Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Landscape Photography Locations => Topic started by: Jamboree on August 10, 2017, 04:31:16 pm
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Iceland question. The wife and I are headed there at the end of this month,
Details:
* 1 week for Both of us
-- with a camper van
-- 2wd campervan
* +1 week me alone
-- with a camper van
-- 2wd campervan
* I'm a photographer, she is not
-- we both love nature
Here are our thoughts:
1) We are thinking of doing the Ring road all the way around together
2) While I'm on my own I plan to stay in the southern area
Here are my questions:
A) Are my thoughts in order - is that a good plan
B) Which direction would you go on the ring road - Clockwise/Counterclockwise
C) Anyone have suggestions on books/itineraries/plans to make sure I don't miss any MUST SEE locations (I am scouring the www to find more places)
Thanks for the help
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While it's possible to "do" the Ring Road in a week, it's not your best use of time as you'll spend most of your time driving. Let's face it, a week in Iceland is not very much time.
A lot depends on your expectations and the weather. You really need to factor in at least 1 or 2 inclement weather days. Your week together might best be spent visiting the places highest on your list. Many of those are likely southeast of Reykjavik to Hofn and north of Reykjavik to the Snaefellnes Peninsula.
On your own, you can go back to the places that most excite you photographically and be there before the crowds and in the best lighting, which may not be the case in your first week. You could also head out to Myvatn and some of the amazing sights along the north coast.
Then, plan to return. I've been for a total of four weeks over the last two years and have only doubled up on one place besides Reykjavik - Þingvellir - (and I'd go back there again) but I've not had time to "do" the Ring Road as there is just so much to experience!
Have a great time!
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Iceland question. The wife and I are headed there at the end of this month,
Details:
* 1 week for Both of us
-- with a camper van
-- 2wd campervan
* +1 week me alone
-- with a camper van
-- 2wd campervan
* I'm a photographer, she is not
-- we both love nature
Here are our thoughts:
1) We are thinking of doing the Ring road all the way around together
2) While I'm on my own I plan to stay in the southern area
Here are my questions:
A) Are my thoughts in order - is that a good plan
B) Which direction would you go on the ring road - Clockwise/Counterclockwise
C) