RACHAEL'S HOLIDAY PHOTOS.

I went to Iceland with Mum, Dad and Monty my brother. Iceland is like another planet, and stunningly beautiful. It was too extra ordinary to photograph with a normal camera, so using my old Lomo, I started making patterns with the landscape.

We took a 4 wheel drive through the interior, which was black desert, with river and lakes of milky water. With white overcast skies it made stripes.There was a rainbow which filled the whole horizon, and stayed most of the afternoon.

As we got higher, towards the glaciers, the ground got blacker and the water whiter, so I started to make checks by double exposing.

Then I did the same with the horizon.

And the white tops of volcanos coated in black lava.

When we got back to the sea, a Russian schooner came in. Monty speaks Russian, so he chatted to the sailors and we went on board.

I had fun weaving with the rigging.

Iceland is very special. It is cheaper to visit now that the ecconomy has collapsed.

I read a very depressing book "Dreamland- A self Help Manual for a Frightened Nation" by Andri Snaer Magnason, about the pollution of a unique landscape hosting the world's finest salmon fishing, by an aluminium plant, running off geothermal energy.

You can read about it at http://www.andrimagnason.com/books/dreamland/

We discussed the situation over a cup of tea on the edge of a glacier.

It wasn't a huge chat because it was too cold to talk. We made tea by burning newspaper in the storm kettle, which took ages to boil due to lack of oxygen.

Oddly, we came home with suntans.