Iceland in Fall Photo Workshop
- 10 Days
From $8,495 - Interests
- Landscape, Night Sky, Northern Lights
- Activity Level
- Moderate
- Group Size
- 8
Journey around the ring road and photograph the highlights of Iceland
Travel across Iceland, photographing many incredible locations during the fall colors. Iceland lacks forests, so the fall landscapes are unique, with the changing colors in shrubs, low-lying plants, and moss-covered lava fields. With the northern lights in season, we’ll also focus on the skies at night, searching for the aurora and choosing a beautiful landscape as a foreground.
On our journey around Iceland, we stop at various glaciers, glacier lagoons, black beaches, waterfalls, geothermal areas, lava fields, and seascapes. This photo workshop is ideal for landscape photographers seeking to capture Iceland’s diverse and wild beauty.
Highlights
- Explore Iceland’s Ring Road in autumn. Photograph waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, lava fields, and fjords, with time to explore compositions and wait for the light.
- Capture fall colors and northern lights. Photograph autumn landscapes by day, then watch for opportunities to capture the aurora when skies and conditions align.
- Travel with the flexibility of 4×4 vehicles. Adapt to Iceland’s changing weather, follow promising light, and explore quieter photography locations.
- Learn from two instructors in the field. Receive personal help with composition, exposure, filters, long exposures, and night photography, supported by image reviews throughout the workshop.
- Benefit from local Icelandic knowledge. Our local guides help us time our visits, respond to conditions, and discover locations you might otherwise drive past.
What You'll Learn
- Build stronger landscape compositions. Use foregrounds, leading lines, and layers to create depth, bringing order to Iceland’s mountains, coastlines, and lava fields.
- Photograph waterfalls with intention. Choose shutter speeds to reveal the power of falling water or soften its movement, while managing spray, bright highlights and filters.
- Work with changing light and weather. Adapt your exposure and composition to shifting clouds, mist and autumn light, finding opportunities even when conditions surprise you.
- Capture the northern lights and night skies. Learn to focus in darkness, balance shutter speed and ISO, and choose foregrounds that give your night photographs a sense of place, when conditions allow.
- Bring your vision through to the finished image. Use image reviews and processing guidance to refine composition, balance contrast and color, and create photographs that reflect what drew you to the scene.
Your Guides
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David Topping
Sep 20–29, 2027
Activity Level
Hikes of up to 1–2 miles with some minor elevation gain. You should be able to carry your gear over uneven terrain.
This tour has an activity level of Moderate. Read more about the Activity Levels for our trips.
Itinerary
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Day 1: Arrive in Reykjavik
Arrive at Keflavík International Airport (KEF) before 3:00 PM on this day. Air travel delays are possible, so please consider arriving early, possibly the day prior. We don't want you to miss out on trip activities.
Arrive in Iceland and check into your hotel in Reykjavik. We meet in the lobby in the evening and go out for dinner in Reykjavik. We’ll briefly review our itinerary, safety precautions, and some practical things before starting our adventure in Iceland. If you arrive early in town, you can photograph some of the attractions in Reykjavik, such as the Harpa concert hall, Hallgrimskirkja church, the Sun Voyager sculpture, or Perlan.
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Day 2: Highlands of Iceland
We depart early from our hotel in Reykjavik and travel to Þingvellir (Thingvellir). The park sits in a rift valley caused by the separation of two tectonic plates, with rocky cliffs and fissures like the huge Almannagjá fault. We travel onwards to the highlands of Iceland and stop at Háifoss waterfall. We continue to Landmannalaugar in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve.
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Day 3: South Coast, Seascapes & Waterfalls
We travel to the south coast, where we will spend the day photographing seascapes and a few of the majestic waterfalls in the area, such as Seljalandsfoss waterfall and Skógafoss waterfall. We will spend our evening around the quaint town of Vík í Mýrdal, photographing the Dyrhólaey sea arches and Reynisdrangar sea stacks. We will also explore the black volcanic beach of Reynisfjara, which offers brilliant opportunities for seascape photography with the Reynisdrangar sea stacks and Dyrholaey rock arch. We will spend the night in the Vík area.
