There was lots of room for photographing. (Kirkjufell mountain is to the left of this view.) I arrived at 10:30 and soon made a new friend (who was from Germany). We chatted as we prepared for the sunset. About an hour later a number of people (about 30) from a photo club arrived. Several rushed to be where my new friend and I were. One person nearly slipped off of the edge (I helped him gain his footing) just so he can be near the spot we were at. Many people in this photo group seemed only interested in taking a picture. The experience of enjoying where you are is critical to composing an image. So it is not simply a "picture" snapped with your camera. The image can be a way to share your experience with others.
Next post on the lighting change, perfect for black and white...

Two years ago I was here (Kirkjufell Mountain and waterfall) briefly and my friend and I only encountered thick clouds and rain. I vowed I would return. Before my trip back last month I planned for this shot. Thanks to PhotoPills I was able to calculate the exact position of the sun during the 1 am sunset, the position of the mountain and the waterfall. Golden hour(s) lasted from 22:30 to 3:30 and I was there for all but the last hour. I arrived about an hour before a photo club arrived with some 20-25 photographers. (More on that next post.) Luckily the weather cooperated. (While it is worth it to look at weather forecasts, you must prepare for the worst and best of weather conditions...it was the best!) It was perfect for my long exposure technique for clouds which enables the colors of the sunset reflecting off of the clouds to appear like paint splashed on a canvas (my camera's sensor).
Next post: more from my first night. In upcoming posts, I will cover my photography from my entire trip, most of which was in the gorgeous West Fjords.