Trees of Green

For those that may be tuning in for the first time, I am Joe shutter: a blogger and photographer living in Iceland. 

I pass on what I learn out here through my  tailor-made photo tutorials and workshops. They can be as long or as short as my clients need them to be, and I always go the extra ten miles (or ten hours) to get the shot, get off the beaten track and share my special "off the map" locations.  

If you are interested in a photo workshop/tutorial in Iceland, pleas contact me through my email joeshutter101@gmail.com  or through my Instagram handle @joe_shutter . 

---

Trees in Iceland. Its an interesting subject. Essentially. there aren't any, at least by most countries standards. For this reason, Icelanders have a modest definition of a forest.

Its an interesting story because no one really definitively knows why there are so few trees in Iceland. The fact remains: the growing season is very short indeed, about three months. 

This then has to be taken into consideration along with the theories available: one, it is postulated that Iceland was very well forested when the first settlers arrived, and that most of the land was deforested through animal husbandry and necessity.

The historical tales are replete with stories of Iceland as a green, fertile and wooded land, but it is not known for certain whether these were tall tales in order to encourage emigration to Iceland and further settlements

Anyway, as it is, this post is about a little ramble that Frank and I had through Iceland's largest forest, as well as the lake along which it lies 

Photography by Joe Shutter and Rock Scissors Taper

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter

The Descent

Frank and I spent the afternoon in Seydisfjordur.

Now, the problem with these little fjord towns is that in the winter, the sun never reaches the town because it never rises high enough. As we came up over the fjord and descended back down again, we were greeted with a winter sunset. Not only this, but we also met a very interesting character: an old Icelandic man, shotgun and ammo belts in tow and hand, hunting poultry. I asked to take his picture and he obliged. One of the old timers. se great to see him in action.

The winter light is absolutely epic in Iceland. The sun always rises, but just a bit, when it breaks through, its constant golden hour. Its really something. A sudden rain shower made for some interesting orb effects on the car windshield.

So this is just a short post about the car ride down, the next stop on our adventure led us into an exploration of Iceland's largest forest, the very beginning of which I have included at the end of this post, as a little teaser.

Photography by Joe Shutter and Rock Scissors Taper

For your enjoyment,

Joe Shutter