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Day 4–5: Glaciers, Lagoons & Mountains
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.
We explore and capture glaciers from all angles for the next two days. We visit Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon, Vestrahorn mountain, and many more incredible landscapes. We'll let the weather dictate our photo locations, with excellent photographic opportunities in every direction. Should the northern lights decide to make an appearance, our options for foregrounds are endless.
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Day 6: East Fjords of Iceland
We head to the east fjords of Iceland. We’ll stop to photograph sea stacks, winding coastal roads, cascading streams down the steep terraced mountains, and other lesser-known locations in the area. The most famous ones are Heinabergslón, Vestrahorn & Eystrahorn. Then we’ll spend the night in a charming fishing village.
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Day 7–8: Mývatn
From the east fjords, we travel north to Lake Mývatn, the pearl of northern Iceland. Along the way, we will photograph horses and turf houses.
We first head to the majestic waterfall Dettifoss before we check into our hotel in Mývatn. For the next two nights, we’ll stay at Mývatn. We will visit and photograph many of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland, such as Goðafoss, Aldeyjarfoss, and Hrafnabjargafoss. 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 in September 1984 in Krafla. This area in the north of Iceland is the perfect location for aurora borealis photography as there is no light pollution, and the options for beautiful foregrounds, such as the reflecting lake, are endless when the weather and conditions are just right. Mývatn also offers wonderful nature baths that we might visit if people are interested, so pack your swimsuit!
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Day 9: Hvítserkur, Borgarfjörður, Reykjavík
Today, we will travel along the north coast, making our way back to Reykjavik. We'll visit Hraundrangar and the Kolugljufur canyon and waterfall. We will also stop to photograph Icelandic horses before we arrive at our hotel in the capital. We'll check in at our hotel and have a farewell dinner to celebrate our time in Iceland.
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Day 10: Departure from Reykjavik
Departure from Keflavík International Airport (KEF). You can book your return flight for anytime this day.
Accommodations
We will travel the ring road in comfortable, custom Sprinter vans with WiFi and USB chargers for all seats. We will stay at various comfortable country hotels near our preferred photo locations along our journey. All hotels include breakfast and have private bathrooms.
Why Travel With Us
Our small-group trips are designed for photographers, with guides who know the best locations and offer instruction to help improve your photography. Read more about why you should travel with us.
Dates & Prices
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Sep 20–29, 2027$8,495 USD Per PersonDouble Occupancy$1,500 USDSingle SupplementGuides: David ToppingGroup Size: 8Payment Terms: Deposit: $2,000 USDBalance Due: May 23, 2027
All of our standard Terms & Conditions apply. Be sure to read our Cancellation Policy.
What's Included
- Double occupancy lodging. Single lodging is available with payment of a single supplement fee.
- All transportation during the tour.
- Snacks and water between meals.
- English-speaking local guides.
- Breakfasts are included.
- Welcome dinner.
- All permits and entry fees.
- Instruction, guidance, and image reviews from our expert photography guides.
- Personal pre-trip phone consultation.
What's Not Included
- Airfare to and from destination, airport taxes, and excess baggage fees.
- Passport and visa fees, if applicable.
- Airport transfers at arrival/departure.
- Our group will dine together, but the cost of most meals is not included.
- Travel medical & evacuation insurance (required).
- Trip cancellation insurance (optional but recommended).
- Gratuities for local guides & crew.
- Alcoholic beverages.
- Any accommodations or meals before or after the tour dates.
- Items of a personal nature.
Prepare for Your Trip
Please review our photography travel resources, including know your camera and our camera gear list, to help you plan your trip. Before your trip, we’ll contact you with more detailed gear recommendations specific to your trip.
Also, get a head start on your workshop learning experience with our night sky photography tutorials.