Iceland is a unique place, so much so that it is nicknamed “The Land of Fire & Ice.” While its black sand beaches and snow covered mountains have been photographed countless times, no one had captured the bond that ties together the land and its companions, horses. At least until photographer Drew Doggett’s newest series, In the Realm of Legends.
Icelandic horses (they’re always referred to as horses, even though most of the times they’re pony-sized) are hardy, long-lived and have been a vital part of Iceland’s culture and folklore for more than a millennia, ever since they descended from the Vikings’ horses. They withstand Iceland’s harsh weather so much that imagining the land without them is impossible, and that’s why Drew Doggett travelled to capture them in their natural habitat, with which the horses share a symbiotic relationship.
The photos of the series combine the beauty of the land to that of the horses, “within one fantastical and intertwined realm,” as Drew Doggett told Lonely Planet. In the Realm of Legends was not the first time he used horses as the main subjects of his photos — his interested in them started when he photographed the wild horses of Sable Island, off the coast of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. You can also check out the rest of his work on his Instagram page here.
