THRAINN KOLBEINSSON

Thrainn Kolbeinsson is a photographer from Iceland, specialising in documenting outdoor activities and adventures, often in difficult conditions with the aim of telling unique and authentic stories. Thrainn has always been fascinated by people, so in 2012 he started studying clinical psychology. However, after five years in university and two years working with patients he realised it wasn't quite for him - he needed to be more active. Primed by his father at a young age he had been interested in photography and storytelling but it wasn't until 2016 that one of his colleagues at the hospital convinced him to buy an old camera. He instantly got hooked and in 2017 he made the leap from psychology into professional photography. 

In the beginning his focus was on pure landscapes. Fast forward to today and his focus has shifted almost completely to the natural interactions between people and nature. His favorite type of projects involve people doing challenging things such as photographing polar bears in Nunavut, long distance cold water swimming feats in Iceland, a single push bike ride across Tasmania and other multi day bike-packing challenges. To him, those types of projects offer the perfect combination of human emotions and landscapes, giving him the ability to combine his two passions. 

Some of Thrainn's previous clients are National Geographic, Red Bull, Iceland Air, Diamond Aircraft, 66°North and Inspired by Iceland.