Photographer’s Beautiful Self-Portraits Embrace Volcanoes and Glaciers

Apr 02, 2025

Kate Garibaldi

Two contrasting images side by side: Left shows a person silhouetted against a fiery volcanic eruption with orange and gray smoke. Right depicts a person in a white dress inside an icy blue cave, admiring the intricate formations.

Anna Isabella Christensen is a photographer whose self-portraits depict the contrast between the fragile human form and the raw beauty of Iceland’s volcanic eruptions, glaciers, and Northern lights.

Christensen spoke with PetaPixel back in 2021 when she was already four years into her self portrait projects. At that time, her work was mainly focused on a self-portrait series titled ‘Creation,’ which featured the Geldingadalir eruption in Iceland. Since then, she has grown her work immensely by creating her latest series ‘Whispers of the Ice.’

She was kind enough to take time for a new interview with PetaPixel to discuss her new projects, inspiration, and origins.

A Decade Behind the Camera

Anna Isabella Christensen’s photography journey began in 2015. After spending time in nature, she was inspired to purchase a camera to document her travels, including the beautiful things she would see. Her first photos were from parks close to where she lived, then images of her travels in Southeast Asia.

As she explored photography, she started to realize how fulfilling portraiture, particularly self-portraiture, felt to her. Including herself in the beautiful scenery that inspired her was just the combination that solved a missing piece for her. She found self-portraits in nature to be meaningful, a way to express herself, and a cathartic healing process.

As Christensen immersed herself in photography, experimenting with her self-portraits, her style began to take shape. By combining typical landscape and portrait photography techniques with the ethereal look of the human figure in a dress at a stunning yet wild location, she felt that specific concept was worthy of exploration. Thus began her decade-long dedication to a self-portrait series exploring the connection and contrast between human beings and nature in Iceland.

Silhouette of a person stands in front of a large eruption of orange and red smoke, contrasting against a dark, cloudy sky. The dramatic scene highlights the vibrant colors and the scale of the natural phenomenon.

A person in a red dress stands on rocky terrain, observing a volcano erupting with bright orange lava flowing downwards. The sky is dark, creating a dramatic contrast with the glowing lava.

A person in a red dress stands on rocky terrain, observing a distant volcanic eruption sending plumes of smoke and ash into the sky. The scene is set against a sunset, creating a dramatic and vivid landscape.

“Iceland is known as ‘the land of Ice and Fire’ and it was a dream for me to create 2 series with these elements and I was so lucky to have the opportunity to do it,” Christensen explained.

“The most surreal experience was creating my ‘Creation’ series at Geldingadalir eruption in Iceland in 2021. I hiked to the eruption 25 times to create it — I arrived there after sunset and stayed until sunrise to avoid the crowds and create these photos. Seeing that eruption evolve over two months was one of the best experiences of my whole life.”

“And then I created my glacier series — ‘Whispers of the Ice.’ I love glaciers in Iceland so much, and it was incredible to walk on them as well as visit the ice caves. I would like to highlight both the majesty and fragility of glaciers with this project. I also hope that I can draw a parallel between myself in my fragile human form and the glaciers with my self-portraits. In my photos I’m immersed into the world of ice and completely at the mercy of this environment. And this is how I perceive the state of glaciers in our world today — they are at our mercy.”

Embracing the Elements

Christensen shared that some of her most significant challenges in working at such remote places, volcanoes, ice caves, and glaciers, are logistics and the environment itself. Photographing at these locations means long hikes carrying both heavy camera gear and large dresses.

To avoid having other people in her images, Christensen often hikes to her locations in the dark to be there for sunrise.

The cold is also a significant challenge in Iceland. To overcome the weather, Christensen uses rechargeable heated clothing, including a vest, gloves, and socks that she can charge up before her photo shoot.

A person in a flowing white dress stands inside a stunning, frozen blue ice cave. The icy walls surround them with intricate textures and curves, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. Light filters through the ice, casting a soft glow.

