Seljalandsfoss as a photography destination
Seljalandsfoss is one of the most iconic waterfalls of Iceland. To find it, just follow the main road A1 around Iceland. The waterfall is basically located by the side of the road. If you go counter-clockwise you’ll even be able to see it from very far away.
The main attraction of Seljalandsfoss is definitely to take the walk behind the waterfall. You must prepare yourself to get wet since there’s a lot of water vapour in the air. For the same reason it’s extremely important that your camera-gear is weather resistant! I can’t emphasize that enough. My 5D mark III with the 16-35mm f/4 lens was literally dripping of water when I made my shot of the sun behind the waterfall.
At 16mm the field of view on a full-frame camera is not wide enough to capture the cliff walls on both sides to frame the waterfall, so you’ll have to take a series of shots and do some stitching in postproduction. Here's a series of the shots I took, which I combined into a panorama.
And here's the stitch "Eye of the Dragon".
Because of the sun's position in the sky, it’s important to notice, the effect of the waterfall and the sun lining up only occur during late spring and summer.
If you don’t want to take your gear behind the waterfall, Seljalandsfoss is rich on compositions. Other iconic compositions include the hillsides on both sides of the waterfall and a straight on shot from the bridge.
It’s of course strongly recommended that you go explore on your own. I recommend an ultra-wide angle lens for this location. 11-24mm would be optimal, but you’ll be fine with a 16-35mm too.
When you’re at this location you might as well walk a bit north and visit Gljufrabui, which is a waterfall located within a small gorge. Prepare to get wet again and bring some good boots since you’ll probably get your feet wet.
Check out my video below from this location and subscribe for a lot more guides to the beautiful landscape of Iceland.
You can also check out my website here, follow me on instagram or look through my pictures on 500px if you like! If you want to buy any of my pictures as beautiful high-quality prints check out my Society6 page.
Other interesting blogs
Chasing Waterfalls in Iceland
Iceland is spectacular in so many ways and Icelandic nature is quite unique with its vast landscape, volcanic activity, geothermal areas, glacier lagoons and sceneries, black sand beaches and spectRead moreSænautasel Turf House in the Highland of Iceland
In my search for turf houses around Iceland, I visited Sænautasel, which is a rebuilt turf house on Jökuldalsheiði heath in the highland of Iceland. It is, in my opinion, an extremely cute turf hoRead moreThe Dynamic Plant Lupine
People have been asking me where to find lupines in Iceland. If you like them you should be able to find them easily in Iceland in summer. They are in bloom and visible almost wherever you drive aroRead more
Download Iceland’s biggest travel marketplace to your phone to manage your entire trip in one place
Scan this QR code with your phone camera and press the link that appears to add Iceland’s biggest travel marketplace into your pocket. Enter your phone number or email address to receive an SMS or email with the download link.
