3 Day Photo Workshop in the Icelandic Highlands

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The Highlands of Iceland are considered to be paradise for photographers and hikers alike.

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Description

Summary

Tour starts

Reykjavík, Iceland

Duration:

3 days

Ending place

Reykjavík, Iceland

Languages:

English

Difficulty:

Easy

Available:

July - Aug.

Minimum age:

18 years old

286 reviews

Description

Capture the raw beauty of the incredible Highlands of Iceland beneath the Midnight Sun on this three-day photography tour. Whether you are a novice looking to learn some new skills, or a professional seeking to widen your portfolio, this tour will hone your craft while exposing you to mind-blowing landscapes.

This tour will be conducted under the watchful eyes of experienced and award-winning photo guides who are intimately familiar with the Icelandic landscape and how to capture it perfectly in this country’s ever-changing light and weather conditions. They will be on hand throughout to help you find the best subjects and create the best compositions under the midnight sun.

This workshop will focus on the spectacular Landmannalaugar region in Iceland’s southern Highlands and its surroundings. This is an otherworldly place, of brightly coloured rhyolite mountains, steaming river systems, bubbling hot springs, azure lakes and massive waterfalls, surrounded by mighty glaciers and ominous volcanoes.

Many of Iceland’s hidden gems and places of unbelievable raw beauty are nestled in the remote Highlands, far from the crowds, making for perfect, unique subjects in your shots.

This tour includes two nights of accommodation in the highlands and all transportation in a comfortable, spacious minibus.

Explore one of the most far-flung and fascinating landscapes Iceland has to offer on this photo expedition of the Highlands. Check availability by choosing a date.

Included

Professional photo guide.

Transportation in a comfortable vehicle

Hotel near the Highland area, rooms with private bathrooms.

Breakfasts on days 2 and 3

Pick up in Reykjavik

Drop off in Reykjavik

Post-processing and photography lectures

Photography videos worth $1,500

Activities

Photo Tours

Photo Workshop

Map

Attractions

Landmannalaugar

Háifoss

Ljótipollur

Bláhylur

Sigöldugljúfur / Valley of tears

Frostastaðavatn

Iceland

Daily itinerary

Day 1

Day 1 - Into the Wild Icelandic Nature

This three-day photo tour starts early when you will be picked up in Reykjavík; you will get to know your group and guides as you make your way along the South Coast towards the highlands.

The drive promises to be just as thrilling as the destination as you pass waterfalls, glaciers and stunning rock formations. Although weather and road conditions will dictate the route a little, you are likely to start by visiting two stunning crater lakes: Bláhylur and Ljótipollur.

Bláhylur translates to ‘the blue lake’, and it is named for its vivid azure colouration, whereas Ljótipolur means ‘the Ugly Puddle’, in spite of its unreal beauty and impressive contrasts between its red slopes and sapphire waters.

After making the most of these unique, fascinating subjects, you will head to a hotel in the Highlands. With the Midnight Sun overhead, however, you can continue shooting long into the night; just make sure you will be refreshed for another full day of shooting tomorrow.

Day 2

Day 2 - Landmannalaugar

On day two, you will head into the Landmannalaugar region. This awe-inspiring highland oasis is packed full of amazing subjects, so you will have countless photo opportunities throughout the day.

You’ll shoot geological and geothermal wonders, vividly coloured mountain ranges, and the area’s surrounding glaciers and volcanoes. While you could spend all day wandering around, snapping at whatever inspires you, your guides will make sure that you get to the highlights of the area where you are sure to acquire some unique pictures.

The first of these is the Frostastaðaháls ridge, where you will attain otherworldly panoramas of Iceland’s interior. This pass will also grant you great views over the serene crater lake of the same name.

Secondly, you will head to the valley of Sigöldugljúfur, which is lined with many unique and beautiful waterfalls.

Before retiring for the night, you will be able to bathe in natural hot pools beneath the Midnight Sun at Landmannalaugur which literally translates to 'People's Pools'.

Day 3

Day 3 - Highland Waterfalls & Desert

In spite of day three being your final day, it will still be packed with adventure as you visit new, incredible subjects. You will, for example, head to the third tallest falls in Iceland, Háifoss, which plummets from a height of over 120 meters into a dramatic ravine.

Nearby you will find the charming waterfall, Granni, before arriving at Hjálparfoss waterfall. This feature tumbles in two tiers, and it is surrounded by rare basalt columns, so perfectly formed that they hardly seem natural. The darkness of these columns contrasts beautifully with the verdant moss, blue waters and white spray.

Hjálparfoss translates to 'Help Falls', and it was named so as it is the first water feature after the treacherous Sprengissandur desert, a barren and inhospitable stretch of lands known for laying waste to many a horse and traveller brave or stupid enough to try to cross it.

After shooting these sites, you will return to the minibus, and head back to Reykjavík, arriving late in the evening. By the end of this tour, you’ll have made new friends, learnt a wealth of new skills, extended your portfolio dramatically, and seen some of Iceland’s unique and incredible sites.

What to bring

Warm, waterproof clothes

Camera and equipment

Good to know

The maximum group size for this tour is 12 guests, allowing for a closer relationship with your photography guide and better photos at more remote sites. You will also receive post-processing videos from award-winning photographers worth over $1,500 and highly informative and easy-to-follow photography and post-processing lectures. The vehicles you travel in and the hotels you stay at are some of the best in Iceland. Crampons and rubber boots are free to all guests throughout the tour.

Disclaimer

We highly recommend that you get a travel and medical insurance. Your own domestic medical insurance and private health scheme will not cover you whilst you are overseas.

The tour is always dependent on weather, as the Icelandic weather can indeed be highly unpredictable. Likewise, visits to ice caves are dependent on favorable conditions, and indeed the ice caves themselves are not permanent. When it comes to the Northern Lights, while they are most likely to be seen between September and April, there is no guarantee that they will appear on a given day.

Departure Schedule

24-26 July 2025 - Guided by Jón Hilmarsson

13-15 Aug 2025 - Guided by Jón Hilmarsson

24-26 July 2026 - Guided by Vincenzo Mazza

13-15 Aug 2026 - Guided by Vincenzo Mazza

Video

Guides

Jon

English

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Jón is a native Icelander, pro landscape and nature photographer, loves the northern lights and tries different technic capturing them - panorama, vertorama and time lapse.

Jón started taking photography seriously 10 years ago and since then he has held numerous exhibitions all over Iceland and published two photo books. He has been recognised and awarded internationally for his work. His pictures has been published all over the world in newspapers, magazines and various books.

Jón has a great passion for photography and travelling, he attempts to highlight interesting landscape, nature and known landmarks. Often the subject is approached during the twilight, when land and light merge together in undisclosed harmony

Vincenzo Mazza

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Vincenzo is a nature and landscape photographer. He has been doing landscape photography since 2010, mostly between Italy and Iceland. Born in Italy he moved to Iceland in 2015, after spending many months in that country during the years before to practice landscape photography.

He has been teaching photography and running photo tours since 2011, mostly in Iceland and in Italy. In 2015 he was among the winner photographers of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year international nature photography competition.

In Iceland he become a mountain and a glacier guide, and he is now an official member of the association of the Icelandic mountain guides.

Regarding his approach to photography, he like to consider himself a storyteller. He believes that his pictures are the result of diligence, creativity and technical skills in the field but most of all unconditional love for nature landscapes.

He would define his pictures as “authentic”, they are a faithful representation of the reality at the moment of the photo shooting, prior to all the obvious adjustments which are essential to the optimization of the picture.

Regarding that aspect, he said: “Nature is so impressive, inspiring and magnificent! if I created pictures with Photoshop, mixing up places and different moments I wouldn’t be the storyteller I want to be. Photography is an interpretation of an evanescent moment. Intuition and passion are needed on the playground of nature”.