I have always enjoyed Twitter. What is fun about this social media site is its serendipity. I have often stumbled across interesting people that have great content. The accounts may be about history, fintech, the environment, politics, or the personal musings of witty people. There are also many people on Twitter that focus on Iceland. But what is the best Iceland Twitter account? I have a serious contender for that accolade. That Twitter account belongs to UK-based photographer Sophie Carr (@SophieCarrPhoto). Her website shows that she has been photographing Iceland since 2012. Her portfolio has a stunning range of photographs from all over the country. Sophie regularly posts beautiful images from Iceland on her Twitter account, and I retweet her pictures all the time. So yes, her Twitter account might be the best Iceland focused-Twitter account.
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Thank you
Jon Heidar, Editor of Stuck in Iceland Travel Magazine
Hello Sophie, thank you for taking the time for this interview. What got you interested in Iceland?
I’ve traveled a lot and first visited with a friend back in 2002, and I loved the crazy weather and amazing geology. I’ve always had a passion for volcanic countries and love ice and glaciers. As my interest in photography increased, I decided to go to Iceland alone to take photos and fell in love with the place, as it ticks all of the above!
You just returned from the remote Hornstrandir in the Westfjords. Can you tell me about your trip there?
It was a fantastic three-day hiking trip, staying at a lovely camp on the north side of the Hornstrandir nature reserve. The scenery was stunning, the hiking challenging but not too hard, comfortable tents, and it was just so wonderful to be in such a pristine and remote area. It was a great pleasure to see quite a few arctic foxes, too, including cubs munching fish on the beach a few meters away.
Do you have a favorite place in Iceland, and what sets it apart in your view?
I have many favorites, but my favorite has to be Jökulsárlón beach. Watching and photographing the icebergs as the waves crash over them is one of the most magical things. I’ve been on many occasions, and sometimes it’s a little disappointing, with fewer icebergs, but I’ve had some visits there that have just been mind-blowing!
What are the main challenges of photographing Iceland?
Probably the weather! Most of my trips have been in winter (usually Feb/Mar), and September and in winter, the weather plays a massive part in any trip to Iceland. The winds can be ridiculously strong, blizzards can result in closed roads, side roads are often inaccessible, and it can obviously be extremely cold! It is worth the effort, though, and winter remains my favorite time of year to visit. It is really beautiful in the snow, the sunsets/sunrises are at a decent hour, and you get the chance to see the northern lights, of course.
What advice would you give to those who are visiting Iceland for the first time?
Don’t try to fit too much in. I’ve met people trying to drive the ring-road in a week, and they end up driving far too much and not having enough to enjoy places or any time to stop if there’s bad weather. I have the luxury of having had some very long trips, so I really appreciate slow travel in Iceland. If you only have a short time there, try not to fit so much in, focus on one area, explore that, and plan to come back on a different trip to explore more. And also, always check the weather and road conditions before setting out anywhere.
Have you planned your next trip to Iceland? If so, what is on the agenda?
Not yet – I’m about to return home after a 9-week trip, so I don’t know when the next one will be. As a British passport holder, I’m limited to traveling in Europe (+Iceland) for 3 months out of 6, so I need to plan any future trips carefully! My next trip will probably involve my usual shorter trip route along the south coast as far as the south-east and back again, visiting a few of my favorite spots.
