Glacial rivers in Iceland are already impressive while standing on the ground, but can become real artworks from above. The glacial river Héraðsvötn in Iceland consists of numerous streams that separate and reunite, forming a lot of streams, green islands, sandbars and shallow parts. However, it is not so easy to make a good composition. Spread over several days I made six flights with my Phantom 3 on different locations along this river to find the best spots.
Impressive
1.Impressive
Aperture：2.8
Shutter Speed：1/115s
ISO：100
Type：Phantom 3 Professional
This photo is made from an altitude of 153 meter. It gives a good overview of the amazing shapes and patterns in this impressive river as well as the surrounding landscape. But for me it’s not a strong composition: there is just too much to see.
Wide river
2.Wide river
Aperture：2.8
Shutter Speed：1/1900s
ISO：100
Type：Phantom 3 Professional
In another bench of the same river I found a less overwhelming part. The river is really wide and there are less sandbars in the water and less distraction at the sides, while you still see the surrounding landscape. The photo is also taken at a lower altitude (95m). I clearly prefer this image above the first one.
Green and blue
3.Green and blue
Aperture：2.8
Shutter Speed：1/1500s
ISO：100
Type：Phantom 3 Professional
However, the image above still combines the shapes of the river with the amazing sandbars. For a stronger composition, I should concentrate on one of them. A bit further to the south I found a place with hardly any sandbars: only the green and blue-grey shapes formed by the river streams.
Shells
4.Shells
Aperture：2.8
Shutter Speed：1/640s
ISO：100
Type：Phantom 3 Professional
On the other hand, I could concentrate on the sandbars and the shallow parts just below the water surface. I started pointing my camera (almost) straight down to get a closer view.
Single sandbar
5.Single sandbar
Aperture：2.8
Shutter Speed：1/500s
ISO：100
Type：Phantom 3 Professional
It takes some time to find and isolate interesting parts. Sandbars are often grouped together, but with the live view on my iPhone I found a single sandbar with interesting patterns in the surrounding water.
Monsters in the river
6.Monsters in the river
Aperture：2.8
Shutter Speed：1/100s
ISO：169
Type：Phantom 3 Professional
Finally, I found these ‘monsters’ in the river. I had to rise my Phantom again (to 160m) to fit everything in the image. I kept moving my Phantom (up and down, left and right, and turning it around) until I was satisfied with the composition. Later I cropped the image a bit to focus on the most interesting parts: the monsters and the twin islands.
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