Updated: Dec 28, 2019
Some of the attributes that make Icelandic Roots unique among genealogy resources are the stories, maps and photos which enhance the genealogy experience. We are especially fortunate to have hundreds of spectacular aerial photographs of Icelandic farms by Mats Wibe Lund.
One of the most accomplished photographers in Iceland, Mats has devoted his life to capturing the stunning natural beauty of Iceland on film and digital media. He first visited Iceland in 1954 as a student and settled permanently in 1966 following his marriage to Arndís Ellertsdóttir. His aerial photography experience with the Royal Norwegian Air Force and NATO served him well in Iceland, where he has assembled a collection of more than 300,000 photographs over the span of fifty years.
In the autumn of 2011, Mats and Arndís visited eleven chapters of the Icelandic National League of North America as the International Visits Program speaker and shared many of his amazing photographs of Icelandic farms and landscapes. Thanks to Mats’ generosity, we have now been able to include most of those photographs, as well as many others, in the Icelandic Roots database. These images are also linked to the farm locations, so you can explore the maps and associated records.
We encourage all our readers to visit Mats’ website and to explore his extensive collection of photographs. He offers his images for sale, so you can easily acquire high resolution photos of ancestral farms for your own collection. If you do not see a specific farm or location, send Mats an email and you will receive sample photos online.
www.Mats.is mats.photoshelter.com
Vindbelgur, Skútustaðahreppur, S-Þingeyjarsýsla (Image © Mats Wibe Lund)
Thank you, Mats, for creating a lasting visual record of the Icelandic landscape and for your generous support of Icelandic Roots. We hope that our readers will visit your website and order these high quality, unique photos of their ancestral farms or beautiful Icelandic landscape photos. His son, Christopher, is also a talented landscape photographer and their collection is phenomenal.
If you live in Iceland, Mats will be one of the volunteer teachers at an upcoming course April 10, 11, and 12 at Háskóli Íslands. He will show and explain his photography and his cooperation with the team at Icelandic Roots. You can register and read about the course at Endurmenntun: more here.