Travel, Photograph, Experience
Notes on a journey
Iceland, Landscape and Logistics
Iceland wasn’t what I expected. Not that I had any deep insights of how it might be: Bjork’s from there, it’s cold, vaguely Scandinavian, there’s fishing, volcanos that shut down Europe’s airports, eco-tourism. And of course, it’s world-class photo site.
Iceland seems designed for photography. This place in the North Atlantic exists because here the tectonic plates came together and the volcanos did the rest. The island is nature at its purely primal — land being shaped, vegetation making its early forays into terraforming. And because the land is so new, there’s a palette of light and color that can only exist here.
When you first arrive, you almost feel it’s too spare, too contrasty — blacks and whites everywhere, gray skies and deep blue sea. Like the Lightroom setting were pushed way too far. The photo locations in Iceland are like magazine spreads, the design elements are just that tightly chosen.
In some ways the graphical elements here are resonant of Hawaii, black sand beaches, the volcanic valleys you see at the end of the blacktop, mountain vs. ocean-side plains, the surrounding ocean. There is a huge difference of scale between these two volcanic areas though. Instead of a few Hawaiian volcanos sticking their heads up, you have quite a large island, about half the size of Great Britain. So the Iceland landscapes have big shoulders.
Then there’s the climate issue — the glaciers, the 66 degree latitude. That changes the seasons and the vegetation and everything. Iceland and Hawaii could be brothers (talking pure photographic design, not culturally). But in Iceland the volcanos are clothed with Nordic notes.
The central core of it is a plateau build out of volcanic activity that’s been flattened a bit by ten thousand years of Ice Age glaciation. So there’s kind of a mountain/glacier plateau that turns into wide coastal plains that spread like spokes, peninsulas that extend the geologic activity into the Atlantic.
Landscape
The Reykjavik peninsula is one spoke, Sneafellsnes, just above it at 9 o’clock, another. And the entire coastline is wrapped that way with fjords and bays that made fishing such an obvious tradition.
Iceland is as unique in its own way as a Monet. The challenge though, for a photographic artist, is to find a shooting and post-production style that will capture the primal power of nature, the color contrasts, the almost painful simplicity of a landscape palette. And that’s something I’m still exploring.
Engaging with This Place
- Pinterest Iceland photos and links
- Lonely Planet link
- Map of Iceland with all the cool locations
Iceland Map
Iceland isn’t like a road trip into the mountains. It’s in the middle of nowhere, literally. Hotels are soon booked. Many of the famous sights are a trek from the city over two lane roads. And it’s not a place I’d drive without a decent GPS, the right clothing, a vehicle that can handle the Iceland weather — and a pretty clear idea of what I should look out for.
That’s why the Iceland tourism industry does so much handholding. But a little knowledge of where to go and how to get there will allow you to engage as little (or as much) with the tourism folks as you want.
Reykjavik. About 2/3 of the 330,000 Icelanders live in or around the capital. The rest of the folks live in little villages and towns along the Ring Road. Reykjavik is an interesting city for it’s size and worth exploring. The old town is fun to wander, the shopping district around Laugavegur street is nice, esp. if you’re looking for wool clothing (and who isn’t in a world of global warming). There are some OK museums. And there’s lots of good restaurants.
And then you have the people. Walking around the city, I was always struck by the people. A highly educated country, with all that Nordic social awareness. The whole country is powered by geothermal and renewables. Who else is close? And when you talk to a car rental or computer shop person, you get helpful interactions, perfect English and a personal connection. After a couple of sunny days, I was starting to think how pleasant it would be to live there (if it weren’t for the weather as we So Cals say so often).
Ring Road. The part of Iceland that isn’t the city is mostly off the Ring Road (or the Golden Circle circuit) that starts just north of the city. This main road is mostly in good shape, mostly two lanes, mostly with a painfully narrow shoulder. It’s a fairly easy road to travel except for all those months of snow. At for those winter (or shoulder season) months you should have a 4 wheel drive. And no, the car rental prices aren’t great.
The Ring Road is an ultimate road trip, with vistas that seem to stretch out forever and a range of spots that demand a photo. You’ll see all kinds of posts about taking Ring Road trips and what to visit. Lots of tourists will do a section of the road in a day car rental — down the South Coast or along the Golden Circle. The more adventurous will go up to the Sneafellsnes Peninsula — or better yet, do the entire road in a week or more. And the full tour can be worth it; the island has enough variety and natural beauty to sustain interest.
Not a “sight,” just a farm I saw bit on the Ring Road past Vik
Another spot just off the road called Maeri, South Coast Ring Road
Tours. Most visitors use tours as their primary way of experiencing the non-city Iceland. The big four tours:
- Northern Lights — going wherever the forecast says is most likely
- Blue Lagoon — a geothermal project that turned into an outdoor spa
- Golden Circle — Thingvelir NP, Geysir, Gullfoss waterfall
- South Coast — waterfalls, Black Beach, Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach
Some of the other common (non-photo) tours include:
- Sneafellsnes Peninsula and here and here
- Glaciers and glacier caves
- Whale watching
- Puffin area visits
- Riding hairy Icelandic ponies
- Game of Thrones tour (places where filming was done)
The tours I’ve done were smartly led by guides who could capture the essence of the place. So, do some tours if only to get acquainted with the history and culture.
Photo Tours
In Iceland , photo-enthusiast tours are big business. Lots of the big name American photo guides do Iceland. But enthusiasts shooters will also find top level tour guides who work out of the city. Just do a search for “Iceland photo tours.”
Anyone who’s done a photo tour will know the benefits:
- The most photogenic spots
- Perfect time of day to shoot a kick-ass picture
- Photo tips
- Tour members at all levels of experience
- They do ALL the logistics, you have fun.
On the down side, these trips can be pricey. Most of the ones I’ve researched will charge a fixed fee from $700-$800 for a one day tour on up. And that fee will cover a small group (usually defined as 3 or 4). So a person (like me) who’s traveling with non-photo enthusiasts, has to pony up a lot.
Photo tours that originate here in the US are organized for individual booking. But most Reykjavik tours that are oriented towards individual buyers are geared towards non-photographers. Enthusiasts do these tours but the companies are after a more mass market visitor. So if you want a photo-friendly tour, you need a group or deep pockets. (I know, it seems like an obvious business opportunity.)
A few local photo tour links:
- Snorri Gunnarsson photo tours
- Iceland Photo Tours site
- Iceland Aurora tours sometimes offers non-group outings
- Photo Tours in Iceland
A few non-local (and so high-end) photo tours:
Most enthusiasts on a budget will sign up for a general tour and try to grab shots here and there. But that kind of tour is never ideal — your locations aren’t always the best photographically, the lighting hasn’t been planned for, and you’re rushed along more than a photog likes.
Longer Tours
To me, the ultimate photo approach here would be a road trip. It’s something you can do on your own for a day or 5 days or 15. It’s a tour idea you can do without any help at all, just rent a car or 4-wheel for yourself or your party, book hotels around the Ring Road or do the AirBNB or guesthouse route.
Or you can book with a company that will give you detailed maps and instructions of where exactly you can go during those 5, 7, 20, 12, or 15 days and will do accommodation bookings as well (for a price). It’s a question of whether you want to do the logistics and research and planning or not.
But these longer tours are really the ultimate way to see this complex country in all it’s glory.
- A long tour company worth looking at, another, and another
- A less costly option
- Road trip link to South Coast
Road conditions site
That’s all for now.
Travel, Photograph, Experience 
