Reykjavik Church – Hallgrímskirkja
This church in Reykjavik is a quite stunning landmark, which dominates the city skyline from miles around. It is named Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Hallgrímur), after the poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson, and was designed by the architect Guðjón Samúelsson, apparently to look like the lava flows of Iceland’s landscape. At 73 metres tall, it is the largest church in Iceland and one of the tallest buildings. The design was commissioned in 1937 and the church took 38 years to build, being completed in 1986.
We arrived in Iceland quite early in the morning, too early to check into the hotel, so headed straight to Reykjavik and this was our first photo stop. With bright sun right behind the church, the conditions were not ideal for long exposure photography. I chose a wide angle view from close in front to hide the sun behind the building and was pleased with the effect created by the long exposure and the back lit clouds.
by Ian Good