Photography in Iceland

Iceland couldn’t be described as pretty; it’s no pastoral idyll or gentle landscape of rolling hills and shady lanes. Iceland is the land of fire and ice, created by violent forces. It’s the place where tectonic plates collide, ripping and wrenching the landscape.

Photography vacations in Iceland present the chance to capture sparkling fjords, dramatic volcanic peaks, floating blue ice, sheer sea cliffs, black sand beaches and thundering waterfalls. The long days of summer produce delicate, soft light, while on winter nights you can snap the Northern Lights rippling silently across the sky. Throughout, you’ll receive guidance from a professional photography tutor, tuck into hearty local food, stay far off the tourist trail and gain a deeper understanding of this dynamic and dramatic little country. You’ll head home a better photographer, too, with a bulging portfolio of remarkable, creative images, and a lot of great memories.

Pretty much from the moment you step off the plane, Iceland starts dishing up photographic opportunities. Even the bus ride from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik takes you through an otherworldly landscape of rocks and dense lichen. Since there’s such an abundance of photographic subjects in this tiny country, photography vacations tend to be themed, to narrow things down. A tour might focus on the East Iceland fjords or the remote interior of the country; it might aim to capture orcas or the Northern Lights; or it might celebrate Iceland’s coast and ice.

The focus of photography vacations in Iceland tends to be its landscapes and natural phenomena. Unlike some locations that offer up street scenes, architecture and portrait photo opportunities, Iceland is really all about wild landscapes and the Northern Lights. Wildlife features, too, from puffins and orcas (photographed from a boat), to seals and tough Icelandic ponies, and there may be the odd fishing village or remote church to point your lens at, too. In general, though, it’s the glaciers, waterfalls and rugged coast that provide the inspiration.

If you’re traveling in the colder months when there’s a chance of seeing the Northern Lights (September and October, February and March) you’ll be busy all day, catching the sunrise and making the most of the available light. During high summer, when the sun barely sets in Iceland, there are several hours of ambient light and long sunrises and sunsets, so it’s a superb time to be photographing here.

There will be an itinerary, but there is always flexibility built in, and plans may change to make maximum use of the prevailing light and weather. Expect a few long drives when moving between bases, but the scenery unfolding will always be superb and there will be plenty of stops so you can photograph it.

If you’re traveling in winter, be prepared to be extra flexible. The Icelandic weather may mean plans have to change and journey times are extended, but a local tour leader will be expert at finding alternative destinations if blizzards or blocked roads render some spots off limits. If weather is really extreme, you may even lose a day of photography. Go with the flow and use unexpected down time to recharge batteries, both camera and human, and edit photos.

“I loved the wildness of Iceland. The weather we encountered was raw. It snowed most of the week and sometimes the road was closed. The weather allowed us to see Iceland with few tourists around. It was great! You just don't get many people taking selfies in a blowing snow storm. Our guides were very gracious and knowledgeable. They kept up with the weather and planned our photography shoots accordingly. I sincerely appreciated their driving through all of the storms and getting us to our destinations safely. I also enjoyed meeting all of the others on the tour. They were just delightful.” – Nancie Hardie in a review of her Northern Lights photography vacation

Although firmly on the tourist trail, thanks to its relative proximity to Reykjavik, The Golden Circle is packed with photographic gems, including the regularly erupting geyser Geysir and the magnificent waterfall of Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s ‘big six’. It’s also right on the edge of Iceland’s Highlands, and a great place to stop off and snap on any trip heading deep into the interior.

This wilderness area is home to impressive mountains and some of the most spectacular ice and glacial phenomena in Europe. There are several glacial lagoons, of which the most iconic is Jökulsárlón, as well as Breiðamerkursandur black sand beach littered with sparkling sea washed ice, views of Iceland’s highest mountain Hvannadalshnjúkur and Skaftafell National Park, home to the glacial tongue of Svínafellsjökull.