Landscape Photography and a Solar Eclipse

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Tuesday, 4 August 2026 - Spent the afternoon exploring the dramatic black-sand beaches around Vík, with their basalt cliffs and Reynisdrangar sea stacks. The highlight was photographing hundreds of Atlantic Puffins nesting on the cliffs at Reynisfjara and Dyrhólaey, including birds flying in the late evening light.

Due to the late night we were allowed to sleep in and did not venture out until the afternoon.

iceland2026 — The iconic red-roofed Víkurkirkja (Vík Church) perched on a green hill above the village of Vík. Built in 1929 on a hill high enough to be an evacuation point in case of a glacial flood created by the Katla glacier.

iceland2026 — The Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach just outside the city of Vic. It is very windy on the beach, and the waves create a mist rainbow as they roll into the beach.

iceland2026 — Reynisdrangar is a set of sea stack rocks at the end of the peninsula between Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach and Reynisfjara Beach

iceland2026 — We spot Puffins!!! They are very high on the cliffs and challenging to capture.

iceland2026 — But they are the little birds we all want to take a picture of - so the ocean is forgotten.

Little did we know there would be many more Puffin picture opportunities.

iceland2026 — We then drive around Reynisfjall mountain to Reynisfjara Beach. The two beaches are very closely separated by the basalt cliffs of Reynisfjall which go right down and into the water.

iceland2026 — These structures are made of columnar basalt. They form when hot volcanic lava cools very quickly and shrinks. This cooling process creates distinct multi-sided vertical pillars, often shaped like hexagons.

iceland2026 — The dramatic rock arch of Dyrhólaey that is off to the west of us down the coast. Our sunset location will be on top of the 400-foot rock cliff.

iceland2026 — Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks off the coast of Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach.

iceland2026 — I am walking off the beach after taking pictures. Headed back to the bus.

Ryan McGinty, or leader, took the picture as we walked.

iceland2026 — Icelandic legend says that nearby sea stacks and rock formations were once trolls turned to stone by the morning

iceland2026 — Another interesting rock feature of the cooling lava.

iceland2026 — We stopped at the Reynisfjara viewpoint and after a very short hike came on many Puffins nesting in the cliffs over the ocean.

We all began clicking away at the cute little birds.

iceland2026 — After only a few minutes I knew I would fill up the camera's card.

iceland2026 — These Puffins are the Atlantic Puffin who breed in cliffs.

iceland2026 — Reynisdrangar sea stacks.

iceland2026 — Iceland is the home to most of the Atlantic puffins with about 10 million individuals.

iceland2026 — The bill appears large and colorful during the breeding season. The colorful outer part of the bill is shed after the breeding season, revealing a smaller and duller true bill beneath.

iceland2026 — Puffins eat both fish and zooplankton but feed their chicks primarily with small marine fish several times a day. The puffins are distinct in their ability to hold several small fish at a time, crosswise in their bill, rather than regurgitating swallowed fish.

iceland2026 — This one looks a little wet. Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique underwater.

iceland2026 — The nests are underground burrows, usually lined with material such as grass, leaves, and feathers.

Out of the burrow walked a chick!! Typically, there is a single chick per couple.

iceland2026 — After breeding, puffins winter at sea, usually far from coasts and often extending south of the breeding range.

iceland2026 — Although the puffins are vocal at their breeding colonies, they are silent at sea. They fly relatively high above the water.

iceland2026 — Coming in for a landing.

iceland2026 — They are such fun birds to watch.

iceland2026 — Our guide said we should move to another colony high on the cliffs near the lighthouse on top of Dyrhólaey. It was tough to make us leave the colony, but once on top there was a second Puffin colony in nests on the high cliffs just below us.

Flying in the setting sun.

iceland2026 — While the lower colony flapped their wings quickly. These Puffins, much higher, used the updrafts to float.

iceland2026 — This Puffin seems to be looking for a place to land on the cliff.

iceland2026 — Many of the puffins could stop and hover in the wind while they look for a landing.

iceland2026 — This Puffin seems to be on a balcony outside the burrow on the cliff edge.

iceland2026 — The setting sun and a Puffin. Iceland sun sets are late - it is 2150 hrs (9:50 pm).

iceland2026 — A Puffin takes off jumping into the winds on the cliff.

iceland2026 — Another Puffin looking for their landing spot.

iceland2026 — Flying over the beach

iceland2026 — I am thrilled after shooting thousands of Puffin pictures. The moon rises behind me while we wait for the bus to pick us up. It is 2330 hrs (11:30 pm).

iceland2026 — We ended the day where it started, at Víkurkirkja. This time looking out to the Reynisdrangar sea stacks rising out of the ocean.

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