Back in November I joined a Photo trip to the beautiful country of Iceland. Going to Iceland was on my bucket list for a long time. Although it was not really in the planning to go anytime soon. But then a colleague send me a link in the beginning of July to a group Photo trip to Iceland. After reading all the information about the trip, me and my colleague decided to book the trip. It would be a group trip with only 6 people in total, where we will visit in 8 days some of the most beautiful spots where Iceland is known for. With the weather we were very lucky, on the day of arrival it was something like 10°C with a lot of rain. But on the first day it already got cold with -5°C and even some snow. For the rest of the days we only had mostly clear skies and sun, but with all days below zero.
First days in Geysir
We started the first full day with some photos of the only still active geyser Strokkur. I took my tripod and camera and tried to find a nice angle. These days Strokkur is very inconsistent with the eruptions. So sometimes you wait 20 minutes for the next one or the next time after 7 minutes it does 4 eruptions in a short sequence.
After some good results with the eruptions it was time to zoom in a bit. I also wanted to try to get the bubble just before it bursts. But this was a bit more difficult to time. I also made the mistake to not use a fast enough shutter speed. So the photos came out with to much movement. The next time I would use a faster shutter speed to freeze the movement more. Then it will be the challenge to get the smaller bubbles in the large bubble just before it bursts.
With enough photos of Strokkur we walked around a bit in the area to get some more photos of other pools and details. We also wanted to go up the hill to the lookout points. But it took not long to make the decision to not go up. The weather changed quickly, we ended up in a snow storm, with lots of wind and snow so it was time to find some shelter in the hotel.
Gullfoss: The Golden Jewel of Iceland’s Golden Circle
At the beginning of the afternoon the weather changed and the wind died down a bit and it stopped snowing. We stepped in the Car to drive 10 minutes to the Gullfoss waterfall. The plan was to first explore the area a bit to see where to see what and already make some photos.
After some lunch it was time to take out the tripod and play around a bit with ND-filters to catch some move of the water in the photos. Also the Circular Polarizing filter (CPL) came out to try to remove some of the reflections and trying to let the rainbow pop more. With the CPL I still need to play around more to better make use of it and better understand when it will be a good moment to use the filter. So when back at home it will also be time to use it more. When we were done at Gullfoss we went back to the hotel and directly went back to the geysers to make some more photos with the sun that was setting. At this moment Strokkur was really irregular with the eruptions but it was worth it with some beautiful results.
Aurora and Steam: Witnessing the Northern Lights in Geysir
After dark we kept an eye on the sky and chances to see if we could see the Northern Lights. Although it was clear with a full moon, we had no luck yet. So it was first time for a Christmas Diner in the Hotel Restaurant. After dinner still nothing to see, but we kept looking to the sky in front of the Hotel. We were ready with our tripods and f/2.8 wide angle lenses.
Then around 22:30 I turned around to have a look at the South, there it was a thin line of Northern Light getting stronger every second. We started with some photos with the settings f/2.8, 4s, ISO 800. But it was so light with the full moon and clear sky it was even possible to go to 1 second shutter speed. The Northern Light moved so quick it was also better for the photos. In the next 2 hours we moved slowly to Strokkur to end there the night there with some last shots.
Roadtrip to the second Hotel
On day 3 it was the moment to make the roadtrip to the next hotel, that is found just before the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. During the trip we made a lot of short stops to make some snapshots of the Icelandic landscapes. The first long stop was at the Skógafoss Waterfall, where we first got some lunch. After lunch it was time to explore the waterfall.
Skógafoss: Witnessing the Power of Iceland’s Mighty Waterfall
This was the first spot where there were many tourists, so difficult at the bottom to take some photos without people. But soon I already decided to go op the stairs at the side of the Waterfall to have a look at the top. At the top you had a good look at the waterfall and here I made one of my favorite photos of the trip. It is shot down with a beautiful look at the lines of ice and the different colors on the mountain walls.
Following the trail along the Skógá river upstream some more waterfalls are found. We didn’t have a lot of time so only followed the trail a little bit. The first waterfall you encounter is Hestavaðsfoss waterfall. This one is not so high but still majestic and beautiful to see. Because the past 2 days have been really cold it was amazing to see the ice buildup around the big rocks in the water. Made some more photos here and then it was already time to go down and continue the roadtrip.
The Magic of Iceland’s Black Beaches
The next longer stop was the famous Black Beach of Iceland, Reynisfjara beach. We were lucky it was not so windy, so no crazy sea when we were there. Did some exploring of the beach, checked the Hálsanefshellir Cave. Unfortunately here also too many other tourists making it difficult to make some photos of the cave. But have made some nice photos here of the waves reaching the beach or the Rock formations in the sea. Last short stop was at the other side of the mountain in Vik to make a photo from the Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach of the rock formations in the sea.
Iceland Visited Locations Map
Beaches, Glaciers and Reindeer
On the first day at the next hotel it was time for Diamond Beach and the Glacier lagoon. When we left at the hotel the sun was not up yet, but at the first stop we had a beautiful sky during sunrise. The first stop was a the east side of Diamond Beach, where some amazing ice blocks where found. It was amazing here to play around with the light shining through those blocks of Ice and make some nice compositions with the light.
