Iceland is a country, known more for its endless natural attractions and gorgeous views. However, there are also man-made sights, among which, in addition to examples of old northern architecture and beautiful modern churches, there are some that, in fact, no one planned to place here.
One of the most famous of such places is the crash site of the American DC-3 airplane — the wreck of this aircraft itself, combined with the place where it lies — on the black sand of wild Sólheimasandur beach, not far from the town of Vik and Cape Dyrhólaey.
The crash occurred in the winter of 1973, the crew then managed to make an emergency landing on a deserted beach covered with ice, and fortunately no people were injured. But the plane could no longer take off, and for many years it has staunchly withstands all the varied weather phenomena on the Icelandic coast: in addition to the change of seasons, rapidly changing weather during the day and generally a large amount of precipitation, the place where it lies periodically happens flooded by a stream flowing from a glacier. So one day it can be carried out into the open sea, if the stream becomes too stormy, and any year or day in this place may be the last for it.
It is not entirely obvious in these photos, but the sand on the beach is really black, in the best traditions of the famous Icelandic beaches. When we came there, it was daytime and sunny weather, and because of this, the beach looks brighter than it really is. In addition, there were quite a lot of people around the plane: this place is really popular, not so often people get the opportunity to look, climb inside and take pictures in a fallen, dilapidated plane.
Therefore, I had to shoot at the minimum ISO, with an additional ND-1000 black filter on the lens and with an exposure time of 60 seconds, so that people moving around did not stay in the shot. This, by the way, is really convenient: it is often possible to make an almost perfectly empty shot in a place where there are too many people (and they do not stop moving). Sometimes translucent silhouettes remain in places where people stand in one place for a while, but in most cases they are not too difficult to remove from the photo — or, on the contrary, leave them in the form of ghosts, which can give the picture an additional flavor. As a bonus, clouds floating across the sky are pleasantly blurred in the shot.
For photographers, nevertheless, it is better to come there at regular times (sunrise, sunset) or try to guess the inclement weather, or even the night in general — if you are lucky with light at sunset or dawn, starry skies or northern lights at night (and with a little preparation in the sight of at least a couple of flashlights), then you may take some stunning photos. If you are interested, just type in the search engine "plane dc-3 crash Sólheimasandur", and besides amateur photos, there will certainly be some very beautiful shots.
Speaking of visiting a plane, it is worth mentioning how to get to it. With this, on the one hand, everything is not complicated, but on the other hand, there may still be some difficulties. The plane is located on the southern coast of the island, and is always available for visiting: right on the main Ring Road (Route 1) there is a parking lot. But from the parking lot to the plane itself you have to walk on foot: for some time now, individuals are prohibited from driving directly to the crash site due to the abuse of this opportunity by some tourists in the past. Yes, there is no guards there, but if anything happens, the fines for such violations in Iceland are rather big. So you have to go on foot, and not so little — the road from the parking lot to the plane is a little less than 4 km and takes from 40 minutes to an hour one way.
It is impossible to get lost there, the wide path along the ground and then the sand and stones has been trodden for a long time and even marked on both sides, there are no obstacles, but still this is not a promenade along the path in the park. And if you add the unpredictability of Icelandic weather, then you need to understand that despite the view of the current weather conditions at the time of getting out of the car, in any case, you should take with you at least an umbrella, waterproof clothing and waterproof covers for backpacks or bags with cameras, or even though it would be just plastic bags for them (and in the cold season, dress warmer): walking for about an hour in the rain and in strong winds can be very uncomfortable, and there is nowhere to hide from the bad weather, since the beach is absolutely wild and there is absolutely nothing except the plane itself.
By the way, we tried it ourselves: when we left the car, it was quite warm, sunny and almost windless. When we were already at the plane, clouds appeared, which very quickly turned into a creeping dark cloud, and we did not have time to return to the parking lot before the onset of rain, so part of the way was quite wet and a little freezing, even despite trekking boots, gortex jackets and pants and fleece jackets.
Not all tourists, I heard, have good impressions after visiting this place: they mainly complain about the rather long, boring road and the abundance of people around the plane. But for me personally, the plane was definitely worth it, even during the day, with people and rain. So here everyone should think for himself whether he needs it, but I definitely advise you to go :)
It's better to watch the photo in high resolution.
OLYMPUS E-M1 Mark II
Exposure time: 60 sec
Aperture: F 5
Sensitivity: ISO 64
Focal length: 17 mm
35 mm equivalent: 34 mm
You can also see my photos in my blog LJ and in my profile on NatGeo
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One of the well-known location in the world and it's my dream place to explore... maybe one day :D
Yes, the place is quite famous and definitely worth a visit when you are there :) I hope you can do it soon!
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Little history left on the beach, waiting for tide and time to be washed away forever.
Excellent photography with clouds @sharker
Yes, such a sign of the wreck of history. Clouds often decorate the picture well :) Thank you!