Iceland – Dramatic Photo Tour of West, South & Eastern Iceland

What makes this such a great Iceland photography trip?

The south of Iceland rightly deserves its place with the most photographed bucket-list destinations, but ignoring the east and west means you miss many other iconic locations. The south can also get quite crowded with other photographers, whereas the east and west much less so. This trip will take you to all the best and iconic locations in the south such as well as to the famous Vestrahorn in the east and the Snæfellsjökull Peninsular in the west, together with many many other locations in between.

Winter is a fantastic time to photograph Iceland. The frozen landscape can be spectacular, the sun remains low in the sky so the quality of light is high from dawn to dusk. Twilight is also very long at either end of the day, so we can manage a good 10 hours of quality photography, plus any night excursions for the northern lights.

Recent volcanic activity

You may have seen in the news that the Fagradalsfjall Volcano has been erupting recently. This has not impacted flights or access into Iceland. The activity has quietened but is coming and going. If there is activity during our trip then we will arrange a visit to photograph the errupting lava and lava fields.

In search of the Northern Lights

Not content with chasing the light by day, nothing beats the thrill of chasing down the spectacular Aurora Borealis. They are one of the main reason people want to visit Iceland and we’re pretty confident that they are high up on your list of “must see’s” too. Everynight we will check weather and Aurora forcasts and where the conditions dictate we will try to hunt down the Aurora Borealis. These amazing and often colourful lights dancing in the sky make unforgettable images.

Iceland Photo Locations – Workshop Approach

Before getting our cameras out, we will look at how the landscape presents itself, how the light sits and where it may move and change. Then we’ll consider the best framing and how to experiment with different ideas and view points, picking out different elements of the landscape and using them to best effect. We are on hand at all times to offer help and advice about composition and technique to help you get the very best from every location.

Our trips are structured for people of all photo abilities; For those that are beginners or want additional help, we provide assistance, evaluation and guidance throughout from an experienced landscape and travel photographer. For experienced photographers, you have the benefit of joining a photo workshop with a guide with excellent local knowledge. We want photographers of all abilities to leave the workshop with an amazing array of quality images to be proud of.

Transport during the workshop is in a comfortable air-conditioned car or minibus/people carrier.

Typical schedule and locations

Day 1 (11th Nov) – Arrive at Keflavik airport (ideally before 12 midday) and drive in comfortable mini bus to Vík i Myrdal: Vík has many locations to shoot around including the Black Sand Beach, Cap Dyrhólaey, Dyrhólaeyjarviti Lighthouse, Reynisfjara beach and sea stacks, Seljalandsfoss waterfall, Dverghamrar columns, and the incredible DC-3 crashed plane.

Day 2 – Vík and local area.

Day 3 – Drive to Breiðamerkursandur (aka Diamond beach) and Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon including Lava rock pillars at Svartifoss and Hofskirkja the historical turf church.

Day 4 – Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach, there is opportunity for Ice caves visit as extra cost option (approx. £120)

Day 5 – Drive east, arriving in Höfn where locations include: Skútafoss waterfall, the famous Stokksnes Mountains (Vestrahorn) and Eystrahorn mountains with Hvalnes Lighthouse and Lækjavik beach and sea stacks.

Day 6 – Höfn and local area

Day 7 – Drive to Selfoss – locations include Geyser and Gullfoss waterfall (Golden Circle).

Day 8 – Drive to Snæfellsjökull – Western Peninsular. Locations include: Grundarfjörður, Lóndrangar, Malarrif Lighthouse, Svörtuloft Lighthouse, Ondverdarnes lighthouse, Abandoned ship at Akranes, Hraunfossar – Lava Waterfalls, Búðakirkja (famous Black Church), Skarðsvík Beach (I believe the only white sand beach in Iceland), Ingjaldsholskirkja Church, Gatklettur Stone Arch, Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss.

Day 9 & 10 – Snæfellsjökull Peninsular

Day 11 – Drive to Reykjavik, night photos of the amazing Hallgrímskirkja Church.

Day 12 (22nd Nov) – Hotel is in centre of Reykjavik, so we can have an early morning photo walk to the Harpa and Perlan buildings for their amazing modern architecture as well as a few other local landmarks. Return back to Keflavik airport to return home – ideally find a return flight after 2pm.

All locations are shown on the map below. All locations are subject to weather and local accessibility, and we may not be able to visit all of them.

End of workshop photo review & followup

If time allows, on the last afternoon or evening of the trip we will have a photo review. Everyone brings around 4 or 5 edited images to show the group. We can then offer joint feed back and editing advice. I appreciate not everyone may bring laptops for editing, so SOOC images are also fine. I also offer an online follow-up after the workshop to help you with image selection and editing.

Access to Private Members Facebook group

We also have a private Facebook group where members can join and post images for feedback and I answer questions and give help and advice.

Our accomodation in Iceland

Every night we will stay in hotels where you have your own private room – no single supplement. Breakfast is included in nearly all hotels. One hotel will have shared bathrooms where the remote location dictates lack of choice.

Images from our previous Iceland Workshops

South Coast of Iceland

Snæfellsjökull Peninsular in the West

Eastern mountain ranges

Full logistical details, assistance with booking transport will be provided (if needed) after booking is complete.