Scandinavian Photographer Captures Magic of Iceland Before it Melts

Nerd Alert

To the dismay of many, Winterfell is not an actual place (even more unfortunate, both Jon Snow and Robb Stark are also fictional creations).  Iceland, however, is real (granted, given the country’s name one might easily believe it to be the fictional world created by a very unimaginative author). The creatives at HBO found Iceland to depict much of the universe George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones more accurately than anywhere outside The Seven Kingdoms.

But the magic of this place is not lost on us either, as seen through the lens of one Scandinavian photographer. And thankfully, he’s capturing it before it becomes a place of fiction due to the climate change fiasco that’s still left unchecked by our global leaders (Hi, Greta!)

The Great Escape

Capturing the immense and diverse beauty of Iceland is an incredibly difficult feat, but Gunnar Freyr does an incredible job. Having had his fill of city life, Freyr, who was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, bought a one-way ticket to his ancestral home of Iceland. Trading in his three-piece suits and desk job as a consultant for a Lopapeysa (the traditional Icelandic wool sweater), Freyr spends his days capturing the beauty of Iceland – from the colossal glaciers and the dancing colors of the Northern Lights, to the wildlife and the people who call Iceland home –  Freyr not only captures just how unique Iceland truly is but does a great job promoting Icelandic tourism.

Experience Iceland with Freyr

Freyr has taken his passion for his homeland beyond social media by creating Ferda Mala Stofa, an authorized travel agency offering tourists the opportunity to experience Freyr’s Iceland (and Greenland). You should definitely try to make your way to Iceland, but if you can’t you should at least check out Freyr’s Instagram feed (@Iceland-explorer) and his YouTube page.

Fun Fact:

Gunnar Freyr also does Wedding Photos, so book your trip to Iceland now and get the Game of Thrones themed Wedding Photos you so deserve.

Silent Arctic

 

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Workshop Announcement – Silent Arctic!⁣ In just over a month, we embark on the journey of a life-time, sailing through the incredible Scoresby Sound fjord in East Greenland – the largest fjord in the world. There are a couple of spots available for this epic adventure, for 7 nights and 8 days onboard the famous Ópal electric schooner. We have a chance to encounter polar bears, humpbacks, musk-oxe and most of all, an endless stream of otherworldly icebergs that will change your definition of beauty. It’s an expedition that I am truly proud of and hopefully Greenland will change you forever – just like it did to me. Apply now by visiting the link in my bio, and join me, @joe_shutter and a group adventure-hungry explorers!⁣ ⁣ Dates: Aug. 28th to Sep. 4th⁣ ⁣ #silentarctic #Greenland

A post shared by GUNNAR FREYR (@icelandic_explorer) on Jul 17, 2019 at 3:22pm PDT

Standing Tall

 

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Standing tall, being proud and owning who you are seems like such an obvious thing, but in reality it’s much more difficult. For many, including myself, there’s often negative self-talk going on inside and very little positive which easily is brushed away. It’s so easy to forget all the good stuff and forget to be grateful. The strange thing is that we often say things to ourselves that we never would say to our friends and relatives. Take a second to think about that. ⁣ ⁣ Being kind and patient is one of the things I’ve struggled with and something I have been working on over the past many months. I wouldn’t say that I’ve reached the end of that journey, as I still have a lot to work on, but at the same time, I’ve increasingly learned to show self-compassion which is something I had a really hard time doing before. ⁣ ⁣ Being tough on yourself, and constantly whipping yourself is something I thought would get me further, faster and better, but what I learned is that the achievements reached from a more kind and grateful place are much more valuable, and also make the journey much more enjoyable. It’s seems like it’s all about the journey after all right?⁣ ⁣ So tell me guys, are you proud of yourself, are you kind, patient and understanding towards yourself or are you always telling yourself you should do more, better and harder?

A post shared by GUNNAR FREYR (@icelandic_explorer) on Jul 10, 2019 at 7:37am PDT

Broad Fjord Bay

 

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Exactly a week ago, I launched my newsletter called Gunnar’s Monthly List. (Curious? Then you can find the link to subscribe in my bio). One of the places I featured in the newsletter is this little Island called Flatey which is a place I had wanted to visit for such a long time. It’s a tiny community, located in the Breiðafjörður Bay, which means the broad fjord bay – and I guess it says something about how remote you feel when you’re there. It’s almost as if stepping back in time, with limited access to electricity and running water. But it really just adds to the charm of the place. The thing that struck me the most however was really how many birds where on the island. I haven’t witnessed anything like it before and even if it made me excited, it also saddened me, because it reminded me of how few places like this are left in the world. Places, where you get this feeling of being trapped in time. #iceland

A post shared by GUNNAR FREYR (@icelandic_explorer) on Jul 8, 2019 at 9:35am PDT

Wonderment

 

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Caught up in every day life, it’s easy to forget the wonders out there!

A post shared by GUNNAR FREYR (@icelandic_explorer) on Jan 30, 2019 at 1:16pm PST

Winter came everywhere

 

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After many weeks of waiting, the life of winter is finally flowing through the veins of Iceland again #iceland

A post shared by GUNNAR FREYR (@icelandic_explorer) on Jan 13, 2019 at 8:05am PST

May I have this Snow Dance?

 

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Lets all do the snow-dance so we can get a little bit more of this in our lives! #Iceland #giveussnow

A post shared by GUNNAR FREYR (@icelandic_explorer) on Dec 12, 2018 at 7:47am PST

More Winter

 

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Winter attitude. #iceland

A post shared by GUNNAR FREYR (@icelandic_explorer) on Dec 13, 2018 at 6:09am PST

Village Vibes

 

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Exploring Iceland is equally much about the stunning nature as it is about culture and history. Every place in Iceland has a story and there are great storytellers out there to share it with you. I recently had the luck to go on an adventure with @sagatrail_iceland and @inspiredbyiceland to @visitwestfjords visiting one of the oldest parts of Iceland. This old fishing village is one of the closest things I’ve been to a living museum, and for a moment, it felt like stepping back into time, getting a great perspective on life in the early (and rough) days of life in Iceland. #iceland #sagatrail #visitwestfjords

A post shared by GUNNAR FREYR (@icelandic_explorer) on Nov 14, 2018 at 8:30am PST