Photography tour to Iceland
Iceland
About the Tour
Iceland is no doubt a unique place on the Earth. This out-of-this world island which was born through volcanic eruptions is often called the land of ice and fire. And indeed - active volcanoes and hot geysers are neighboring ice lagoons and long stunningly blue glacier tongues. In Iceland you can't stop admiring how many natural miracles can exist within just one island - mighty waterfalls, glaciers, volcanos, geysers, beautiful beaches, vast lava fields and incredible columns of basalt rocks. To say nothing of amazing wildlife - the most gentle horses in the world, cute puffins and charming seals. This tour is unique and very intense, we are going to drive a lot, to move from one hotel to another every day, visit a lot of sights in different parts of Iceland, but it is definitely worth it. In September we even have a chance to shoot the Northern lights, this is the very beginning of Aurora season in Iceland. Join out tour, visiting Iceland is a lifetime experience.
Itinerary
Day 1 Day 1 (29 August)
We meet at Keflavik International Airport (KEF). Then we drive straight to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, by comfortable minivan. After check in at our hotel, we will go for a walk along the main street of Reykjavik - Laugavegur, visit famous church Hallgrímskirkja and have a traditional dinner in one of cozy restaurants.
Day 2 Day 2 (30 August)
After breakfast we head to Snæfellsnes peninsula situated in the West of Iceland. It is sometimes called "Iceland in Miniature" because of diversity of sights. We’ll visit Arnarstapi village and photograph its amazing arch Gatklettur. Our sunset location is iconic Kirkjufell, the most photographed mountain in Iceland, which appeared in a couple of Game of thrones episodes. Depending on conditions after dinner we can try to capture the Northern lights.
Day 3 Day 3 (31 August)
At sunrise we shoot famous black wooden church Búðakirkja and then have a 3-hour drive to the South Coast. We will visit mighty waterfall Gullfoss, "the golden waterfall". Then we'll visit Geysir famous for its hot springs erupting boiling water up to 70 meters in the air. We'll come back to Gullfoss for sunset. We accommodate at a new hotel for this night
Day 4 Day 4 (1 September)
After breakfast we head to the inland of the island, the Highlands. This geothermal area is absolutely out-of-this-world and looks like another planet. We'll come back in the evening and have dinner at our hotel. Depending on conditions after dinner we can try the Northern lights again.
Day 5 Day 5 (2 September)
We meet sunrise at the one of the most famous and most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland - Skogafoss. Then we have a very interesting hike (7 km round hike) to Bruarfoss, which is unique due to its amazing turquoise colour of water. At sunset we shoot Seljalandsfoss, where we have a unique chance to catch a sunburst through the cascade of the waterfall.
Day 6 Day 6 (3 September)
Sunrise spot is Reynisfjara black-sand beach. After sunrise we drive to the nearest small village Vík, where we shoot a nice little church and rocks in the sea. Then we go to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon where we have a breathtaking boat ride to the glacier. There we have a chance to meet cute seals resting peacefully on icebergs.
Day 7 Day 7 (4 September)
We'll shoot the first lights of the rising sun through ice blocks on Diamond Beach. Then we head to Stokkness also known as Vestrahorn. We'll visit tiny viking village and spend the whole day photographing reflections and black sand dunes, rocks and a lighthouse. We stay one night in Hofn.
Day 8 Day 8 (5 September)
This is the last day of our tour. After breakfast we drive to Keflavik airport.
Behind the Scenes
What's Included
Included
- Guided by 2 professional photographers (English, French, Russian, Czech languages)
- All transfers
- Twin share
- Breakfast
- Processing sessions
Not Included
- Air tickets
- Visa
- Lunch/dinner
- Extra-alcohol
- Personal expenditures (souvenirs etc)
What to Bring
Photo Equipment
- Camera
- Tripod
- Wide angle lens (11-24mm or 16-35mm)
- Middle range zoom lens (24-70mm or 24-105mm)
- Telephoto zoom lens (70-200mm or 100-400mm)
- ND filters (3, 6,10 stops), GND, polarizer
- Memory cards
- Extra batteries
- Shutter release
- Headlamp
Clothing
- Warm waterproof jacket
- Warm waterproof pants
- Warm waterproof shoes or rubber boots or protective waterproof overshoes
- Casual clothing for dinners, processing sessions
- Knitted cap
- Gloves
- Fleece/softshell jacket
- Thermal underwear
- Raincoat
Your Guides
Oleg Rest
My name is Oleg Rest, I am a professional landscape photographer and traveler. I was born in Kazakhstan, the land of steps and severe climate. Since early childhood I was dreaming of traveling. I first took camera in my hands at 6, when my parents rented a Zenit film camera during our holidays on the Black Sea coast. I enthusiastically took pictures of my parents, later with my father we developed films in our bathroom and dried them on a rope. Now I shoot with a modern camera Canon R5, but nature and photography still inspire me the most. I have been to such amazing places as Patagonia, Norway, Iceland, Tuscany, Russia, Slovenia, China, Moravia, the Alps and the Lofotens, Myanmar, Czech Switzerland and I wish to share my impressions and delight with you! Life is full of beauty. This is my motto. I am not a fan of sophisticated and time-consuming processing of photos. The best shot for me is the one that needs minimal processing. My main principles in photography are:
Interesting composition
Beautiful light
Minimum of processing
Nowadays it is hard to find a location where no photographer has ever been, that is why even in popular places I try to find an unusual foreground which makes any shot look in a new light. I have won several landscape photography competitions. My photos are published by Canon Russia, Canon Czech Republic, Canon Ukraine. I am an ambassador of Lucroit filter manufacturer (Spain), software company Skylum (Luminar, Aurora HDR software) and backpack manufacturer Nya-Evo.
Maria Rest
My name is Maria. I am a portrait and landscape photographer. For several years in a row I have been travelling together with my husband and my camera all over the world. This has always been our dream to travel together sharing our love to nature and photography. We are now guiding photography tours together as tour leaders. I am happy to assist Oleg and to help participants of our tours with anything they might need.
Refund & Cancellation
Booking & Payment
A tour is considered booked once you receive confirmation of availability and pay a deposit. The remaining sum is to be paid 90 days before the beginning of the tour.
Cancellation Policy
- 90 days before — deposit is non-refundable (100% of deposit)
- 60 days before — 50% of the tour price
- 30 days before — 100% of the tour price
If the tour is cancelled by me due to force-majeure, 100% of the paid sum is returned to you.
⚠ Important Information
A tour may be cancelled 90 days before departure if the minimum number of spots is not filled.
I strongly recommend NOT buying air, train or bus tickets far in advance. Please buy insurance covering all risks. Purchasing tickets earlier than 90 days before the tour is at your own risk.
All participants acknowledge that tour organizers cannot control weather conditions. The shooting schedule and planned activities may be adjusted on site. The itinerary may also be modified at the sole discretion of the organizers to achieve the best possible results.
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