Eight thousand. That's how many photographs I created in Iceland. It sounds like a huge number, and it is, but it's what was needed to relate what I experienced in Iceland's empty spaces.

Photographers often capture the landscapes of Iceland. Like the American Southwest, it's popular because of its stark beauty. The images I have seen are fantastic – cascading waterfalls, lush meadows and endless horizons all taken under perfect light. But I felt they told only part of Iceland’s story.

The challenge was that as a journalist, I had mostly photographed people. Landscape photography was as foreign as Iceland itself. But the inspiration to create something new was easily found. I remembered advice given to me when I became a photographer.Photograph what is important to you.

With that in mind, I drove thousands of kilometers across deserts, over mountains and through fields of lava having to constantly avoid taking the cliché photograph. This collection of images, and the project titledIceland - Another Take is the result of those travels. The project is also about being free from the constraints. For me, it was simple. I never really knew the rules of landscape photography, so breaking them was easy

An example of my take on Iceland is how I photographed Skógafoss. It's an easily accessible waterfall found just off of the main road on Iceland's south coast. I had driven past it several times and avoided taking the photograph of a rainbow and a waterfall. Finally, I stopped and decided to take the postcard-type photograph for those back home who may appreciate it. But as I approached the waterfall, the colors retreated into the mist and I shot a few hundred variations of color and falling water.

That’s one of many stories of what I found in Iceland and how a common scene turned into something new. That process is why I became a photographer and is the challenge I find every day. It brings to mind a statement attributed to Marcel Proust, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes”.

When asked to describe my work, I let these images speak for me. But I also want to hear someone else's take, what the photographs mean to them...that's what is important and why I really make these images.