Study Abroad | Nashville Wedding Photographer | Iceland

July 18, 2018

Iceland | Study Abroad

This time last year I was preparing for the trip of a lifetime. This Tennessee summer heat has me wishing I was back in Iceland. It made me realize that I never shared all the amazing images with you all. While I absolutely loved Paris and would go back if given the chance, Iceland was my favorite. It was so beautiful and peaceful. By the time we got there, I was a bit home sick and also overstimulated with being in crowds. So being able to walk out into a big field and just feel the cool air on my face and lay in the plushest grass I have ever seen – it was amazing. We visited waterfalls, a horse farm, the black sand beach, and I walked to the best coffee shop I have ever been to daily. I wish I had typed this blog post while sitting in the airport. Maybe my thoughts would have been more streamlined. I want to tell you all about the beautiful scenery, the people, the fact that the cool air was so refreshing, just so many things. Kristin is currently in Paris with her study abroad trip this week. Oh how I wish I was with them. What an incredible experience I had traveling with her and two groups of other women. I truly do not have the words to express the experience I had, and I hope the images can convey the beauty of Iceland.

The black sand beach was amazing. We had stunning models and just the most picturesque backdrop. While I feel as a photographer this should have been one of the highlights of my trip, it wasn’t. I loved it, and I thought it was incredible, but it wasn’t a place that captured my soul. I feel like a fish out of water a lot of times with other creatives. All the amazing places and travels you see photographers raving about – I visit one, and while I enjoyed it and thought it was amazing, I was more in love with the fields, the horses, and the quiet little spots I found while wandering on my own. Is that weird? Does that make me less creative? I do know I am a simple girl and tend to find peace, joy, and beauty in the most simple or random things.

A lighthouse was along the coast of this little beach. There were gorgeous models, yet I wandered off and found that it had this little field of daisies. I came around the corner, and I gasped. I love daisies. They were abundant. The fog was rolling in, and it created the most amazing feeling of being free and not distracted by the world around us. Only seeing just what was in front of us. Just before leaving the lighthouse area, I walked across the field to find the most peaceful spot and steal away a few moments alone in silence. I breathed in the air and just closed my eyes to feel the peace of the moment. Honestly, I just wanted to stay there. I wanted to sit and stare for hours and just breathe in the crisp air, letting my mind clear and center again. I wanted to soak in every inch of beauty in this one little spot in such a great big world.

My very favorite moment of the trip was a 6 hour horseback ride with some of my fellow photographers on the trip. While I did not enjoy an English saddle for 6 hours, the views, the horses, and the whole experience is something I dream about doing again. We crossed rivers, we rested in plush fields, and we watched a herd of horses meet up with us and travel along the path with us. We were not permitted to bring cameras along on this ride, so please excuse the cell phone photos, but I just had to share one of the most amazing experiences in my life.

So much to see and so much beauty. Maybe, just maybe, you can see that in the photos of this blog.