Stykkishólmskirkja on the hill

Stykkishólmskirkja stands on the rise above the town, finished in 1990 to a design by Jón Haraldsson, and it looks like nothing else in Iceland: two white concrete arcs sweeping up to a tower, with a curved nave behind them. Locals compare it to a whale's jaw, a ship's prow and a pair of hands; whichever you see, it photographs as sculpture.

The simplest strong frame is from below, on the approach road, with the couple small and the white arcs filling the sky. Step around to the side and the curves compress into a single blade. The forecourt gives a clean, level, gravelled surface — useful with dresses, wheelchairs or small children, none of which enjoy Iceland's usual terrain.

Inside, if the church is open, the nave is white, softly curved and lit by a ring of small windows, with a hanging Madonna by Kristín Gunnlaugsdóttir over the altar. Opening hours vary by season and services always come first, so check locally rather than assuming, and ask before photographing inside.

Light rules: the white concrete blows out in direct midday sun, so use morning, evening or bright overcast, which is when the shape reads best anyway. The hill is windier than the harbour and holds snow later into spring. And the view from the forecourt back over the coloured roofs to Breiðafjörður is worth a frame in its own right, especially in the last hour of light.