Árneskirkja l

Árneskirkja is a little white timber church tucked away in the remote cove. Consecrated in 1850, it is the oldest building in this corner of Iceland. The church is quite photogenic standing in its small churchyard with the sea on one side and dark mountains climbing up behind. The plain white walls pop against the slopes and the wide northern sky, so you can frame it cleanly from almost anywhere and it just works. The old headstones around it give you something to anchor the foreground. Summer is the best time to come. The light up here goes on forever, with soft golden hours running deep into the night and highlights the white church beautifully. While you are shooting make sure to watch out for arctic terns that nest close by. They will happily dive at you if you accidentally wander into their nesting zone. Uniquely in this cove with only a handful of houses there are two churches directly across the street from each other so make sure to explore both in this shooting adventure. Getting to this location is the tricky part. The church sits right beside the gravel road 643, which often closes for weeks at a time in winter, so be sure to account for that in your plans and aim to be here during the summer months or early autumn at the latest. (Trékyllisvík, Westfjords, Iceland)