Iceland - Vignettes of Landscape Photography

If you are super keen to see some video and photographs from my photographic adventure to Iceland, then I’ve produced this short video. I decided not to produce and film a full video as I wanted to focus on the experience of being there and capturing landscape photographs. However, as you’ll see, the landscape was just too stunning not to capture any video!

If that has whetted your appetite for Iceland, then read on and I’ll tell you all about my photography adventure to Iceland!

Iceland Wasn’t My First Choice

Saying that Iceland wasn’t my first choice may seem an odd way to start this Icelandic photography blog post. Iceland is well known for being high up on a lot of landscape photographers' bucket lists so why wouldn’t it be on mine? Of course, Iceland is on my bucket list, it just wasn’t as high up as another location.

Every year I like to go on a big photography trip. These trips are an opportunity to completely immerse myself in landscape photography. They aren’t always in far-flung locations. They don’t need to be. For me, it’s about being able to dedicate myself to the art of landscape photography and the experience of spending extended amounts of time outdoors.

While I am more than happy to photograph the many locations across the UK, the Faroe Islands has long been at the top of my list of international locations to photograph. I had decided that 2021 was going to be the year that I was going to make that dream come true. However, the world had different plans and things were turned upside down with the pandemic. The Faroe Islands would have to wait.

As one opportunity passes you by, another one comes along. Without the Faroe Islands, what would I do for my big photo trip in 2021? Iceland of course! An epic country for landscape photography, and number 2 on my international photography bucket list. It might not be my first choice, but I would have nothing to complain about if I spent a week photographing Iceland. If I could get away to Iceland for a week, I could still count myself very, very fortunate.

Workshop or Go Solo?

I’m no stranger to a bit of international travel. I even had a “gap year” back in the early 2000s in which I independently travelled across parts of Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. The point I’m making is that I’m no stranger to arriving in a country and sorting my own travel plans and itinerary out.

So, it may seem surprising that I chose the option of going on a dedicated landscape photography workshop in Iceland. I went down this route for several reasons. This was not only my first international landscape photography trip, but it was also my first time in Iceland. More importantly though, I only had a week. If I’d had several weeks to play with, I would have felt a lot more confident as I would have had the time to get to know the country and how things work there.

I wanted to maximise my limited time there and going on a workshop would remove the pressure of decision making, route planning and scheduling. Yes, you don’t get the freedom that you would do by travelling solo, but for my first visit, going on a workshop would be an excellent introduction to Iceland.

A large part of that decision to go on a workshop was driven by the workshop company I chose. I opted to go on a Dawn to Dusk Photography workshop. I’ve been on several Dawn to Dusk workshops, and I know Ross and Mark would make their Icelandic workshop something special. I don’t think I would have had as much confidence with any other workshop provider. I know the itinerary would maximise our time there, I’d be guided to some of Iceland’s photographic highlights, and the travel, accommodation, and food would be excellent.

So, I booked the workshop, bought a new winter jacket, a new flight friendly camera bag (the Shimoda Designs Explore v2 30) and booked a flight from Bristol to Reykjavík. I just needed to keep my fingers crossed so that I didn’t catch COVID or that the travel rules got tighter!

My Icelandic Photography Adventure

Day 0 and 1 - Arrival and The Big Drive

My Icelandic journey started like any other international trip and that is with a very early morning flight. I was a little nervous as this was the first time travelling with my camera gear and even though I knew my bag was within limits I was worried someone was going to ask me to put it in the hold. I needn’t have worried, and nor should I have worried about all the additional checks and paperwork put in place because of the pandemic. I arrived in Iceland a few hours later and cleared security with no stress.

Starting my adventure in Iceland the right way. Coffee and Bushmills at Reykjavík airport .

Despite having a window seat on the plane, I didn’t see any of the Icelandic landscape because of the very low cloud. This grey and overcast weather continued for the rest of the day so I met up with some of the workshop attendees and we went out for pizza. We went to the most excellent Antons Mamma Mia. This place comes highly recommended.

The next day, the first official day of the workshop, was a day of travel. We were going to drive from Reykjavík to Höfn on the southeast coast of Iceland. It would be from there that we would snake our way back along to coast back to our start point over the next few days.

I’d like to tell you all about the beautiful scenery I saw on this long drive, but the weather had remained grey and overcast and I saw very little. What I did see looked amazing though, so I was still excited about getting started with the photography.

Just before we reached our hotel in Höfn we had time to stop at Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon to capture the first images of the trip.

**Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 28mm, f/11, 4 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

Day 2 - Vestrahorn and Eystrahorn

What can you say about Vestrahorn? It’s one of Iceland's most iconic views. A black sand beach with golden dune grass, the ocean, and an epic mountain range. It’s simply stunning to look at but I have to admit, I did struggle a little with picking out a composition. Perhaps I was overwhelmed by the view. Did I mention how amazing it looked?

