Photographer Captures Amazing Amber Glow in Iceland's Ice Caves

Sarah Bethea, a photographer, has always had a passion for the outdoors and exploring new places. She was reared in Portland, Oregon, where she would take her family skiing on the weekends at Mount Hood. She developed a love for photography over time and has combined her two interests to spread awareness of the vulnerability of our world. This has caused her to travel widely, but nothing has drawn her in like Iceland’s frigid climate. She spent some time in amazing ice caves on the southern coast while there and brought back some beautiful pictures.

During the winter, travelers can explore the glacier ice caves in Iceland, which are formed inside ice blocks. Bethea visited them twice, and each time she had a very different experience. The ice caves are a well-liked tourist destination since they are relatively easy to get by automobile and may be reached after only a half-hour walk on the glacier. On her first journey, Bethea was fortunate. She was the only one in the caves in December. She used the circumstances and the lighting created at that time of year to capture one of her most cherished images.

Although it was midday, Bethea tells My Modern Met that “it was December and the days were short and the sun stayed low on the horizon.” The sun and cave entrance perfectly aligned for around five minutes, giving the ice an amber-like glow.

It is a revelation to see her model reach out and touch the ice that has an amber hue. She effectively conveys the emotion and fragility of the environment in one frame, as well as the close relationship that all people ought to have with nature.

In February, Bethea visited the ice caves once more, and this time, it was unmistakably different. It wasn’t the best setting for the photos she wanted because of all the tourists around. She wants to see what else she can do creatively, therefore she wants to investigate some lesser-known caves on her next trip.

Bethea can’t help but think back to her early memories of reading National Geographic as her photography continues to take her all around the globe. Bethea’s work path is moving away from trip photography and toward conservation photography because she is motivated by the photographs and encouraged to enjoy a wide diversity of cultures.

She acknowledges, “I’ve always wanted to be a conservationist, and I think pictures are a wonderful way to foster love and understanding of environment. They can highlight pressing challenges and the necessity for action, as well as help us care for places we have not yet visited. Although it would be great if people were motivated by my images to visit these locations for themselves, my main goal is to help people develop a connection to nature and convince them that these locations are worth protecting.

Ice appears to glow like a piece of amber in this incredible photo taken inside Iceland’s ice caves.

Photographer Sarah Bethea was able to visit the famed caves in relative solitude during a trip to Iceland.

“Iceland is such a unique place with so much natural beauty in a relatively small area. The country is often described as ‘the land of fire and ice,’ and this is absolutely accurate.”