A person stands at the mouth of a stunning ice cave, surrounded by blue, textured ice walls. Snow-capped mountains and a cloudy sky are visible in the background, enhancing the dramatic winter scene.

A woman in a white dress stands on a vast, rugged blue glacier under a clear sky, surrounded by snowy mountains.

A woman in a long white dress stands amidst large ice formations on a dark beach. The sun sets on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the scene, creating a tranquil and ethereal atmosphere.

A person in a white dress stands inside a stunning ice cave, surrounded by tall, smooth walls of vibrant blue ice that tower above. The atmosphere is mystical, with light filtering through the translucent ice.

Photo Gear Isn’t Always Everything (But Good Gear Helps)

For photography gear, Christensen described that her interest is more in the creative aspect of photography than equipment.

“Until 2022 I actually had very basic gear. In 2022 I upgraded to more advanced gear in order to have better quality photos and prints. I always strive to have the best photo quality and avoid any technical mistakes, so I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with different techniques and making sure that I know how to get optimal results in any situation,” she explained.

“Of course, in some situations, gear is very important and makes a tremendous difference; for example, when it comes to Northern Lights and other types of low light photography, I shoot with a Sony a7R V camera, and I have a few lenses from different brands. I use different focal lengths between 14mm and 200mm.”

A woman in a white dress stands facing an immense waterfall, with water cascading down dramatically. The scene conveys a sense of scale and power, highlighting the contrast between the woman's delicate figure and the waterfall's majestic force.

A woman in a flowing white dress stands in a misty, enchanted forest. Tall, twisting trees surround her, their branches stretching towards the overcast sky. The scene is ethereal and mystical, evoking a sense of wonder and magic.

Detailed Planning With a Side of Serendipity

Christensen has two frames of mind when creating her self-portraits. Sometimes, she has a specific plan, often related to a particular location or background, such as an ice cave or the Northern Lights. However, other times, she stumbles upon an area in her travels and is struck immediately by inspiration. Always having her camera with her prepares her for these spontaneous moments.

Whether a shot she has planned out or an impromptu photo shoot, Christensen’s self-portraits are created using interval shooting or a remote control. She performs the setup and enjoys the experience as much as the final photographs.

“I’m thrilled when I get a self-portrait that I have envisioned and when everything just lines up for me, but what makes it meaningful for me is the full experience. My favorite thing is going on adventures where I can admire breathtaking nature, and I love having my self-portraits as memories from those adventures,” Christensen says.

A silhouetted woman in a flowing dress stands on a beach at sunset. The sky is golden and misty, with large, jagged rock formations rising from the ocean in the background. Waves gently lap the shore.

A person in a flowing red dress lies dramatically on a cliff of tall, jagged basalt columns. The geometric rock formations create a striking contrast against the vivid red fabric.

More From Anna Isabella Christensen

To share her experiences, Christensen has begun to film her adventures. She posts them to her YouTube channel to share the stories behind her photos. Since then, she’s gotten many questions from fellow photographers on her process. So, she has begun sharing tutorials and guides as well.

Christensen’s goal to photograph Iceland, the Land of Ice and Fire, with her two series ‘Creation’ showcasing the volcano and ‘Whispers of the Ice’ highlighting the glaciers, draws a close to a huge chapter of her life. However, she is still in Iceland, inspired as ever.

After concluding her recent glacier series, Anna Isabella Christensen shared that she hopes to create a photography book, participate in a gallery exhibition, and begin teaching workshops in Iceland.

Another recent passion project for her has been applying her self-portrait techniques to photographing others.

“I also shoot a lot of elopements and intimate weddings in Iceland in my fine art style, which is something I really love. My self-portraits have actually really helped me with my wedding photography — I know how my couples feel in front of the camera and I’ve also had a lot of training with placing myself in landscapes, so I can easily do that for my couples as well. I look forward to eternalizing many more love stories,” Christensen explained.

“And, lastly, I hope to explore, admire, and photograph many more beautiful places in the world.”

Image credits: Photographs by Anna Isabella Christensen