Capturing images of Vestrahorn. Simply stunning.

I just needed to take my time. Fortunately for me, I was on holiday and had lots of time to just stand there and soak up the view. And sometimes that’s just what you need to do. Take it all in and wander about. Don’t bother with the camera straight away. Keep it in your bag for a bit. Sure enough, after a short while, I started seeing compositions and then, only when I was sure I had something to photograph, did I get my camera out. After the first shot was taken the creative floodgates opened and I was in my happy place.

After a couple of hours of happy photography, it was off to the cafe at the entrance to Vestrahorn for a hot chocolate and rum! What a morning.

**Vestrahorn #2, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/11, 0.6 sec at ISO 64.

**Vestrahorn #5, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 30mm, f/8, 1/20th sec at ISO 400, 7 image panoramic, 6:17 crop.

**Vestrahorn #9, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/11, 1/4 sec at ISO 64, 6:17 crop.

**Vestrahorn #10, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 1/4 sec at ISO 64.

After some refreshments, we drove onto Eystrahorn. The weather had taken a turn for the worse and the interesting dawn skies had been replaced with a grey overcast sky. While the mountain range was impressive, the flat conditions meant I wasn’t connecting with the view like I had been at Vestrahorn.

It’s times like this that it’s good to think a little differently, so I took a walk over to the beach. The beach was made up of millions of jet-black pebbles which moved under the impressive white-water waves that were crashing along the beach. I wondered what this all looked like from above, so I got the drone out of my bag and sent it up. What I saw just blew me away.

**The Black Sands of Eystrahorn #2, Iceland** - DJI Mavic Pro, 1/100th sec.

**The Black Sands of Eystrahorn #5, Iceland** - DJI Mavic Pro, 1/100th sec.

From just a relatively low height the whole scene was transformed. I could see all these wonderful patterns being created by the waves and the contrast between the black beach and the white water was striking. Not only did it look great on video, but the still images I was capturing looked even better. I had let go of my preconceived idea of what I was going to photograph at Eystrahorn and found something much more rewarding!

**The Black Sands of Eystrahorn #4, Iceland** - DJI Mavic Pro, 1/100th sec.

**The Black Sands of Eystrahorn #1, Iceland** - DJI Mavic Pro, 1/100th sec.

After returning to the hotel for dinner we headed back out to Vestrahorn to see if we could capture the Northern Lights but unfortunately for us the northern lights activity level was low that evening. It wasn’t a wasted trip though as we were able to get some practice in and get some nighttime shots of Vestrahorn.

**Vestrahorn at Night, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Laowa 15mm f/2, 15 secs at ISO 800.

Day 3 - A Little More Vestrahorn and The Diamond Ice Beach

That’s me photographing Vestrahorn. Photograph courtesy of Ross Hoddinott.

The following day the weather forecast for dawn was looking like it might favour another trip to Vestrahorn. One of the wonderful things about visiting Iceland in November is how late sunrise is, and how long it lasts. Sunrise is about 10 am and because the sun's ascent from the horizon is relatively slow, you get more time to make the most of the morning light compared to how it is in the UK.

We returned to Vestrahorn on what was mostly a cloudless morning but the warm glow from the rising sun illuminated the mountain range beautifully. What you can’t tell from the photographs is the strength of the wind. You had to be very careful with your camera and tripod. Not holding onto your gear was a sure-fire way to ruin your holiday. It was the gusts that could really catch you. You could see them travelling across the water. All you could do is hold your tripod and take a wide stance. It was incredibly good fun though!

**Vestrahorn #14, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/11, 1/8 sec at ISO 64, 6:17 crop.

**Vestrahorn #13, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 1/8 sec at ISO 64, 16:9 crop.

After stopping at the Viking Cafe at the entrance of Vestrahorn for another hot chocolate and rum (another advantage of being driven around Iceland), we drove westward to the Diamond Ice Beach at Breiðamerkursandur. This beach is famous for the icebergs that float down from the Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon and then break up into chunks of ice that then get washed up onto the beach.

It was late in the day by the time we got there but I still managed to get a few shots to whet my appetite for the following day.

**Diamond Ice Beach #1, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/13, 1.3 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters ND Grad and CPL.

**Diamond Ice Beach #3, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm, f/13, 2 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters ND Grad and CPL.

Our hotel for the night was the Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon which was very wonderufl. I admit a campervan gives you more flexibility, but a bar and restaurant after a hard day of photography are very welcome!

Day 4 - The Diamond Ice Beach and Svínafellsjökull Glacier

Dancing with waves and ice! Photograph courtesy of Ross Hoddinott.

After a great night's sleep, lots of breakfast and even more coffee I was excited about returning to the Diamond Ice Beach. There was still a limited amount of ice on the beach but sometimes you can have too much choice, so it didn’t take long to identify some of the more interesting mini-icebergs.

