Join the conversation
Subcribe to comment rss feedA dream picture that was not taken (yet)
Theo Bosboom
Theo Bosboom is a passionate photographer from the Netherlands, specialising in nature and landscapes. In 2013, he turned his back on a successful legal career to pursue his dream of being a fulltime professional photographer. He is regarded as a creative photographer with a strong eye for detail and composition and always trying to find fresh perspectives.
Sometimes, you have to dare to dream big to really achieve something! As a photographer, I occasionally find it nice and challenging to dream about innovative, impossible photos and then seriously consider whether it might be possible to actually realize the image. The biggest obstacles are often in your own head, aren't they?
On the road to Landmannalaugar, the first part of the trip went smoothly
For years, I had been dreaming about a very special Northern Lights photo. This miraculous natural phenomenon gives me goosebumps every time I see it, as fortunately, it happens quite frequently during the Iceland trips that I make in fall or winter. But from a photographic point of view, the Northern lights are usually a source of frustration for me because I don't manage to translate my feelings of euphoria and admiration into an attractive photo in my own style.
And then a few years ago there was suddenly that – if I may say so – brilliant idea! Since my project The Journey of the autumn leaves I was the proud owner of underwater gear for my photography and I had a number of ideas for new underwater projects. One day, I realized that the green strings of algae in the geothermal wells at Landmannalaugar in the heart of Iceland looked quite similar to the green streaks of northern lights in the night sky … And how cool would it be to be able to connect those two elements together in one photo: underwater the dancing strings of algae in a crystal clear pool and above water the snowy landscape of the Landmannalaugar valley with the dancing northern lights on top of it! Two bizarre and completely different worlds, visually connected by wonderful green lines and shapes.
So close but still far away, one of the moments, we got stuck and had to clear the car to get us going again
Once I had this image in my head, it wouldn't let go. I knew it wouldn't be easy. But somewhere deep inside, I felt that it was possible to realize the image with a lot of patience, persistence, and luck. So I decided to go for it!
One of the biggest challenges was getting into the area at all. In summer, Landmannalaugar can even be reached by a normal car, although I wouldn’t try this with my own car. But in the long winter – normally lasting from October till May – the interior is completely covered by a thick layer of snow, and it is completely inaccessible.
But with some research, I found out that there were some Icelandic adventure travel agencies that could drop you off at the Landmannalaugar cabin with a so-called super jeep. They have the driving skills, the permits and the cars that are needed for such a trip. It costs a small fortune, but of course, I would earn it all back later if my dream photo was published worldwide. The cabin is closed and unguarded in winter, but you can get the key and use it for a small fee per day. It didn't take much effort to persuade my good friend Michel Lucas to come with me, which would not only make the trip a lot safer but also much more enjoyable.
Stranded around midnight, the rest of the journey, we had to walk
The moonlit landscape. The only partly clear skies we encountered on our trip
And so we left in mid-January in our super jeep with our driver Barni, with food for a week and a ton of photo equipment (for me supplemented with my bulky underwater equipment needed for the shot). We took about ten charged batteries per person because there was no electricity in the hut. I am not sure why we didn’t take a power bank; that would have been much easier (also for our phones). The days were very short; the sun rose around 11 am and set again around 3:30 pm. Ideal for long nights with dancing aurora!