Iconic locations are named as such for a good reason; they have exquisite views, outstanding viewpoints that lead the eye to breathtaking scenes and, quite often, easy access for all. So, when you see a picture of an extraordinary location taken by a photographer, it is natural to want to visit that same location and create your own version of that picture.
There is a catch though. Your picture will look very similar to those of the previous photographers, and the next, and the next. This leads us to the point whereby we have a picture that looks almost identical to someone else’s. What is wrong with that, you may ask? Absolutely nothing, the vast majority of people do it and they are very happy.
However, wouldn’t it be nice to also have a few pictures that are uniquely yours? Pictures that carry your own style and trademark? Pictures that you would be proud to say that you worked hard to capture and that no one else has taken? I assume it would be rather lovely, don’t you agree?
New destinations
On a recent trip to Iceland I had created an itinerary with locations that I wanted to visit. Many of those locations are indeed iconic: Skogafoss, Jokullsarlon, Stokksnes to name just a few. However, on that same itinerary I had added a couple of destinations that are quite far off the track, or the main road, as some would call it. One of these locations was Langisjor Lake. This is a fair trek and a spot that can only be reached with a really good 4x4 vehicle. It requires driving through lava fields, crossing rivers and slaloming through volcanic craters.
There were various spots to stop at on the way, many of them offering breathtaking views of our planet in its raw form. We saw streams with water that flows from within the ground, warm spring sources and...