The principal difficulty with shooting the ice is timing. To get the composition I wanted I needed to be close to the ice, but this approach also meant dealing with the incoming waves. It was a matter of waiting for a wave to recede, running out and sticking the tripod in the sand, firing off a couple of shots, and then running back before your feet got wet (or worse). An advantage of being in a group was that we could act as spotters for each other. You don’t always see the waves coming if you are focusing on your camera and so it was good to have someone shout “WAVE”! It was an exciting experience for sure.

**Diamond Ice Beach #8, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 1.6 sec at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL.

**Diamond Ice Beach #5, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 2.0 sec at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL.

**Diamond Ice Beach #4, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 2.0 sec at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL.

You often see photographs from this location coupled with glorious light, but for me, the dark moody skies work just as well. My main problem when I got home was editing. I captured a lot of frames from this location. Each one had a slightly different water pattern but trying to select just a few for final processing was a challenge.

**Diamond Ice Beach #13, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 20mm, f/11, 1.0 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

**Diamond Ice Beach #14, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/11, 1.0 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

**Diamond Ice Beach #11, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1.0 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

Doughnut, hot chocolate with rum and a view of some icebergs. Happy days.

After a hot chocolate and rum at the cafe, we drove on to Svínafellsjökull Glacier. It was another location with awe-inspiring views. As with Vestrahorn, I struggled initially with finding a composition. Another benefit of being on a workshop is that you can not only get inspiration from your fellow workshop attendees, but you can also lean on the expertise of your instructors. Sometimes you can’t see the compositions because the views are so big, so a little direction can be very welcome.

My favourite photographs from Svínafellsjökull Glacier, as with Eystrahorn, came from the drone. The ability to place the camera wherever I wanted provided me with compositions that simply wouldn’t have been impossible with a camera on a tripod. It's not just the ability to photograph a wider view of the glacier, but for me, it was about photographing the surface of the glacier. The drone gives you a unique viewpoint of the glacier face, and what the surface looks like. Despite these photographs being abstract, they are some of my favourites from Iceland.

**Svínafellsjökull Glacier Surface #2, Iceland** - DJI Mavic Pro, 1/200 sec.

**Svínafellsjökull Glacier Surface #3, Iceland** - DJI Mavic Pro, 1/190 sec.

**The Face of Svínafellsjökull Glacier #1, Iceland** - DJI Mavic Pro, 1/105 sec.

**Svínafellsjökull Glacier #1, Iceland** - DJI Mavic Pro, 1/560 sec.

**The Mountains of Svínafellsjökull Glacier, Iceland** - Nikon Z fc, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR at 54mm, f/8.0, 1/60 sec at ISO 100.

Day 5 - Fjallsárlón Glacier and Reynisdrangar Beach

Taking photographs of Fjallsárlón Glacier with noctilucent clouds in the sky. Photograph courtesy of Ross Hoddinott.

Before coming to Iceland, I hadn’t considered how windy it might be. I knew it would be cold, snowy, icy, and rainy, but I didn’t realise how windy it could get there until I arrived. That first experience of the fierce winds at Vestrahorn had certainly opened my eyes as to how strong the wind could be, but the morning we went to Fjallsárlón Glacier was something else!

It was a bitterly cold morning, and I was glad to have my new down jacket on and my gloves with hand warmers inside, but nothing could protect you from the wind. It was going to make photography extremely challenging. Unlike the previous days when it had been windy, the challenge of battling with the wind had been exciting. Here it was just plain hard work.

**Fjallsárlón Glacier #1, Iceland** - Nikon Z fc, Nikkor Z DX 16-50 f/3.5-6.3 VR at 39mm, f/9, 1/125 sec at ISO 320, 7 image panoramic, 6:17 crop, handheld.

**Fjallsárlón Glacier #1, Iceland** - Nikon Z fc, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 39mm, f/11, 1/60 sec at ISO 250, Kase Filters CPL.

It was almost a relief to be back on the bus to start our journey towards Vik. Though the photography was incredibly challenging, it’s always important to remember the experience of being at these locations. Places like Fjallsárlón Glacier are amazing, and I felt extremely fortunate to have seen it.

On the way to Vik, we stopped off at Fossalar Waterfalls. The conditions weren’t ideal for photography but it’s hard to drive by this roadside location and not take some photographs.

**Fjallsárlón Glacier #1, Iceland** - Nikon Z fc, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 30mm, f/11, 0.6 sec at ISO 250, Kase Filters CPL.

We arrived in Vik and headed down to Reynisdrangar Beach for sunset. The Reynisdrangar rock stacks are iconic in Iceland but as I found with some of the other famous locations in Iceland, I initially struggled to find a balanced composition. Fortunately, time was on my side so I had the opportunity to figure out where I might place the beach, waves, rock stacks and headland before the sun went down.

