The abundance of isolated churches in Iceland is the result of tax breaks for the area going back many years, and villages and farms would build a church to benefit from this legislation. They are often situated in remote areas which are often devoid of other signs of habitation. The iconic Black Church at Budir – Budakirkja, on the westernmost tip of the Snaefellsnes peninsular in northwest Iceland, attracts hordes of photographers and caters for weddings too. These remote churches are highly pictorial, particularly those with red roofs and white walls.
One such church – Ingjaldscholskirkja, built in 1903, is situated just outside the village of Rif in the north of the Snaefellsnes peninsula in northwest Iceland, where this image was captured. Rif’s older name is Havarif or Háarif, but nowadays, it is always called Rif and was once the most important fishing and trading centre on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
Built on a low mound in an open field overlooking the village with a rough road leading directly to it and with a background of jagged hills, it provides an ideal and classical composition. I have been fortunate to visit Rif on two occasions with landscape workshops, both times in winter, but with different lighting conditions.
Although I have visited Iceland on several trips during winter and summer, my preference is for winter when a covering of snow on the landscape emphasizes the shapes and forms of the hills, and the low light brings out the textures.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor