It’s funny how one of the harshest places on earth can also be one of the most amazing to photograph, and with each season offering up distinct natural wonders it will surely leave the keen photographer yearning for more!
It was our first trip to Iceland with a spur of the moment booking made in late September, and a great deal on a camper van, courtesy of Go Campers!
We planned to spend a large portion of our trip in the highlands, unfortunately due to bad weather we had to abandon these plans and visit other parts of Iceland. It’s just as well there are so many incredible sights and landscapes here – too many to fit into one short visit! My biggest tip to anyone visiting Iceland is to keep your itinerary flexible, weather and conditions are extremely unpredictable and can change at the drop of a hat.
Iceland is home to over 10,000 waterfalls and some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes and canyons we’ve seen, such as Haifoss (pictured below).
If you own a drone then make sure to bring some spare batteries! As we drove around Iceland it always took us longer to reach sights because we would always spot places to stop off and use our drone. This was an aerial shot of some glacier rivers flowing literally along the roads edge, however had we not scouted this one on Google Satellite images first we would have driven straight past it! There are many of these braided river systems to discover in Iceland as they carry water flowing from the glaciers towards the sea.
Diamond Beach is another interesting spot for photography. The large icebergs here are battered by the strong currents of the North Atlantic Sea as they break off from the nearby glacier. The seas sculpt and shape these pieces of ice into various sizes, many of which resemble diamonds, before being washing up on the nearby shores. We spent a couple of days in the area around Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, watching the seals feeding around the icebergs as we explored the glacier and the surrounding ice caves. We could also hear the large chunks of ice breaking away from the glacier throughout the night, it was a remarkable experience like no other!
One of our favourite place to visit and photograph were the Geysers, so much so we decided to camp nearby and visit them again for sunrise. It was a sharp, cold morning but it did not disappoint and we were greeted by some amazing pastel colours in the sky.
We were fortunate to see the Northern Lights during our visit as we chased a KP-6 solar storm across Iceland which also aligned with near-perfect conditions. The Aurora Borealis has to be one of the most captivating things we have even seen! When taking photos be sure to bring a tripod and you’ll have to constantly adjust the ISO and shutter to allow for the different speeds and patterns of the auroras. We generally used an aperture of F 2.0, ISO 2000-2500 and a shutter speed of 2-4 seconds.
If you’re visiting Iceland during, or at the start of winter I recommend booking a tour to visit the Ice Caves here. We can highly recommend contacting Helen Bjornsdottir at Local Guide.
The ice caves are formed during the summer months when the temperature rises and meltwater runs through the glacier creating passageways and caverns. These caves then become accessible during the winter months when the surrounding ice and weather conditions allow. There are many ice caves to discover each year and they are constantly changing which makes for some interesting photography. These are honestly some of the most amazing structures we’ve been lucky enough to visit, and as the sunlight passes through the ice from the outside it gives off some incredible blue and sapphire coloured hues.
Although the caves become accessible during the winter months it is important you use a guide as they are still very unsafe and unstable places, and you must have the right equipment such as crampons and safety ropes.
A staggering 11% of the land in Iceland is covered by glaciers. The largest is Vatnajokull, covering an area of 8,300 sq. km. You can drive near to the edges of the glaciers to get a closer look, or if you want to hike or climb on the glaciers you can book a tour with an experienced guide.
One of the most striking things you’ll notice when driving around is the sheer scale of the landscapes, as well as the many coloured mosses that form on the volcanic lands, and the ash-filled fields of past eruptions.
Many of Iceland’s main attractions are easily accessible from the main road, or ring road as it’s known. There are also places that require a degree of off-roading and on occasion river-crossings to reach them. Iceland really is a playground when it comes to photography and often the best way to capture the sheer scale of the landscapes is with a drone.
Iceland is one of those countries that will offer something different in every season. It isn’t known for it’s autumn foliage, due to a distinct lack of trees, but the colours at this waterfall were striking.
4 Comments
Oh wow! I’ve seen many pictures of Iceland, but yours are by far my favorite! I hadn’t thought about renting a camper van in Iceland, but it seems like a much better idea than staying in hotels. So thank you for so many amazing ideas!
As always, your photos are spectacular. Thank you for sharing. We spent a couple of days in Iceland a few years ago and explored mostly Reykjavik and the Golden Circle. We definitely need to go back and hopefully the Aurora Borealis will be shining when we go. We were not as fortunate as you were.
Wow Sarah what wonderful photos! We went to Iceland for a few days about 4 years ago and absolutely loved it. The light is perfect for photography. I really enjoyed reading your blog and just enjoying your amazing photos. Will definitely go back there – so much to see! X
Thank you so much – we loved it too. We knew there was a lot to see there, but we were absolutely blown away on our trip. We would love to go back there too as each season would offer something different. What a place!