Around Iceland Winter Photo Workshop
Our winter photo workshop is one of our specialties. Arctic Exposure has been offering this workshop from the very beginning, and we know every nook and cranny of our unique island.
Iceland in winter is a unique place, with frozen waterfalls, ice caves, glaciers, frozen lagoons, and of course the fantastic northern lights or aurora borealis. We will travel from Reykjavik, visit the favorite locations along the South Coast of Iceland, the Mývatn area in the North and explore remote and lesser-known areas in winter.
Some of the locations are only accessible with the necessary knowledge of experienced guides and modified 4×4 vehicles. Our locations in North Iceland are known as some of the world’s best areas to view and photograph the northern lights.
Highlights
Ice Cave – Ice Cave and ice formations
Glacier Lagoon – Glaciers, Glacier Lagoon and the Ice Beach
Northern lights – Aurora Borealis nights in the glacier lagoon and other unique locations
Winter weather – Stunning frozen & snow covered landscapes and fewer crowds
Transportation – We offer specially modified and spacious 4×4 super trucks so you can travel in comfort.
Professional Photography Guides – Only professional Icelandic photographers lead our workshops. These are experienced guides that can take you to the best known and unknown locations!
Activity Level – Easy
Small groups – Maximum number of participants: 10
Duration – 10 days / 9 nights
All-Inclusive Workshop – Our Around Iceland Winter Workshop is all-inclusive. You just need to get to Iceland and we take care of the rest. Included in the workshop price are all accommodations, all meals, guiding, transportation, and fees.
schedule
2023
Date
Available
Guide
2024
Date
Available
Guide
Payment info
- Deposit payment of $1,000 USD upon booking
- Payment in full is required 90 days prior to the tour starting date
- Double occupancy accommodations for ten nights at hotels, while single rooms are available upon request
- Single room supplement adds $1,000 USD
Total price: $6,600 USD
SIGN UPWhat's included
- All accommodations with private bathrooms during the workshop
- All meals
- Guiding by an Icelandic Pro Photographer
- Image critique & post-processing session
- Private airport transport directly to and from your hotel in Reykjavik
- Private ice cave tour
- Northern lights photography
What's not included
- International Flights
- Travel Insurance
- Alcoholic drinks
- Gratuity for your photography guide
- Dinner on the last night
We enjoyed very much our ” Around Iceland in winter ” tour 2018.
The group was pleasant to deal with and Skarpi is a wonderful leader and teacher.
He drove us to wonderful remote spots far from bustle and people enjoying selfies.
These privileged spots were highly inspiring, we were immersed and surrounded by great Icelandic beauty: ideal conditions to find out the best shots.
If the weather was not great, Skarpi found out the best of it, thanks to his magic experience and knowledge of his country … It’s the key!
We have already participated in workshops organized by French and English photographers, but we NEVER spent such an enthusiastic and wonderful time.
We are already planning other excursions with Arctic Exposure
We enjoyed very much our ” Around Iceland in winter ” tour 2018.
The group was pleasant to deal with and Skarpi is a wonderful leader and teacher.
He drove us to wonderful remote spots far from bustle and people enjoying selfies.
These privileged spots were highly inspiring, we were immersed and surrounded by great Icelandic beauty: ideal conditions to find out the best shots.
If the weather was not great, Skarpi found out the best of it, thanks to his magic experience and knowledge of his country … It’s the key!
We have already participated in workshops organized by French and English photographers, but we NEVER spent such an enthusiastic and wonderful time.
We are already planning other excursions with Arctic Exposure
The “Around Iceland Winter Workshop” in March was fantastic. !! From the very beginning with the registration and all related questions, I felt happy. Johann answered very quickly, short and precise. Aron guided his 10 british-american-australian-pakistani-german shooters in a very professional way: – as an experienced driver with the Monster Truck onroad and offroad. – knowing the best (and hidden) spots of HIS Iceland, combined with the knowledge for the best light conditions for sunrise – sunset – northern lights…. – with profound knowledge about vulcanology and glaciology, agriculture and history, as well of the daily life under hard climatic conditions. – as a photographer giving individual advice and guidance for composing good shots – at any time prepared to assist The overall organisation was great: – very good selected Hotels and Guesthouses – good meals ( lunch in different types of Restaurants) Each islandic crown was good invested! Thank you all for a wonderful experience!
Itinerary
DAY 1 – Arrival in Reykjavík
As always, we will need to be flexible and adjust to the weather conditions to make the most out of our workshop and travel safely.
You arrive in Iceland and check into your hotel in Reykjavik in the evening we meet up in the lobby and go out for dinner in Reykjavik. We’ll go briefly through our itinerary, safety precautions, and some practical things before we start our adventure in Iceland.
If you arrive early in town, you can photograph some of the attractions in the city of Reykjavik such, as Harpa concert hall, Hallgrimskirkja church, the Sun Voyager sculpture, or Perlan.
