It rains a lot in Iceland. It rained the day we arrived. It rained the next morning too. This was starting to put a damper on our photography plans. 

Our first full day goal was to get to the famous Snaefellsnes peninsula. It is the first stop as we circumnavigate all of Iceland.  We woke up to rain. The forecast for the peninsula was rain all day. Yikes. We readied our rain gear and headed out.

We heard about an interesting waterfall, Barnafoss, where the water spews from the underlying lava. It’s a bit out of the way and with the rain, photographing it could be compromised. Back and forth we went until we got to the turnoff. Rain to the left, rain to the right, there was not right answer. We turned right and headed for Barnafoss, way too interesting to pass up.

As we made the trek to the waterfall something amazing started to happen. The rain subsided and the clouds began to dissipate. Perhaps we made the right choice after all. The closer we got the nicer it became. We arrived just as the sun started peeking through the clouds, lighting up the waterfall. Everything was lining up for a great photo shoot. Except for one thing.

I readied my camera as Kathryn pulled my tripod from the depths of our luggage. I stood anxious to start shooting before the sun started hiding behind the clouds. She said, “go get the shot, it’ll be a few moments before I can assemble my gear.” I made the huge (Ray Barone) mistake and took her literally. I left.

The light was quite nice as I started shooting. A few minutes later it dawned on me that I was still alone. Where was Kathryn? Ah, she’s a big girl, she’ll get here eventually. More time passed. Maybe I should be worried? No, there is a beautiful waterfall to be shot.

Barnafoss, where the water came out of the rocks. Where is Kathryn?

Finally she arrived none to happy. It seemed that I had the car keys. I was supposed to leave them with her so she could lock the car. A simple faux pas this was not. I guess telling her “if you were ready to leave when I was, there wouldn’t be this issue” was the wrong thing to say. After all, she did get my tripod ready. Ah, Ray, how did you get out of this predicament?

Luckily the light on the waterfall was still nice, which distracted Kathryn. She quickly began to shoot. I did a very smart thing at this point, I found another place from which to shoot.

The clouds made for a nice backdrop to the waterfall and the bushes.
A closeup of part of the waterfall. The fall colors are in full bloom.
Another closeup. The water flow was exquisite. [photo by Kathryn]

Remember, It’s all about the light, even if you end up sleeping on the couch.

Note: Ray Barone is the character played by Ray Romano on the hit sitcom, Everyone Loves Raymond. In one episode, Ray is getting tired of Debra (Patricia Heaton) making him wait for her. They’re late for everything. So he decides to set a time, and if Debra isn’t ready by that time, he’s leaving without her. Which may be the last thing he’ll ever do. [from IMDB]