Natty and I met while both studying photography in Florida and moved to the Pacific Northwest after we got married. My mom grew up in Washington state, where my family would spend our vacations, and I always dreamed of growing up and moving to this region. There is something about being surrounded by epic mountainous landscapes that has always inspired me. Together Natty and I have explored much of the Northwest terrain, and three years ago we made our first trip to Iceland. Ever since then we’ve been longing to return, and so for ten days this past September, we made a camper van our home and explored Iceland for the second time.
We started in Reykjavik and headed south but not before we snagged a comforter from Ikea and napped our jet lag off in the parking lot for a few hours. Natty and I spent our days photographing and making our way around the entire country via the legendary Ring Road. The weather in Iceland is part of what makes it so dramatic and extraordinary. Pounding hail can suddenly shift to sunny skies and then back to rain all within a few minutes. Our first morning we woke up to warm, sunny light after a night of sideways rain and wind that shook our van as we slept. This was our first time traveling via a camper van, and after that morning, I understood why people become obsessed with them. The freedom of being able to wake up and just drive where ever you want, sleep, and then do it all over again is tremendous, and Iceland is the perfect place for this kind of adventure.
Natural hot springs, mossy canyons, and too many waterfalls to count made for some epic pit stops along our route south. As we continued north along the eastern coastal region, we discovered beautiful towns nestled beneath mountains edged against deep blue fjords. The northern region was so other-worldly. In some places, steam swelled out of mars-like landscapes while the most voluminous waterfall in all of Europe poured through an enormous split in the ground.
From the north we headed towards Snæfellsjökull National Park, stopping at the many small fishing communities between the magnificent mountains and glaciers. As we made our way back to Reykjavik on the final leg of the trip, we continued to make frequent stops, taking advantage of every last minute we had in this surreal country. Our last day was spent in the capital city of Reykjavik. We treated ourselves to a hot breakfast, lots of coffee, and a final soak in a hot pot. I can’t wait to go back.
KENNETT MOHRMAN’s love of the outdoors is what drives him personally and professionally. Whether he’s hiking in the wilds of Alaska, camping deep in the forests of Oregon, or exploring the weathered coasts of northern California, Kennett utilizes the people he’s with as well as the outdoors to create beautiful and personal images that are a hybrid of landscapes and portraits. He has been working in the commercial photography industry for the past 5 years in his home of Portland, Oregon.
Instagram: @kennett_mohrman
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