pastel cities.
