Jakub Polomski’s Iceland: Seven Aerial Perspectives

A familiar Iceland view can become a new picture when the camera rises. In these seven photographs by Jakub Polomski, a lighthouse becomes part of a headland’s outline, a glacier becomes a branching texture and a waterfall reveals the plateau above it. The change in viewpoint is the subject as much as the places themselves.

Polomski photographed Iceland during a July 2015 journey. His Iceland drone project is the original source for the aerial work. This small selection concentrates on recognisable landscape settings; the larger companion essay examines recurring shapes.

Coast, ice and volcanic ground

Dyrhólaey’s lighthouse sits within a much broader geometry of cliffs, grass and water. The old article mentioned a short-lived 2015 accommodation promotion at the lighthouse. It should not be read as a current hotel listing, so no present-day booking claim is made here.

The volcanic lake has a contained, irregular outline. At Jökulsárlón, the subject opens out into scattered ice. Comparing the overhead frame with the lower view shows what the horizon contributes: one image looks almost like a map, while the other restores a sense of distance and weather.

Follow the direction of the water

The glacier runs towards its foreground, the geyser rises vertically and the waterfall drops over an edge. Those three directions give the photographs different kinds of energy. A strong aerial image does more than show a place from high up; it gives the eye a line or shape to follow.

For current flight planning, consult Vatnajökull National Park’s drone guidance and the relevant rules for each other location. Some areas and times are restricted. The permissions applicable to a new flight cannot be inferred from a 2015 photograph.

For a ground-level comparison, explore Polomski’s Iceland landscape essay. To look more closely at circles, curves and repeated textures, continue to twelve patterns in his aerial collection.