Experiencing Iceland in winter is something out of the ordinary. The weather on the island is always capricious and especially in winter. It helps to make the already magnificent scenery even more magnificent, and if the snow settles there is the possibility of minimalistic and graphic images.

We travel along the south coast eastwards and experience the dramatic coast’s exciting rock formations, black lava beaches and many waterfalls. We have a full three nights in Vatnajökull National Park to be able to be flexible depending on the weather conditions and this is also where we spend a day photographing the beautiful, blue shimmering ice caves under Vatnajökull.

The motifs are many and are always close by, we adapt the day’s layout according to prevailing circumstances to get as many good photo opportunities as possible. Here are all the conditions to develop your landscape photography – dramatic weather, magnificent views and exciting details. You receive individually adapted photographic guidance in the field.

VÍK, FJADRARGLJÚFUR AND SKÓGAR – COAST, RAVENIES AND WATERFALLS
Our trip goes southeast from Keflavik and we follow the coast. We adapt our motifs to the prevailing weather and light. We spend our first night in Vík. Here we are close to the beautiful coast with the well-known rock formations Reynis Drangar, the black lava sand Reynisfjara with mighty basalt columns and a huge basalt cave and Iceland’s southernmost point, the keyhole-shaped rock Dýrhólaey. Further, the journey goes east and along the way we can photograph the well-known waterfall Skógarfoss but also some lesser-known, but at least equally beautiful waterfalls. Here is also the mythical lava field Eldhraun with its exciting lava formations and some beautiful gorges such as Fjádrargljúfur. We will also spend our last night in Vík, so there is an opportunity to return to some of the motifs.

VATNAJÖKULL NATIONAL PARK – GLACIER LAGOONS AND ICE CAVES
We spend three nights in Vatnajökull National Park. Here we get several opportunities to photograph the beautiful glacial lake Jökulsárlón and the ice beach below. Vatnajökull is Europe’s largest glacier and large icebergs and ice floes from it end up in the Jökulsárlón and Fjállsárlón glacial lagoons. It is an exciting environment to photograph as the subjects are constantly changing. It is not uncommon to see seals swimming around inside the lagoon. When the icebergs melt enough, they can flow out into the sea via a channel from Jökulsárlón. Some of them wash up on the black lava beach where they lie like glittering diamonds and ice sculptures against the black sand.

From Vatnajökull there are several huge glacier that stretch down towards the coast. We will be able to get up close to the glacier by super jeep and a local guide who will guide us on a private tour to some of Vatnajökull’s crystal blue ice caves and canyons. Here there are opportunities to photograph sections and graphic details as well as the chambers of the caves in their entirety. We will also go further east where we can photograph the rolling sand dunes of Stokksne and the beautiful Vestrahorn mountain.

Also here the weather and light will decide where and when we go, and the day planning is flexible. If the weather is clear, the chances of the northern lights are very good this year, and if there is a chance of the northern lights, we head to one of the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoons or the nearby Fjallsárlón to get the nicest foreground possible.