Tour description:

This is a laid back luxury workshop of culture and cuisine amidst terrestrial nature and celestial sightings.

Snæfellsnes is a peninsula in the west part of Iceland. It’s named after the famous Snæfellsjökull, an active volcano and a glacier on top. It’s a fantastic location for landscape photography for it’s many landmark attraction and easy access to them. It’s a miniscule version of Iceland. You can find everything Iceland has to offer in a condensed form in terms of landscape, nature and culture. Witnessing the northern lights, Aurora borealis, is a celestial experience. To photograph them is a technical challenge. We help you achieve both.

Our primary goal is to photograph the northern lights. Northern lights predictions are unreliable and on a very short notice. If it’s cloudy and we don’t get an opportunity to see the lights then we may want to drive for a few hours to seek an opening in the clouds. We adapt for our hunt for the Aurora Borealis. 

In Jules Verne’s classic novel, A journey to the center of the earth - 1864, a group of heroes embark on journey into the crater and down to the center of the earth. In 2008 Hollywood produced a 3D film featuring Brendan Fracier and Icelandic actress Aníta Briem.

Highlights of the experience:

• Photograph the northern lights
• Luxury country hotel, Búðir
• Vistas of Snæfellsjökull glacier
• Incredible rock formation
• Snæfellsnes national park

Included: One hour boat tour or 1 hour snowmobile tour, weather depending.

RAW AURORA

Photographing the northern lights can be quite tricky. They may look fantastic to our eyes but to capture it on camera is somewhat of a challenge. We’ll help you to make the most of the scene in front of you. We guide, you do. There is plenty of other marvels to photograph in Snæfellsnes. On a personal note; this is one of my favorite places in Iceland to shoot.

Our primary goal is to photograph the northern lights. Northern lights predictions are unreliable and on a very short notice. The weather and clouds play major role in the scenario. If it’s cloudy and we don’t get an opportunity to see the lights then we may want to drive for a few hours to seek an opening in the clouds. We may choose any of the days to do so. It’s usually possible to drive for a couple of hours to find different weather pattern due to mountains and glaciers. We adapt for our hunt for the Aurora Borealis.

Workshop agenda:

Night photography:

• Bulb exposure
• Long exposure
• Using tripod 
• Image stabilization
• Intro to astrophotography

Composition:

• Composition out of chaos
• Rule of thirds/KISS/Fibonacci
• Dramatic and dynamic
• Mystery, Ambiguity and Contradiction – MAC theory

Creative techniques:

• HDR
• Bracketing
• Panorama stitching
• Timelapse of northern lights

Post production:

• Color calibration
• From screen to print
• Lightroom/Aperture adjustments
• Intro to digital workflow

Itinerary:

Day 1 - Friday. Snæfellsnes peninsula

Pick up at hotel and drive from Reykjavík to Snæfellsnes. Hotel Búðir is right next to the beach. One can often see seals lying on rocks just off the shore. There is plenty of birds in the area. There is also a charming old church on the premises. It’s quite popular for weddings. Snæfelljökull fills the vista with it’s symmetric shape and grandeur. We get ourselves ready to shoot for the stars well into the night. The northern lights are unpredictable but when they show up it’s a celestial experience.

Two nights in “boutique” hotel by Búðir.

Day 2 - Saturday. Drive around in Snæfellsjökull, national park.

We plan to drive around Snæfellsjökull-glacier clockwise. Arnarstapi is a small and peaceful fishing community. The small harbor is built between columns of basalt rocks forming an impression of a natural castle. A walk along the magnificent lava formations. Three blowholes, connected with the sea, open up on the way. When the wind is blowing hard from the south they create fountains of sea water. The view is just spectacular. As we continue a different landscape unfolds in front of our eyes. Vast fields of lava emerge all the way to the sea where it ends in vertical cliffs by Svörtuloft (e. black lofts). We should have great view across towering cliffs, over the ocean and into the sunset. 

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Day 3 - Sunday. The lava of the berserks.

We work our way back to Reykjavík via the north shore of Snæfellsnes. It’s very different from the south shore. Steep mountains and fishing towns in the fjords decorate the dramatic landscape. We photograph the harbor in Ólafsvík and the beautiful town Grundarfjörður with vista of mount Kirkjufell. After light lunch in a local fish restaurant we continue our tour. We drive through Berserkjahraun, a field of lava flush with ever-green moss surrounded by a peaceful lake. Depending on our schedule we may drive to Reykjavík in the late afternoon or choose to stay up late and try to catch the display of the heaven.

Drop off at hotel in Reykjavik , probably very late - End of tour.

Note on Aurora Borealis.

We can’t turn on the northern lights and clear the sky for you but we sure hope that we have a good clear view of the northern lights for at least one night. Weather depending we may choose to drive a little bit around if we think that it will help get a nice clear view of the Aurora Borealis. It could be on any of the days and thus the schedule may change on short notice.

Details:

Accommodation:

2 nights in a luxury country hotel by Búðir near Snæfelljökull, national park. 

Cuisine

Hotel Búðir is famous for it’s fine cuisine. They have an exceptional menu and a real fine wine cellar. Breakfast and light lunch included.

Transportation:

We use a mini coach on the tour with ample space for passengers and photo gear.

Weather:

In the fall it’s getting slightly cooler. Temperatures may drop below freezing in the night. We expect to shoot until after midnight on clear days so bring extra warm clothing. 

Summary:

Tour dates:

Price:  €1.500 / £1.300 / $2.100 - all inclusive land only.