8 Day Summer Photo Workshop in Iceland
Get ready to chase the glorious glow of the long golden hours created by the Midnight Sun, when sunset melts seamlessly into sunrise. We will photograph Iceland during the midnight hour and into the early mornings, when we are guaranteed to have the best light and to avoid the crowds who will invariably go to sleep! Explore the spectacular sights of Iceland’s magnificent south coast, tiptoe around cute puffins when they return to the island to nest, capture the magical glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón and witness much more besides. This summer photography tour has it all. Across eight memorable days, we will take in the magical landscapes and wonderful lighting conditions that have made Iceland one of the world’s premier photography destinations. We’ve got professional photography guides, a crazy amount of local knowledge and a welcoming country ready to explore. So what are you waiting for? Grab your gear; an Arctic summer paradise awaits!
The Highlights of the Summer Photo Workshop:
Midnight Sun Photography
Imagine yourself in a place where the sun never sets; the days are endless and the sky is ablaze with a magical, golden glow. Dramatic, elongated shadows are cast across sweeping fjords where wildflowers carpet the ground and flourish. The chance to capture dramatic and expressive photos here abounds.
Welcome to summer in Iceland, the Land of the Midnight Sun. When the snow melts away, a photographer’s paradise is unveiled, absolutely awash with an abundance of sensational colours, patterns and shapes. During summer in Iceland, the angle created by the Earth and the sun means that the latter never actually dips below the horizon during the night. The result is an extended sunset that eventually fades seamlessly into sunrise - a ‘golden hour’ that actually lasts for around five or six! With no time constraints and no need to rush before the light fades, the Midnight Sun makes Iceland the perfect place for photographers who are on the hunt to capture elusively breathtaking scenes.
Midnight Sun
Ice Beach Iceland
The South Coast of Iceland
No trip to Iceland is complete without visiting the amazing south coast, home to the iconic Vatnajökull National Park, where we will have a great deal of chances to photograph the massive icebergs at Jökulsárlón lagoon and the chunks of ice that break away and drift towards the ice beach. The gorgeous glow of the Midnight Sun reflects off the icebergs in the water, making this a wonderful opportunity for stunning summer photography. Meanwhile, at the famous ice beach, you will experience a marvellous interplay of light, dark sands, glistening ice and movements of the waves which make this location a photographer’s playground, with every shot guaranteed to be magical and monumental. Be ready also to witness Reynisfjara and Reynisdrangar under amazing light, and to photograph Vík – a beautiful, quiet village surrounded by seemingly endless stretches of purple lupine fields.
Puffins!
Considering that this is a summer photography workshop in Iceland, you will no doubt be hoping for a moment when you can photograph puffins. At Dyrhólaey, you will find plenty of opportunities. These adorable little birds nest here in the thousands and are surprisingly unafraid of people. They will allow you to get close enough to capture their charming faces and clumsy, endearing behaviour, and are perfect practice for the aspiring wildlife photographer.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrival in Iceland
Day one begins with your arrival at Keflavík International Airport. Using the ticket provided, you will take a Flybus to your hotel in Reykjavík, where you will be able to relax until 7pm. At this point, you will meet your guides and group in the lobby, and head to a distinguished restaurant for a delicious dinner. Over the meal, you’ll get to know the people you’ll be spending the next week with and run through the itinerary of the adventure ahead. When you are finally feeling full and satisfied, as well as eager to get on with the photography workshop, you’ll retire to your hotel for the night.
Reykjavik midnight sun
Your first subjects will be two of the country’s most famous attractions, the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. Seljalandsfoss stands at 63 meters tall, and falls in a narrow cascade in front of a cavern; if the path is clear, you will be able to walk behind it and photograph the water from a unique angle, framing the lush green surrounds.
Meanwhile, Skógafoss will thrill you with its powerful cascades, thundering to the earth and throwing off clouds of spray. If the sun is shining, rainbows will arch throughout the mist of this waterfall, allowing you to practice working with truly unusual lighting phenomena.
After capturing these waterfalls, you will continue along the South Coast to Reynisfjara. The endless stretches of black sands here are haunting, the power of the Atlantic ocean dramatic, and the surrounding geology fascinating. Particularly of note are the Reynisdrangar sea-stacks, which rise tall from the surface of the sea. Though this is a fantastic photography location in summer, Reynisfjara beach has notorious sneaker waves, so ensure that you don’t get so absorbed in the area’s beauty that you put yourself at risk.
At the end of the day, you will retire to accommodation in the nearby, charming village of Vík.
Seljalandsfoss waterfall
Day 3 - Vatnajokull National Park
On day three, you will continue along the South Coast until you reach Vatnajökull National Park, a vast area that contains many of Iceland’s greatest subjects for photography. You can expect a range of subjects throughout the first part of this day, including lava landscapes, glacier tongues, waterfalls and desert-like stretches of black sands. The second part of the day will be focused on one location in particular, however: the mesmerising Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon.Jökulsárlón is a truly beautiful place, where vivid blue icebergs break from the retreating glacier tongue Breiðamerkurjökull and slowly float across the lake towards the ocean. Each iceberg is unique and makes for fascinating photography. On warm summer days, many seals can be seen lounging around on the ice or swimming in the crystal blue water, so you’ll have an excellent chance to practice your wildlife photography!
