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“There are times when the beauty and wonder of what lies before us brings an unspeakable joy and peace. Savour those moments so that they can sustain you in times of trial.” – Ed Lehming The image I chose for today was made above Reverie II Winery in California’s Napa Vally. It was our first stop of a day of wine tasting and touring both Napa and Sonoma Valleys and our first… Read More
“We went down into the silent garden. Dawn is the time when nothing breathes, the hour of silence. Everything is transfixed, only the light moves.” ― Leonora Carrington The light in Iceland is incomparable, it possesses a magical quality and softness that simply pervades everything. I think, in part, is was partially due to the time of year, late October, when we visited. The sun never gets up very high and wonderful shadows… Read More
“I am reminded that the most fertile lands are often built by the fires of volcanoes.” ― Ed Lehming On the seventh day of our Iceland journey, my son and I travelled through the high mountain passes at the base of the West Fjords, southward along Highway 60 to rejoin the Ring Road, just north of the town of Bifrost. We were greeted by this spectacular view of a broad valley, filled with… Read More
“When you don’t cover up the world with words and labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life that was lost a long time ago when humanity, instead of using thought, became possessed by thought.” ― Eckhart Tolle As I continue to review my photos from Iceland, inevitably I come across a collection of photos I have dubbed “The Golden Valley”. I posted one of them a few weeks ago. That… Read More
“I like geography best, he said, because your mountains & rivers know the secret. Pay no attention to boundaries.” ― Brian Andreas Believe it or not, this is a colour photo. The light is heavily filtered by the snow filled clouds that created a significant driving challenge as I was travelling through the highland which separate North and East Iceland. The mountains are part of a long actively volcanic ridge that runs from… Read More
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” ― John Muir I have found myself looking back through the photos I made along a trail leading to Sandfell, a moderately high coastal mountain, on the Fáskrúðsfjörður fjord in Eastern Iceland. I shared a bit about this in yesterday’s post. This place summed up a lot of what… Read More
“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.” ― Barbara Hall During our journey along Iceland’s Ring Road, we took many occasions to satisfy our curiosity by hiking off the road when the opportunity presented itself. One of these opportunities was this… Read More
“Well, first of all,” said the BFG, “human beans is not really believing in giants, is they? Human beans is not thinking we exist.” ― Roald Dahl You’d think, to look on this, that giants did exist, and had built a broad staircase to the heavens. It’s quite a sight when you first see it, the broad and high steps of the steep hills along the East Fjords. For me, it was something… Read More
“It’s not the endings that will haunt you But the space where they should lie, The things that simply faded Without one final wave goodbye.” ― Erin Hanson The long journey comes to an end, silently and slowly, in water. Nothing is quick for a glacier, including its ending. The ice slowly flows down the mountains, slowly melting, cracking, and disintegrating. The last vestiges float about in a muddy pond, eventually fading not… Read More
Ice, massive ancient glacial ice, sagging and flowing under its own weight; A great white beast, carving and devouring the mountains which contain it, creeping forward, unstoppable; It’s only foe, sunlight and warmth. I stand humbled by its patient and persistent force. – Ed Lehming Svínafelsjökull glacier, or rather, the “glacier of Svínafels”, since jökull is Icelandic for glacier is actually one of the smaller glacial outflows associated with Hvannadalshnúkur, mentioned in… Read More
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ― Rachel Carson I couldn’t help but match my favourite Rachel Carson quote with this image. The scene above left me breathless as I beheld it for the first time…. Read More
“Mountains, according to the angle of view, the season, the time of day, the beholder’s frame of mind, or any one thing, can effectively change their appearance. Thus, it is essential to recognize that we can never know more than one side, one small aspect of a mountain.” ― Haruki Murakami More mountains, their scale lost against the massive northern Icelandic fjord, Eyjafjörður. The highest peak, at the center, Kerahnjúkur, rising to 1,097… Read More
“Videy Island” – Reykjavik, Iceland “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.” ― John Lennon This was our final full day in the glorious land known as Iceland and we spent the day touring the city on foot, starting at the harbour front. I could not help but be entranced by the raw beauty of… Read More
“Möðrudalsfjallgarðar” – East Iceland “When hell freezes over the Earth shall be covered in snow.” ― Anthony T. Hincks The theme of this day is snow, never-ending snow, floating snow, drifting snow, skin biting snow. You see, today we headed into the north of Iceland. As we awoke in the town of Egilsstaðir, light snow had already fallen overnight and dusted the world in white. The forecast showed the snow would be ending by… Read More
“Berufjörður” – Djúpavogshreppur, East Iceland “Welcome to driving Iceland, where every turn in the road opens up a brand new and astounding vista. Just when you think you have found the most beautiful sight in the world, another competes with it in an endless play of wonders.” – Ed Lehming Today’s theme is mountains, fjords, and glacial streams. First, the mountains are really a continuation of yesterdays mountains, though in line with… Read More
It is said, “There is no bad weather in Iceland, only bad clothing” – unknown “Rangárþing Eystra” – South Iceland The saying above rang true on day one of my trip to Iceland with my son. I agonized about taking the right cloths for this land of ever-changing conditions, trying not to pack too much, but being aware that too little could also pose a problem. We landed at 6:05am to surprisingly… Read More
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” ― John Muir I realized, as I was posting this image, that the same scene is the background for a previous post. But, that’s how I create many of my compositions. Several images from the same vantage point, as I take in my surroundings and observe the various elements… Read More
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” ― Leonardo da Vinci Here is my entry for Del Monte Y Mar’s Tuesdays of Texture Challenge Week 12 of 2017. I usually chose a window seat when flying. I have a fascination for geography and love watching the countryside far below me. On occasion,… Read More
Today’s post is a bit of a step back in time to 2013. One place I can never get enough of is Yosemite National Park in California. The sheer scale of the landscapes is overwhelming for a ‘flatlander’ like myself. There are opportunities for images that are just not possible where I live. For example, the image above was made while leaving the park after a day of photography. Just when I… Read More
Ed Lehming Photography 
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