Iceland has gotten a reputation as a “must go” place for photographers, for good reason. Glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, icebergs, mountains, ocean, horses, whales and puffins, it’s truly a visual paradise. We had a great itinerary for the first Iceland photography workshop I led there in 2016, so I only made minor changes for this July’s trip.
If you look at the map of our trip (I keep GPS logs to create these), you’d think all we did was drive. But since the country’s fairly small, the Ring Road around the island is actually just over 800 miles. So while we covered a lot of ground to see everything in our nine days, we rarely were in the van for more than an hour or two at a time. And of course, being a small group, we were able to stop whenever we saw something good to shoot.
Rather than take you through the trip day-by-day, I’ll share some of my favorite photos and tell a little about what was going on for each one. I’m leading a winter trip to Iceland in February, but unfortunately, it’s sold out. I’ll likely return again in two years, so let me know if you’re interested in going.
Flights from the U.S. to Reykjavik are overnight, and are not very long (5-8 hours). Which means you arrive having had little sleep. Because of that I have everyone fly in the day before the trip starts, so we can have a day to recover. Our hotel was in a small town near the airport, Grindavik, which is a fishing town. There’s a peninsula nearby, with a gravel road out and around it. Because of the harsh weather, there are a number of wrecks along the shoreline, as well as some old boats like this one. Nikon D850, Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/400 at f/10, -0.3 EV, Nikkor AF Zoom 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G lens at 23mm.
If you visit Iceland, you’ll get your fill of waterfall photos. A favorite along the southern coast is Seljalandsfoss, because you’re able to walk all the way around behind it. If you want to capture the whole thing in one photo, you’ll need an extra wide lens. In this case I brought along the Nikon16mm f/2.8 full-frame fisheye to do just that. Nikon D850, Aperture Priority, ISO 200, 1/640 at f/5.6, +1.3 EV, Nikkor AF 16mm f/2.8D lens at 16mm.
One of the most famous areas along Iceland’s southern coast is Black Sand beach near Jökulsárlón lagoon. Bits of iceberg wash up on its beaches, which make for great pictures. In this case, I used a tripod and neutral density filter to make a long exposure blurring the water. Nikon D850, Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 10-seconds at f/11, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 24-120mm f/4.0 lens at 32mm.
I love the Icelandic horses. Not only are they beautiful, with long manes, but they’re also the friendliest horses I’ve ever met. Lying on the grass under a fence gave me a unique perspective. Nikon D850, Aperture Priority, ISO 125, 1/640 at f/7.1, 0.0 EV, Nikkor AF Zoom 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G lens at 24mm.
Gullfoss is one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland, thanks to it being an easy drive from Reykjavik. Our timing was right to catch not just good clouds in the sky, but a rainbow. I used a polarizing filter to give the rainbow a bit more “pop.” Nikon D500, Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/320 at f/8, 0.0 EV, Nikkor VR Zoom 24-120mm f/4G IF-ED lens at 46mm.
Vatnajkull National Park is home to the Vatnajkull glacier, the largest in all of Europe outside the Arctic. If you spend any time at all in southeastern Iceland, you’ll see a lot of it. We had this dramatic view while visiting a small glacial lagoon at its southern edge one afternoon. Nikon D850, Aperture Priority, ISO 64, 1/640 at f/7.1, -0.3 EV, Nikkor VR Zoom 24-120mm f/4G IF-ED lens at 120mm.
On my last trip to Iceland our guide took us to a place where he guaranteed great puffin photos. He was right! So this time we returned to Borgarfjordur eystri for more of the same. I brought a longer lens and faster camera (autofocus and frame rate) along to make sure I got plenty of photos like this one. Nikon D500, Aperture Priority, ISO 1250, 1/1600 at f/7.1, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 lens at 280mm.
This little slice of Icelandic life was outside a restaurant we went to for dinner in Eskifjordur. Visiting Iceland in summer means about 20 hours of daylight. Nikon D850, Aperture Priority, ISO 160, 1/500 at f/8, 0.0 EV, Nikkor VR Zoom 24-120mm f/4G IF-ED lens at 75mm.
While most photos from Iceland are either large landscapes, ice, rock or critters, we visit Asbyrgi for something a bit different. It’s essentially a small nature preserve in a canyon, and lush with growth. Of course, that lushness comes with rain, so we had an opportunity to use our umbrellas. Nikon D500, Aperture Priority, ISO 250, 1/200 at f/5.6, -0.3 EV, Nikkor VR Zoom 24-120mm f/4G IF-ED lens at 180mm.
(If you like this story, please share it with your friends and let them know about the links on photography I post on my business Facebook page. I’m also on Instagram and Twitter, @reedhoffmann)