Iceland 2022
As a photographer, I have always dreamed of visiting Iceland to capture its unique and otherworldly environment. So when Tyler announced a trip to Iceland at a very low price, I jumped at the opportunity to join him and two other Irish photographers. Our original plan was to photograph the erupting volcano in September, but unfortunately, the eruption stopped just before we booked the trip. Undeterred, Tyler had a plan B in place for us to still experience the beauty and adventure of Iceland. We were excited to see what the trip had in store for us and couldn't wait to explore this incredible country through the lens of our cameras.
Day 1
As we all flew in from Dublin together, we were ready to make the most of our time in Iceland as soon as we landed and went to straight to Vik beach, to shoot the sunset and Reynisdrangar Sea Stacks.
Before we all started shooting Tyler reminded everyone in the group that the ocean in Iceland can be unpredictable and treacherous, with waves known to catch people off guard.
When we arrived the sun began to set and dip below the horizon. On this particular evening, the lack of color worked in our favor, lending a moody and dramatic vibe to the black and white conversion I applied. Despite the inherent risks, the thrill of capturing the perfect shot on this wild and untamed beach made for a truly adventurous experience.
Day 2
On our first full day of our trip, we made an early start to be at our sunrise location, Arnardrangur Sea Stack, on Reynisdrangar Beach, Tyler likes to have everyone at the sunrise location at least an hour before sunrise. The sea stack, as well as the curve of the beach, provided a picturesque view of the entire length of the beach towards the Reynisdrangar Sea Stacks.
Most of us chose to focus on the sea stack itself, and we waited for the waves to wrap around it and go up the beach. It was at this point, when the waves began to recede, that when we took our photos.
After our sunrise photoshoot, we made a brief stop at the Lava Cafe in Vik for coffee before proceeding to our next location, which was the Kvernufoss waterfall. This waterfall, situated right beside Skogafoss at the end of a gorge, is extremely photogenic.
Everyone in the group including me removed our boots, rolled up our pants, and waded into the water to get a closer look at the falls and to exaggerate the size of the foreground using our wide angle lenses.
Our final location for the day, and our sunset location, was the breathtaking Dyrhólaey. From here, we had views of the endless black beach to the west and the lighthouse to the north. It was a truly unforgettable day filled with beautiful landscapes and an abundance of photo opportunities.
Day 3
We all got up at 4am to travel to our next location. The day wasn’t going to be dry and despite the rainy weather, we were determined to capture a sunrise on our trip. We set out early in the morning, knowing that the weather in Iceland can change very quickly. As we drove towards our sunrise location, the rain poured down, making us wonder whether or not it would happen.
Based on the weather forecast, we decided to head to Vestrahorn. After a few stops for food and some coffee, we arrived at Vestrahorn after a long 3 hour 50mph (max speed limit in Iceland) drive.
Vestrahorn is a popular location for photographers, best for the reflections of the mountain in the water. But unfortunately the weather didn’t play ball for us, with clouds covering the top of the mountain. Despite this, we were still able to capture some beautiful shots.
Day 4
On our final day, we set out early to capture the sunrise at Diamond Beach. One of the great things about this location is that the stunning ice formations on the beach are the main focus, so we didn't need ideal weather conditions to get great shots.
When we arrived at Diamond Beach, the rain had just stopped, so we waited in the car for about 30 minutes for it to clear up completely. We were fortunate to have the entire beach to ourselves, and we found a great selection of ice to use to take photos off, then we moved onto photograph larger icebergs in near by lagoon.
After capturing the sunrise at Diamond Beach, we set out on a long drive back south and east towards our accommodation near the airport. We had call on the way back south from Tylers friend from Iceland Thor, who reached out asking if we could give a lift to a very well known photographer Mike Mezeul II. The conversations we had with him getting to know him was worth the cramped space in the pick up! However, our tour wasn't over yet and Mike also joined us on this shoot and showed us a very cool location down by the sea and rocks The location was epic and we were able to get some nice lighting and a stunning red glow after the sun set.
Some highlights from my trip to Iceland.