All photos by Gabor Nagy. Used with Creative Commons permission.
If you’ve ever needed more reasons to believe that Iceland is one of the most magical and otherworldly places on Earth, the stunning aerial photographs of Gabor Nagy will definitely give you another. In part four of his Iceland From Above series, the Budapest-based photographer and Sony Ambassador takes us to the Stampar volcanic crater row in the Reykjanes Peninsula. Not only does this selection strongly suggest checking out the region if we haven’t yet, but also showcases more of the otherworldly landscapes that Iceland has come to be known for.
“Reykjanes Peninsula has always been one of my favorite regions in Iceland. As the first bit of the country that I see from the plane, I fill with excitement every time,” Nagy wrote about the region in his series description. “I such a small area you can find basically everything Iceland can offer: vast lava fields, geothermal areas, rugged mountains, and crystal clear lakes, hotpots, battered cliffs, and strange lava formations — it even has small highlands.”
Indeed, the photos bring our attention to the fascinating qualities of this part of the Icelandic landscape, which certainly looks as. magical as the rest of the Nordic island country. The most striking aspect of this series, however, is the abstract beauty of the expanse when viewed from above. It’s easy to mistake some of the photos as random texture studies until you notice the lone human figure that gives an idea on the scale of the natural formations.
“I gravitate to these kinds of overlooked areas during my researches, and that’s how I found these crater series named Stampar,” Nagy said on discovering the otherworldly 4-kilometer crater rows. These, he added, were formed out of an eruption that happened during the Reykjanes Fires in 1210 – 1240 AD, creating a lava field of approximately 4.6 sq km. An interesting origin for such an interesting sweep of land — if that doesn’t convince you to pack your bags and pay Stampar a visit, we don’t know what else will!
Don’t forget to check out Gabor Nagy’s Behance portfolio and website to see more of his Iceland From Above sets and the rest of his work.