Where Ice Meets Ocean: The Beauty of Jökulsárlón
When we had enough photos from Diamond Beach it was time to cross the road to the Glacier lagoon. From there we explored the edge of the lagoon to take some photos of the big ice blocks found here. If you take some special attention you can also spot some seals swimming in the lagoon. The ice in the lagoon is different everyday. So you need to be a bit lucky with what you find there. For us there was much to see and explore.
We followed the edge of the lagoon and found a nice rocky beach with some great views with the glacier in the background and many ice blocks on the shore. We spent some hours here, got some lunch and then it was time to visit the other side of Diamond Beach. It was already different than we have seen from the other side. With this time some big Ice blocks on the beach. After it was time to have a quick visit to the Fjallsárlón Glacier lagoon. But were not too long there because the weather changed quickly with some high wind speeds.
Glacier Walk on Falljökull: Into the Crevasses
On the fourth day it was time for a Glacier Walk on the Falljökull Glacier. Early in the morning we were picked up by the guide that brought us to the Glacier for an amazing walk. It was apparently a bit difficult this year with the Ice Caves, but we were lucky that they found one a few days before. One of my favorite shots was made in the cave, although it was with my phone. After we continue the walk through some of the crazy Crevasses found in the glacier.
The Glacier was an amazing experience, great to see you sometimes also can’t see your walking on ice, but at other times it’s very clear you walk over ice. Because there was no snow on the glacier the ice was very clear. After some hours on the Glacier it was time to go back to the hotel for some lunch. After that there was still some time left and decided to explore the edge of the Svínafellsjökull Glacier. The sun was already going down and with the clear weather we had some beautiful light.
Vestrahorn and the Black Sands of Stokksnes
Day five started with a drive to Vestrahorn and the black sand beach there. During the trip we got to talk about the wildlife in Iceland, not even 5 minutes later we spotted a herd of Reindeer. We directly stopped close to make some photos. After getting some good results it was time to continue the trip to Vestrahorn. On arrival first time for a warm Cappuccino and after it was time to pay for the entrance and head to the black sand beach. The wind was quite present, and you had to turn around to evade the gusts of wind with sand.
We spent quite sometime here to capture the nature and more. You could find some crazy patterns in the zand, which were nice to include in your composition. After Stokksnes it was time to have a look at the Viking Village. From the parking you can walk to this village and the water and background with a yellow house gives some nice photo options.
The last full day
On the last full day in the morning it was time again to drive west, back to the Airport. During the roadtrip back we are going to stop again at different places for some photos. The first stop is a smaller Waterfall. It’s called Fossálar Waterfall and we spent some time here to take some photos. I first did some exploring to have some different views on the Waterfall. After it was time to take out the Tripod and ND-filters to play around a bit with long exposures. With the sun rise just starting it was a bit difficult to make a really good photo. Most part of the waterfall was in the shadows while the ground surrounding the waterfall slowly was catching the golden light of the rising sun.
A Hidden Gem of Iceland: The Breathtaking Beauty of Fjaðrárgljúfur
After the waterfall it was time for the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. Here the weather changed a bit with increasing wind which was kinda cold. But following the trail along the Canyon you already forgot the cold. At each viewpoint took some time to take some photos. Also here it was difficult again with the harsh light on the top of the canyon and the dark shadows inside the canyon. With the strong wind it was not handy to take out the tripod, so I made some photos handheld. Then it’s a bit more difficult to take a multi shot HDR, so shot one photo and had a good look on the Histogram to have all the information I need. At the last viewpoint had a beautiful moment where the light was shining through the canyon giving a beautiful shot with also the blue icy water.
With some nice photos in the pocket it was time again to walk back to the car. Back at the Car it was only a short drive to the next stop. We had a short stop at the Eldhraun Lava Field. Here you have a viewpoint and a small trail to walk around and explore the views a bit. During the time we were here the fields were not so green as in the summer, but still crazy to see how big these fields are. After a short stop it was time to continue.
The last stop of the Trip: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
During the ride to the last stop we ended up in a kilometers wide sandstorm. Was amazing to see it was sort of misty but then because of all the sand. It was already getting late so the sun was almost gone. At the last stop we really noticed that. At the Seljalandsfoss Waterfall it was very cold and windy, we did not have that kind of cold the whole week. So it took a bit of time to get used to it. The group decided to not make the stop too long so it was directly time to make some photos. Because of the cold there was a lot of Ice every where so the stairs that normally leads you to behind the waterfall was closed, it was covered in a thick layer of ice. But even the path before everything was already very slippery.
After the last photos it was time to get quickly back in the warm Car to drive the last part of the trip back to the last hotel near the airport. After checkin we had some dinner and then it was time for a short night, to standup early in the morning to take the plane back from Iceland to the Netherlands. That was my first time experience in Iceland.
Iceland Photo Gallery
During this I made a lot of photos of the amazing beaches, glaciers, nature and more you can find in Iceland. In this photo gallery some of my favorite photos I made during this trip.