DAY 2 – Þingvellir & Vík area
We start early in the morning from Reykjavik and make our way to the South Coast of Iceland. Photography begins with a one hour drive to Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park.
From Þingvellir, we travel to the southernmost point of Iceland in the town of Vík, where we will spend the night. The Vík area has some of the most iconic frozen waterfalls and dramatic seascapes in the country, such as Seljalandsfoss waterfall, Skogafoss waterfall, Reynisdrangar sea stacks, and Dyrholaey peninsula. We will also explore the black volcanic beach of Reynisfjara that offers brilliant opportunities for seascape photography with the Reynisdrangar sea stacks and Dyrholaey rock arch.
DAY 3 and 4 – Vatnajökull National Park
After sunrise along the coastline of Vík, we continue on the road east to the glacier area of Vatnajökull National Park. We will stay in a comfortable hotel with views of the glacier, and close to the famous glacier lagoon.
For the next two days, we explore and capture glaciers from all angles, including under the glacier from inside an ice cave. We visit Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon, Vestrahorn mountain, and many more incredible landscapes to shoot. The variety of quality locations will allow us to move around as the weather dictates, with excellent photographic opportunities in every direction.
Should the northern lights decide to make an appearance, our options for foregrounds are truly endless.
DAY 5 – East Fjords of Iceland
The picturesque East Fjords are calling us. At this point in the workshop, we have already visited the Stokksnes peninsula and photographed Vestrahorn mountain. Now, we will stop at the more jagged coastal peak of Eystrahorn. As we make our way further east, we’ll visit unique and lesser-known locations until we arrive at our hotel, located in a small and charming fishing village.
We will photograph sea stacks, the winding coastal roads, and cascading streams down the steep terraced mountains. The East Fjords are very quiet and isolated during the winter, so for this part of the tour, we will feel like we are all alone on the island, aside from the local farmers and possibly a few reindeer.
DAY 6 and 7 – Mývatn and the Majestic Waterfalls of the North
From the East Fjords, we travel north to Lake Mývatn, known as the winter paradise of Northern Iceland. We capture such breathtaking winter scenes as horses and turf houses along the way.
For the next two nights, we’ll stay in Mývatn, and each day/night, we head out to explore and shoot new locations. If we find ourselves with some downtime in the area, between sunrise and sunset, we can visit the milky blue waters of the Mývatn Nature Baths to relax and charge our batteries for the next shooting session. (not included)
We will visit and photograph many of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland, such as Goðafoss, Aldeyjarfoss, Dettifoss, and Hrafnabjargafoss. These waterfalls are gorgeous, with their winter coats on, and quite remote. We select waterfalls based on weather conditions and access based on weather.
The Mývatn basin sits squarely on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and many of the enthralling sights in the area are either volcanic or geothermal. The last volcanic eruption in this area was quite recent, in September 1984 in Krafla.
This area in the north of Iceland is the perfect location for aurora borealis (northern lights) photography as there is no light pollution, and the options for beautiful foregrounds, such as the reflecting lake, are endless.
DAY 8 – Mývatn and the Northern Coastline
After breakfast at our hotel, we head back to the north coastline and make our way towards Reykjavik. Depending on the weather, we will stop in lesser-known areas for more photographic opportunities.
We will go through the second-largest city in Iceland and the capital of the north, Akureyri—home to around 20,000 Icelanders. After a short stop, we get back on the road and photograph the mountain peaks of Hraundrangi, a sharp mountain peak not far from Akureyri.
From there, we travel into Skagafjörður, a fjord that offers exciting photo opportunities, such as seascapes, basalt columns, and beautiful waterfalls.
Our hotel for the night is conveniently located about a half-hour drive from Hvítserkur cape, a well-known landmark of the area.
DAY 9 – Laugarbakki and Reykjavík
We start the day with sunrise at the Hvítserkur seascape, a 15-meter high monolith or sea stack. Legend has it that Hvítserkur is a petrified troll, while others believe that it is a volcanic plug from a long time ago. Whichever you choose to believe, you will agree that it is an impressive photo opportunity.
After lunch, we head towards Reykjavik and stop at a few waterfalls along the way. West Iceland is known for its impressive waterfalls, salmon fishing and Viking Sagas. We will also make a stop to photograph Icelandic Horses before we arrive at our hotel in Reykjavik.
When in Reykjavik we will check into our hotel and say farewell as the workshop concludes here. You then have some time to explore, photograph, have dinner or just rest before your departure flight.
DAY 10 – DEPARTURE
Transfer from the hotel in Reykjavik to Keflavik International Airport.
If you would like to extend your stay in Iceland, we can offer photography day tours to areas we did not visit during this workshop. Snæfellsnes Peninsula, where the famous Mount Kirkjufell can be found is a popular add-on.
For cancellation and refund policy for our workshops, please visit the Terms & Conditions page.