From the air, Iceland’s mountains, lava fields, glacial streams, and arctic vegetation comprise a world of contrasts. For Dani Guindo, the nation’s unique landscapes inspire an ongoing photography practice, and his recent series Orbital sets the distinctive scenery against a recognizable object: a small plane. “I want viewers to feel both a sense of scale and disorientation, inviting them to look twice before recognizing what they see,” he tells Colossal.

Guindo originally hails from southern Spain and has been based in Reykjavík since 2016, lured by the island nation’s raw beauty, dramatic geology, and northern light. “What excites me most about photographing here is how the constant change, light, weather, and seasons transform the same location into entirely new scenes,” he says.

a dramatic Iceland landscape photographed from the air by Dani Guindo showing rivers, a glacial lake, and a tiny plane

From above, Iceland’s tidal inlets and streams glow turquoise from glacial flour—a fine silt created when glaciers grind against rock—or create oxbows and natural rivulets that appear almost totally abstract when viewed vertically. “My aerial work is mostly captured using drones, which allow me to explore abstract perspectives and patterns invisible from the ground,” Guindo says.

Prints are available for purchase on his website, where you can also book photography tours with his company Arctic Journeys. Explore more on Behance and Instagram.

a dramatic Iceland landscape photographed from the air by Dani Guindo showing rivers and bright green ground cover that looks almost abstract

a dramatic Iceland landscape photographed from the air by Dani Guindo showing rivers and bright green ground cover that looks almost abstract

a dramatic Iceland landscape photographed from the air by Dani Guindo showing rivers, a glacial lake, and a tiny plane

a dramatic Iceland landscape photographed from the air by Dani Guindo showing rivers and bright green ground cover that looks almost abstract

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