I ventured back to Iceland after a ten-year gap, and I was keen to see if my technique had evolved in the elapsed time. Of course, the weather conditions had changed, and the tourist business had really picked up (to the point of distraction for attempts at landscape photography), but the country offers so much potential for taking satisfactory photographs. There were a lot of technical difficulties associated with the camera and a degree of ignorance about special settings.

On this day, the weather was truly appalling, as can be guessed from the wave action, and we had decided not to go out. However, after lunch and a couple of coffee breaks, we intrepidly set out along the black sand beach, heading for the water's edge. Not obvious in this image is that there is a six-foot drop that offers some protection from the advancing waves - so, in reality, the crashing waves were quite a distance away from the moving edge of the water (see last paragraph!). Indeed, I had adopted the 70-200 mm lens to allow me to stand back and capture the action of the waves. The sand was largely covered with a thin layer of snow. At intervals, a wave would wash up the six-foot sand barrier and trickle towards us. On this occasion, I noted that the water action had created a lovely S shape that led to the Vik pillars in the distance. This shot is one of the products of the time immediately after the wave retreated.

I think winter works best for Iceland, particularly the East/Southeast coast, but next summer I am going there in June, so I may tell a different stiry after that trip! The critical thing is to keep your eyes wide open to what the sea is doing. Dynamic changes associated with wave surges are very common. During our stay, we saw many people on the beach who had lucky escapes - profound stupidity is not uncommon, and no photograph is worth dying for. So always face the sea, think of using a longer focal length lens, and never leave your equipment on the ground.