How to Get the Best Photos at the Black Sand Beach in Iceland
The Black Sand Beach at Reynishverfisvegur in Iceland is breathtaking. The stark black sand creates a moody backdrop, and the basalt columns are a fascinating example of nature’s strange architecture. It is an incredible place to take photos – in fact it would be a great place for an entire photoshoot!
I was just in Iceland and had the opportunity to photograph here, and if you get the opportunity, here are a few tips to help you get the best photos. After all, photos are the best souvenirs from vacation. They are cheap (use the equipment you already have!), and since you took them, very personalized. It can be the activity in itself: travel someplace just to get the photos.
Move Further Down the Beach
Naturally, when you first enter the beach, the area is packed. This beach is a huge tourist attraction. You aren’t the only one who wants to get a great photo here. The most popular spot to take photos is on a basalt wall, angled out to the ocean, and there is a line waiting to get that shot.
Unless a shot is truly spectatular, a once in a lifetime shot, there’s no reason to waste what may be limited time for one shot. (If you have tons of time, well, have at it!) Go further down the beach, and the amount of people wandering around drops to a fraction. When we were there, there was absolutely NO ONE on the side of the beach with no basalt columns. It was just a completely open stretch of beach and ocean, disappearing into the fog. That would be a fantastic shot.
But, to keep the basalt formations, just keep heading down the beach. Most people just stay at the entrance, so you’ll soon get empty or near empty beach to photograph.
Go at an Slow Time
This might be very difficult to people on a schedule, but if you are arranging your travel around photos, schedule to go here very late in the day, like midnight, or very early in the morning. This only applies during the summer, as you’ll have light nearly all day during the summer, but it’s a time when the chances of no one being there are high, and you’ll have the beach completely to yourself.
Of course this isn’t feasible for everyone, but I just had to point it out!
Incorporate the Rocks in Posing
You’re at the black sand beach in freakin’ Iceland…. Interact with it! Standing alone in an open space can feel really awkward, and frankly look really awkward, so get up close to those rocks. Interact with them!
What does one do with rocks? you may be asking. Well, most people would probably rest on them in some way, so sit on one if it makes sense, or lean against one, and then take in your surroundings for a photo that makes sense.
In the photos below, I had my husband lean on the rock (he does not like posing, but I asked him to), and then I leaned on the same rock. Frankly he did a better job, I think because he looks more candid, like I really did just catch a moment of him gazing out to the ocean.
Know the Local Lore
Those two big rocks in the ocean aren’t just big rocks, although they are also that. They are giants that were trying to drag a ship in to wreck it on the beach, but they weren’t able to get it done before sunlight hit them. In Iceland, giants can only move around at night, and if they are out in the sun, they turn into giant rocks.
Knowing the lore of a place can help you enjoy the area more, and make your photos more meaningful. If you didn’t know the legend of the giants, you might look at those rocks and just think they are rocks, but knowing they are frozen giants makes the photo even more special.
Get a photo with the frozen giants. It’ll give you a story to tell when you show others the photo.
For best results, try framing yourself in the center of the two giants. If you go further along the beach from where I was, there was also a nice rock the waves were splashing on, and you could put yourself to the side of that.
Follow the Safety Rules
I wish this part didn’t have to be said, but it does need to be said. The black sand beach is deceivingly dangerous. You will be safe if you stay far away from the water, but the allure of being near it calls out to many, and it doesn’t seem like they can resist. The waves, appropriately named “Sneaker waves,” as they are quite sneaky, are very powerful waves that come up way beyond the reach of the other waves, and they can pull you back into the ocean. Once you’re in the water, you have very little chance of getting out. There’s an extremely strong current that will pull you out, and you will likely drown. Our tour guide told us that they will not be heroes and save us, it’s way too likely for them to die, too.
Nature is powerful and nature is not gentle. Don’t risk your life for a photo. In all of my photos, I’m at least 30 feet out from the ocean, and I still look pretty close to it. That’s the benefit of angling your camera. Just angle it, and don’t get close to the water. It’s not worth it. No photo is worth your life.
To stay safe, look at where the water line is on the sand. You can tell how far up the water has come recently, and to be safe, just don’t go into that area. Don’t walk on the wet sand.
In Closing…
The black sand beach is a remarkable place to get photos – the unique features make it unlike anywhere else on earth. Create some incredible images, have some fun, and for the love of all that is holy, don’t go near the water.
Also, the turnip soup in the café is amazing, I highly recommend.
Now go out there and make some incredible photos!