Last winter, I organized a trip to Iceland with a few close friends. As is typical for that time of year, one of our main goals was to capture the elusive aurora. Over the two weeks, we were fortunate to have several nights of strong aurora displays, including this one at Brúarfoss in Southwest Iceland—one of the many waterfalls along the Golden Circle Route.
Brúarfoss is an especially beautiful waterfall with brilliantly blue water—it’s been called “Iceland’s Bluest Waterfall.” It may not be as big as some of the mighty waterfalls that dot the south coast of Iceland, but what it lacks in size it easily makes up for in natural beauty. And unlike its more famous counterparts, Brúarfoss is also a bit off the beaten path on the Brúará River.
Brúarfoss means “Bridge Falls,” named after a natural stone bridge that once stood over the river. The stone bridge is now long gone, replaced by a wooden footbridge at the base of the falls. That bridge serves as an excellent viewing platform, offering the perfect angle.
We arrived at the waterfall before sunset, joining a small group of photographers on the footbridge. But once the sun had set, everyone left the area, except for the four of us who had every intention of staying for a night of (hopefully) aurora photography. We were on the footbridge alone until much later in the evening when a few photographers arrived.
The evening did not disappoint. By 10:30pm, the sky had cleared and was ablaze with a shifting display of green Northern Lights. I took a longer exposure to bring out the waterfall and landscape, and an 8-second exposure for the sky that reflected nicely upon the wet rocks surrounding the waterfall. It was one of the memorable nights of the trip.
