I can jump puddles

My back, right hip and leg have given me random amounts of pain for the entire trip. However, during our full day mountain hike, I was presented with an opportunity to jump from the river bank over a river to a muddy island. I sensed a decent photo op from that muddy patch in the middle of the river.

Was I up to it? Would I collapse in pain on landing and ruin my camera in the river? Could I jump back afterwards?

It was about 6 feet. I think I can do it. I think I can.

OMG I did it!

A few days later I found myself running with each step landing firmly on the next uneven rock. No volcanic beach sand on these feet today.

If this trip did little else, it may have put my back firmly on the road to recovery.

Mission Accomplished

Another beautiful day in paradise. IE solid cloud, rain, gusty winds and very, very cold. So this was obviously another day for waterfalls.

After a 2 hour drive we got to the first falls. Rockstar cautioned everyone to stay near him until he had his shot. We could have whatever scraps we could manage from our inferior angles.

We would then advance as a group to his next shooting position.

I became disenchanted with the scraps on offer and went back to the bus to write this.

When he returned to the bus, soaking wet, even his glasses were dripping. He, announced "Mission Accomplished".

He had successfully retaken all of his previous waterfall shots, but this time with his new 50 megapixel camera.

I came on this photographic expedition and workshop with the naive impression that he would be facilitating and assisting our photography. However, his main focus was clearly on updating his own "stock photos" with his new, higher resolution camera. A sunny day would put him in a bad mood because his primary mission could not be achieved. We were an inconvenience at best.

Find some other photographer if you actually want someone that is there to help you.

Also, if you think you might like to visit Iceland, go to Greenland instead. Two other people had been there before joining us. The Icebergs are bigger, they saw polar bears, and the scenery more dramatic.

Puffins and Whales

Another fu..... waterfall on another fu..... rainy day. Rockstar heaven. I resigned myself to photographing him on my phone.

That night was another 11 course meal at the Puffin and Whale restaurant over 3 hours and a long hike from our hotel, in the rain. And both Puffin and Whale were courses. We ate elsewhere.

Quad bikes and Zodiacs

We were ordered up at 5.30 am so the Rockstar could photograph a glacier, icebergs, and lumps of ice on a beach at sunrise for 2 hours. We spent 4 hours there yesterday but he needed the right light.

We then had to go back to the hotel for brekkie and on to the Quad bike place. We were two to a bike but the Rockstar had his own. There was no overtaking, unless you're a Rockstar. At one point someone was a bit slow off the mark so he rammed them.

Overall it was an OK experience.

We then had 4 hours to kill before the Zodiacs in the iceberg lagoon because Rockstar needed the lower light near sunset. He decided we would spend another 4 hours (total of 10 hours) at the same glacier, iceberg location. We spent most of it on wifi in the coffee shop watching the people go out on the Zodiacs. It looked great. When the time came for the Zodiacs they were cancelled due to high wind.

10 fu..... hours in one place and no fu..... Zodiac trip.

Rockstar apology "that was unfortunate".

Rockstar Photographer

We spent 6 nights at 3 hotels in outback Iceland. A 5.30 am start one day, a 6 am start another, and the rest were 6.30 am. We returned to hotels at 6-7 pm every night. The hotels are good and the food excellent.

Each shooting location had been hand picked by the pro. At each location he would grab the ideal shooting point and allow us to gather nearby as best we could. Occasionally one or two others would also be in a half decent position. Anyone encroaching into his frame was yelled at. Once he got the perfect shot we were all marched forward to his next shooting position. It was a privilege to take photos of a real pro taking photos. Or so he must believe.

We were occasionally annoying to him, but at least we had the satisfaction of knowing we were paying for him to have his photo shoot holiday.

He was in a bad mood if the light wasn't right. IE if it was un-Iclandically sunny.

One day the light was so bad he had used his sunglasses and accidentally dropped them under his seat.

At dinner he asked everyone if they had seen his sunglasses which were in a small case. The bus driver kindly offered "I saw something under your seat, might be them". HUGE MISTAKE, HUGE. Why didn't you pick them up. Do you think I keep my sunnies on the floor. The onslaught lasted about 5 minutes. The bus driver shrugged his shoulders and then came up with "isn't it nice that someone was looking out for you".

Apparently it's a traditional Japanese manner in which to treat the hired help, especially by Rock Superstar photographic geniuses.

Spectular day but nothing to photograph

Rain, lashing rain, drenching rain, remorseless rain.

We 4x4'd into a glacial valley near the coast. There were 8 river crossings on the way in and 10 on the way out, the same way we went in.

We could imagine the glacier behind the solid cloud all around.

While the 50 person "Volcano Trail Jogging Club" had their video presentation and then all headed of in lycra, we played I-Spy and sat in the Cafe on WiFi.

Spectacular 5 Km hike

Half way, I lay on the ground in fetal position. Partly due to physical exhaustion and partly due to the psychological stress of trying to choose which direction to photograph, all the time. Our cameras were tired also.

The trek ended after we had actually covered 11.2 Km.

This was the most euphoric trek since Lake O'Hara in British Columbia.

Scroll a long way down for picies