Iceland's sublime silence

(Lodoe Laura)

(Lodoe Laura)In 2012, Laura traveled to Iceland and focused her tour on the Þjóðvegur 1 — a mostly two-lane road that encircles the entire country, from Reykjavík to Selfoss. Laura drove this circuitous route, known by locals as Ring Road, pausing along the way to photograph Iceland's diverse vistas and natural wonders, from the frigid ocean and boggy wetlands to the windswept valleys and sheep-dotted meadows.

(Lodoe Laura )

(Lodoe Laura)

(Lodoe Laura)The 11-day journey wrapped Laura in a sublime silence; for much of the trip, even finding a radio signal to fill the car with music was impossible. Instead, she listened to the sound of the road, the crashing of the always-near waves, and the sigh of the wind. And because Laura traveled during the off season, the chances of encountering travelers were as scant as the sunlit hours.

(Lodoe Laura)

(Lodoe Laura)

(Lodoe Laura)Only Iceland's famed Geysir — the first geyser encountered by modern Europeans — had what could be described as a crowd. But after standing with the other visitors, Laura walked away from the designated photography spot, pausing down a path to turn back and capture the scale of the people beside the plume."To watch water being spouted out of the Earth like that was awe-inspiring," Laura says. "I like the photograph I made because it shows the Geysir's proportion, its grandness. It demonstrates the awesome power of nature."

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