9 Day Photo Workshop Capturing Autumn in Iceland

On day two, your photographic adventure truly starts. You will leave Reykjavík early in a comfortable, spacious minibus and head to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, often nicknamed ‘Little Iceland’ due to the wealth of diverse sites and landscapes found here. Throughout the day, you will make stops to shoot many of said features. You will focus on the dramatic, craggy coastlines around Arnarstapi—where you can find stunning hexagonal basalt columns—and Lóndrangar, the site of two mighty sea-stacks. You will also capture the haunting Buðahraun lava field, contrasted with the quaint, historic hamlet of Buðir. You will also have the chance to use the crown jewel of the Peninsula, Snæfellsjökull glacier and volcano, as your subject throughout the day. Snæfellsnes is incredible in all seasons, yet has a special magic in its autumnal colours. What only adds to this is the chance you have to witness and shoot the Northern Lights when you finally retire on the Peninsula for the evening, after a full day of adventure.

On your third day, you will continue your exploration of Snæfellsnes; after all, there is so much to see, it would not do the sites justice to rush through them all in one session. Your focus today will be on the northern coastline of the Peninsula. The seascapes here of Breiðafjörður fjord are stunning, particularly in clear weather when you are able to see all the way across to the massive mountains of the Westfjords. If you are lucky, you might even spot orcas in the water; this is where they are most commonly found, and autumn marks the beginning of the season with the most sightings. The highlight, however, will be Mount Kirkjufell, a standalone peak that rising from the coastline by the charming waterfall of Kirkjufellsfoss. You will spend a considerable amount of time finding the perfect angles to shoot it from, waiting for the opportunities that come with the golden hour. Hopefully, you will be able to capture it beneath the northern lights after dark. You will spend a second night on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

You will leave the Snæfellsnes Peninsula on the fourth day. Your memory cards, packed with diverse images, will no doubt reassure you that you’ve made the most of your journey so far. Your trip will now lead you away from West Iceland to the wonders of the South Coast. This is one of Iceland’s most popular tourist routes due to the wealth of landmarks that line it, all within sight of the main road to the east. The region is magnificent in fall when the verdant landscape becomes crisp and stained with oranges and reds. Small patches of snow are only just beginning to adorn the site.  The first subject you will reach is Seljalandsfoss waterfall. This thin, narrow cascade falls in from a height of over sixty meters before a concave cliff, meaning that, in decent conditions, it can be entirely encircled for some beautiful perspectives.  Skógafoss is just another waterfall just a little further down the road from Seljalandsfoss, and though being the same height, is far more powerful. You cannot go behind the water here but can ascend an adjacent staircase for a unique angle. After enjoying these waterfalls, you will head to the black-sand-beach of Reynisfjara. This stretch is as mysterious and haunting as it is spectacular. Your main subjects will be the Reynisdrangar sea-stacks, two ‘trolls’ said to have been frozen in the light of the sun, standing tall from the choppy waves.  As the golden hour rolls into nighttime, you will try to capture the sites beneath the aurora borealis.  You will spend the night in the beautiful village of Vík.

On your fifth day, you will leave Vík and finish journeying along the South Coast as you head to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Vatnajökull National Park. You will stop before reaching the lagoon, however, diverting to the Skaftafell Nature Reserve. The reserve is a paradise for photographers; like at Snæfellsnes, there are a wealth of diverse sites all contained within a relatively small area.  You will thus spend the majority of the day finding unique subjects to shoot, including glacial tongues, lakes, waterfalls, forests and lava landscapes. After making the very most of this spectacular place, you will head over to Jökulsárlón, to catch it as the sun sets and hopefully have a chance to shoot it beneath the Northern Lights. Jökulsárlón is often considered to be Iceland’s most beautiful location, and you will have no doubts as to why it is held in such high esteem when you begin your shoot.  Here, vast icebergs break from a glacial tongue, then sail across an enormous lagoon towards the ocean. Their colouration is vivid, scale mesmerising, and the fact you can practice your wildlife photography on the seals who live in the area only adds to the magical experience. You will retire for the night in the south-east of Iceland.

You will return to Jökulsárlón for a sunrise shoot on your sixth morning; under the many different lighting conditions you get throughout Iceland’s autumn days, its appearance, colour and beauty are forever changing. You will remain in this area for most of the day. You will not only be shooting Jökulsárlón, however. You will also head to the adjacent Diamond Beach, where the icebergs are washed upon the shore and glitter in the surf and sun; this is one of the best places in the country for photographers to practice with exposure and light effects. Your photo guides will also take you to a much lesser-known glacier lagoon, Fjallsárlón. Here, you will be able to make more time with your shots, as there will be far fewer crowds. Though not as vast as Jökulsárlón, Fjallsárlón is still a spectacular site, and you will get a better few of the glacial tongue leading into the lake. If the aurora borealis did not show last night, you and your guides will keep an extra keen eye out for them tonight; capturing them above the lagoon or beach is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You will spend another night in the Jökulsárlón area.

Your seventh day will be your final full day in south-east Iceland; you will, therefore, use it to shoot at the sites you have thus far missed. The main one of these is Vestrahorn, on the Stokknes Peninsula. The mountain is one of Iceland’s few gabbro mountains, and stark and dramatic as a result; it stands alone, surrounded by black sands and the seething waters of the North Atlantic, with barren, ashy slopes and jagged peaks. It is a fascinating subject, and you will be able to capture it from a variety of different angles. Your photo guides will take you from here to some more unique destinations within Vatnajökull National Park, where you will attain excellent vantage points from which you can photograph the region’s incredible landscapes and Europe’s largest ice cap, Vatnajökull itself. You will return to Jökulsárlón for your final sunset shoot in the area.

Day eight will primarily consist of travelling from Vatnajökull National Park back to Reykjavík. You will, however, make multiple stops en route, where you can stretch your legs and continue to build your portfolio. You will, for example, make stops back at Skaftafell Nature Reserve, Reynisfjara Beach, and the waterfalls along the South Coast, time and conditions depending. At different times of the day and in different weather, these sites will all attain a distinct kind of beauty, and allow for some unique photographs. Finally, you will return to Reykjavík, where you can have a well-deserved rest after a week of constant shooting. Tonight will, however, be your last chance to catch the Northern Lights, so why not set out for your final shots of them?

Sadly, today is your final day. You will make your way back to the airport in time for your flight. If you have a few hours, however, you can use it to capture some urban landscapes around Reykjavík.  Comparing these photographs to those you took on your first day will no doubt show a marked improvement in your technique. When on the plane back home or to your next destination, you will no doubt still be in awe of your new talents, your extensive portfolio and the fantastic places you have seen in Iceland in Autumn. Until next time, we hope you had a brilliant time in Iceland.