Adjacent to Jökulsárlón is the famous Diamond Beach, a stretch of black-sand coastline where icebergs wash ashore after finally reaching the ocean. Here, you will have the chance to capture sun stars and the gorgeous golden glints hitting each iceberg.
You will retire for the day in the Jökulsárlón area.
Ice Beach Iceland
Day 4 - Vatnajokull National Park
Your sunrise shoot on day four will be conducted back at Jökulsárlón, where the lighting conditions can change dramatically, allowing you to produce completely different shots. You will also head back to the Diamond Beach for another shoot here. The beauty of this corner of Iceland could warrant days of shooting, but there is more to see in the region.Your photo guides will use today to take you to lesser-known spots only they and very few others know about. These will largely be in Vatnajökull National Park, and tailored to allow you to capture the unbelievable panoramas of South Iceland as well as the largest glacier in all of Europe.
You will retire for the day in the Jökulsárlón area.
Ice Beach in Iceland
Day 5 - Vatnajokull National Park
On day five of this summer photography expedition, you’ll have a sunrise shoot at the Diamond Beach. Following that, you will head even further east along Iceland’s South Coast, out of Vatnajökull National Park, to Vestrahorn mountain on the Stokksnes Peninsula.Vestrahorn can appear ominous, even under the glow of the Midnight Sun. Beneath this steep 454 metre high mountain, you will find many photogenic peaks and slopes. Foreground is the key here and the strong waves of the Atlantic Ocean crashing onto the beach can be used to frame the mountain in the background. You can photograph it against the surrounding black sands, over dunes, or with epic seascapes, so a large part of this day will be spent exploring the Stokksnes Peninsula to find the perfect composition.
You will stay here throughout the golden hours when Vestrahorn becomes shadowy and even more eerie.
After a day of shooting at Vestrahorn, you’ll return to your accommodation.
Vestrahorn in Stokksnes
Day 6 - Skaftafell, Vik
On your sixth day, you will visit the spectacular Skaftafell Nature Reserve. This area is often deemed a hiker’s paradise, though it has just as much to offer the avid photographer. Many of the landscapes and features that make Iceland internationally famous as a natural haven can be found within its borders. Glacier tongues, lagoons, waterfalls, forests, rivers, volcanoes and lava landscapes will all present themselves to you, one subject after another.You will spend the majority of the day shooting its many sites, continuing to practice your landscape photography; by this time in the tour, you will no doubt be able to notice a marked improvement in your skills.
After capturing the magic of this beautiful reserve, you will head back to the South Coast, returning to Reynisfjara beach for another golden hour shoot.
You’ll retire for the day at accommodation in Vík.
Sunrise Dyrholaey
Day 7 - Geyser , Gullfoss, Thingvellir national park, Reykjavik
Day seven is your final full day of photography, and you will spend it shooting three of Iceland’s most famous sites: Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Area, and Gullfoss Waterfall, all on Golden Circle Route.Þingvellir is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Icelandic mainland, being where the early residents formed their first parliament in 930 AD. While the history of this place is inspiring, it is the landscapes that you are likely to find most captivating.
Located in a valley between the tectonic plates, you can shoot the walls that mark the edges of the continents, the lava fields that fill the area from eruptions in centuries past, and the many ravines filled with crystal clear spring water, opened by earthquakes in the area. Iceland’s largest natural lake, Þingvallavatn, also makes for a beautiful subject with its surrounding mountains.
The Geysir Geothermal Area is the prime location on this photo workshop to photograph Iceland’s seething geothermal activity. The area is dotted with many fumaroles, hot springs and mud-pots, the earth is vividly colored by the elements rising from the crust, and, of course, there are geysers on site.
The largest of these, Geysir itself, is inactive, but you will have plenty of chances to shoot Strokkur, which erupts every five to ten minutes to heights which exceed twenty meters.
Your final subject on this workshop will be one of Iceland’s most recognizable and renowned sites: Gullfoss waterfall. This incredible feature, the name of which translates to the ‘Golden Waterfall’, is immensely powerful, thundering in two tiers into a dramatic, ancient canyon. There are several platforms from which you can capture it.
In winter, the rocks around Gullfoss are caked in ice, and snow covers the surrounding landscapes. In cloudy weather, therefore, your photographs can tell the story of the waterfall’s ominous strength, whereas when the sun is shining, and rainbows are cutting through its spray, they will depict how much of a winter wonderland Iceland can be. With any luck, you will finish your shoot with the northern lights overhead. You will then return to Reykjavík for your final night.
Geyser
Day 8 - Transfer to Keflavik Airport
Sadly, this will be your final day in Iceland. When it is time, you will hop on the Flybus back to the airport, and depart home or to your next destination. However, the bittersweetness of departing will hopefully be outweighed by the pride taken in your newly developed skills, having had the once-in-a-lifetime experience to tour and capture Iceland beneath the glow of the Midnight Sun.
Icelandic Horses
Tour information:
- Available May. - Oct.
- Duration 6 hours
- Activities Caving
- Difficulty Moderate
Pickup information:
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Pickup time :
07:30 08:30, 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:30,
Please be at your pickup location in time for your departure. Should your pickup location be at a bus stop and you need assistance finding it, seek guidance in your Hotel's reception or contact your tour provider directly.
Included:
- Pick-up from and return to your accommodation in Reykjavik
- All safety gear (helmets, harness, etc.)
- Small refreshments (soup, coffee/tea and perhaps some sweets)
- Experienced guides