**Reynisdrangar Beach #1, Iceland** - Nikon Z fc, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR at 18mm, f/7.1, 1/160 sec at ISO 100.

**Reynisdrangar Beach #3, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 61mm, f/11, 30 sec at ISO 64.

After dinner, we headed out to see if we could capture images of the Northern Lights. It was forecast to be a clear night but with limited aurora activity. Sure enough, we didn’t see any aurora, but I did manage to capture this image of the milky way. Time was running out to capture photographs of the Northern Lights

**Night Sky, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Laowa 15mm f/2, 20 sec at ISO 3200.

Day 6 - Reynisfjara Beach and Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

The next day was grey and overcast, and the sky was almost devoid of colour. Our first location of the day was Reynisfjara Beach where we could photograph the Reynisdrangar stacks from the west. With low light, an overcast sky and a black sandy beach, the only colour to be seen was on my fellow photographer's jackets.

**Reynisfjara Beach #5, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 42mm, f/11, 25 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

**Reynisfjara Beach #4, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 42mm, f/11, 25 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

There is something about the contrast of the white water against the black beaches of Iceland that really inspires my photography. Despite the flat sky conditions, I had immense fun capturing images of the beach in both an easterly and westerly direction. The simplicity of the scene captured my imagination in a way that a morning with a glorious sky can’t.

**Reynisfjara Beach #8, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 39mm, f/11, 30 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL and ND.

**Reynisfjara Beach #6, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 at 39mm, f/13, 2.5 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

After a rewarding morning at the beach, we moved onto another iconic Iceland location, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. Photographing this mighty waterfall was challenging in a way that I had not yet experienced in Iceland. The conditions underfoot were extremely icy. Just as well I had purchased the recommended ice spikes for my boots as some of the viewpoints were thick with ice. Watching the other visitors dance about on the ice while wearing trainers was almost entertainment in its own right.

**Seljalandsfoss Waterfall #1, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 1/6 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

**Seljalandsfoss Waterfall #4, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 24mm, f/13, 0.5 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.

At Seljalandsfoss Waterfall with Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer of Dawn 2 Dusk Photography. Their Icelandic workshop did not disappoint.

One visitor did catch my attention. He was trying to balance his camera on a fence post so that he could take a long exposure of the waterfall. It was difficult to watch as I was sure his attempts at using the post as a tripod were going to end in tears. I couldn’t watch anymore, and I asked if he’d like to borrow my Gorillapod. I’m glad he did, both for the benefit of his photography and the lifespan of his camera.

Returning to our hotel in Vik, we had dinner and prepared to head out with the cameras again for the last chance to capture photographs of the Northern Lights. Did we succeed….

**Night Sky, Iceland** - Nikon Z7, Laowa 15mm f/2, 20 secs at ISO 3200.

As you can see, it was another evening of very low aurora activity. You can see a little in the photograph, but it was barely visible. So, after a week in Iceland, I didn’t see the aurora borealis. I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed but not seeing the Northern Lights was not going to define my Icelandic trip. Seeing the aurora borealis was only one part of a much bigger Icelandic experience. Besides, not seeing them has given me a great excuse to come back.

Day 7 - Home and a Memory Card Full of Icelandic Memories

Our vehicle for the week. I saw many amazing sights through those windows.

We all had flights to catch the following morning, so it was an early departure from Vik. Much of the journey was in the dark so there wasn’t an opportunity to see much more of Iceland. Unlike the first days journey where I saw nothing, the remaining time spent on the bus had been wonderful. I spent most of my time with my face planted to the window, looking at the landscape and saying things like “that’s bonkers”. Because that is what the Icelandic landscape is like. It’s bonkers! I’d never seen anything like it.

As we drove back to the airport I reflected on my week in Iceland. There was no doubt that the photography had been challenging, but I consider that a good thing. Sometimes you need to pull yourself away from what you know and photograph something completely different. And there aren’t many places more different than Iceland!

More than that though, Iceland was a holiday. A chance to get away from it all. Meet new people, try different foods, visit unique locations. Iceland will be a trip that I will never forget. And thanks to a memory card full of photographs, I’ll have some amazing images to treasure.

I’d like to say this was a once in a lifetime trip, but I barely scratched the surface of Iceland. The itch that I had to go to Iceland hasn’t gone away, it just got worse. I can’t wait to go back.

It’s been great for me to write down my experience. Along with the photos, this text will help me remember what an amazing time I had in Iceland. I hope you enjoyed reading about it and seeing my photographs.

On My Bookshelf - Photographing Iceland

If you’d like to learn more about Iceland and the locations to photograph, then check out this video review, I did of Photographing Iceland by James Rushforth. It’s an essential purchase for anyone going to Iceland and also for anyone who just enjoys a good photography book!