Iceland: My first photography workshop
*Composite image taken two nights apart, about 55 miles away.
Iceland, the land of fire and ice, a place that perfectly compliments my preferred shooting style. And a perfect environment for me, leaving the 90 degree temps of northern Virginia for the 40’s and 50’s of Iceland was amazing. I was excited for the cold, dark, and moody environment I was heading into. And to top it all off, a new volcano erupted two weeks before I landed there, bringing the heat to my cold trip.
Iceland brings about so many different and amazing feelings. I found places of stillness, buried deep within secret canyons, late nights on black sand beaches, and even while getting pounded with rain sitting on a cliff waiting for the clouds to blow through. I found warmth sitting next to a wood stove in a bus converted to a cafe, in the conversations with both locals and visitors alike, and in the saunas and hot tubs that are so important to Icelandic culture. I found wonder watching massive icebergs calve off of glaciers and throw waves across the lagoon, and while standing in a barren field watching the northern lights dance across the sky. And I found a sense of adventure in practically every traveler I met, all there to experience and explore the power of this landscape crafted by volcanos over the millennia.
My trip had three distinct experiences: two days traveling the south coast, a day spent on the Reykjanes Peninsula (mostly hiking the volcano but also exploring some of Iceland’s best pizza, other volcanic areas, and the seaside cliffs), and the mainstay of my trip, an 8 day photography workshop.
South Coast
The below pictures represent two days of traveling on the south coast of Iceland, starting from Keflavik and going as far east as Diamond Beach. Originally I had planned to make it to Vestrahorn as my eastern-most point, but the eruption of the volcano necessitated more time back on the Reykjanes Peninsula than I had planned.
I got rained on almost the entire time, only catching a break around 7pm both nights. Although I was constantly cold and damp, and having to frequently clean my lens, this also kept the crowds away and created the cold and moody conditions I love to photograph. And it made me appreciate a warm shower and my bed that much more. And the wind! I had heard about this wind, but didn’t truly experience it until the wind was trying to blow me off the trail into the stream 10 ft. below me. I couldn’t move or turn, just had to “push” back against the wind as hard as I could while having nothing to push against. What a feeling!
Reykjanes Peninsula
Exploring the Reykjanes Peninsula was not part of my original plan for my 2.5 days I had before the workshop. But when a new volcano erupted two weeks before my trip, I thought I finally lucked out on my timing. Disregarding that my original Iceland trip (prior to being pushed back two weeks) had me landing on the day the volcano actually erupted (CAN YOU IMAGINE??).
The new volcano (Meradalir) was about a mile or so past last year’s eruption (Geldingadalir). So I actually hiked past the one year old sleeping giant, which was massive in person. I saw so many pictures of the eruption last year, and it isn’t until you’re standing right there that you realize how MASSIVE it is. And that it filled up that entire valley, which just two years ago was full of grazing sheep.
I got my first sight of the volcano while driving and about 3 miles away from the parking area. The cloud-covered sky was glowing red above the eruption. The weather was a mix of drizzling, strong winds, and fog. I stayed at the volcano for about 2 hours, of which I had about 10 minutes completely alone with the volcano. What a treat! And by the time I hiked back to the car, the path was loaded with others hiking to the volcano and the sun was beating down on us. Little did I know, by sunrise the next morning, the eruption would have stopped. I was one of the last groups of people to see it.
Highlands Workshop
What is a photography workshop? One of the first questions I was asked when I told people I was going to Iceland for a photography workshop.
There are a few different levels ranging from intensive, hands-on instruction for beginners up to expeditions which basically just get you to the right place at the right time, with little instruction other than if asked. The workshop host will take care of all the arrangements: hotel, transportation, planning and logistics, and can use their local knowledge and connections to get to otherwise off-limits or difficult places.
Other than saving me tens of hours of planning, being able to sleep while driving to our next location, and getting to visit some “secret spots”, I also got the gift of traveling with a bunch of other photography geeks like me. Our time together not shooting was as fun as our time shooting, getting to trade photography tips and talk nerdy, like why most photographers hate the color green.
I met up with the workshop group on Friday evening, after having 2.5 days to explore myself. There were 7 of us total, surprisingly all from the U.S. Over the next 8 days we explored the interior of Iceland, the “Highlands”, fording rivers in our massive truck/SUV combo, searching for sheep (otherwise known as goats if you’re a delirious Matt), photographing massive waterfalls and rhyolite mountains, searching for the best braided rivers, and otherwise just having an overall blast.
BTS
A few BTS moments from the trip. Most of these photos are iPhone jpg’s, some taken by me but many by my workshop friends. A great thing about traveling with other photographers, they’re always taking pictures of you and the environment! Getting back into the truck always mean group Airdrops.
