Asbyrgi canyon has been inspiring those who look upon it since it was first stumbled upon by the early Viking settlers. They could only explain its beauty and unique formation with the ethereal; those who believed in the Old Norse mythology saw it as a hoofprint left by the great eight-legged horse of the god Odin.

Though today we have a clearer idea of the forces that created it, it is still an awe-inspiring site of North Iceland’s famed Diamond Circle route - and an absolute dream for landscape photographers. After all, it has so many points of interest: its scale and shape; the magical birch forests and geothermal pools within it; the surrounding ridges of lava; its sheer cliff walls; its tabletop ‘island’.

I spent two days in the area seeking out these unique subjects and featuring them in my compositions, but my proudest was this; an image showcasing all the facets of this mythical location from an aerial perspective. Though they could never have witnessed Asbyrgi from such an angle, from here it is even more apparent why early Icelanders could only justify its existence with divine intervention. The vivid colors of the rock and greenery, the explosion of life within the canyon walls, and the uniqueness of the site when compared to other valleys in Iceland still make this a spiritual place for many.