Iceland has always been at the top of my bucket list!! And I mean way before it became the must-visit place for all photographers on the planet! Whilst living in London I was obsessed with landscape photography so naturally Iceland was very appealing, but sadly it was somewhere I never made it too. Luckily I get to live vicariously through the many friends and photographers I know who have visited and captured beautiful imagery like this by VERONICA LOLA. She shares her experience with us.
"Travel plays a big role in our lives and family. At age 12, I was thrown on a plane with my brother and cousins to visit my mother's birth country, Ecuador, to see her family. Unfortunately, at age 12, you don't realise how important traveling is and you also don't appreciate your surroundings and experiences as you would at age 34. But, you don't forget. And even though that trip wasn't exactly "fun" for me at the time, it started to shape my deep desire to travel. It led to many more trips out of the country, with Italy being next and Argentina closely following, before the age of 18. Starting then, that was it for me. Fast forward 17 years later and here I am, babe on my hip, looking for the next place to visit. Cue Iceland.
Iceland has been on my radar for quite some time. With several of my favourite photographers flocking there for the breathtaking scenery, they gave me the extra push to see and experience it for myself. I also knew my husband Shawn had wanted to switch up the beach vacations to hike some mountains so we packed ONE suitcase, 3 cameras, and a whole load of baby snacks. Shawn, Castella and I flew to the land of fire and ice and were not disappointed, to say the least. A bit weary about traveling with a 15-month old, I had plenty of anxiety leading up to the trip. Leave it up to a child under two to completely exceed your expectations (not like they were very high to begin with, let's be serious). She adapted, she took it all in, she crushed it. The weather was ALL over the place and homegirl was a happy camper. Did we run into some difficulty? Of course. Was eating every meal out with a cranky toddler the easiest? Nope. We just went with it, laughed in between the long car rides, and toasted our plastic cups of wine after she went to bed at night (well sort of night-24 hours of daylight is no joke).
The thing with photography and beautiful places is that the photos just do not do it justice. That's the usual consensus, right? But it's true. Every peak we turned, every glimpse of a waterfall, every horse that galloped towards us, every lush green mountain, every field of lupines - we were in total awe. Believe the hype people. Those views were to die for. All of it. I embraced every minute with open arms and eyes. Deeps breaths were had. Life changing memories were made. I swear it. Soaking in the surreal blue lagoon with my girl was by far one of the best moments I've shared with her to date. I hope you find the courage to take your little on an epic journey. You will not regret it."
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