16th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
A solo piece of ice under the midnight sun

This photo was taken during my first time experiencing the midnight sun in Iceland. I took this photo around 2:45 AM as the sun was rising along the Icelandic coast. I was walking down Diamond Beach waiting for the fog to clear and the sunrise colors to show. I saw thousands of pieces of ice, but this unique sculpture-shaped piece stood out to me. The ice was so clear that the colors from the sunrise reflected through, coloring the ice. I had never seen anything quite like it, and I will remember this moment forever.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 06.2018
Date Uploaded: 07.2018
Photo Location: Iceland
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Copyright: © Nathaniel Cutshall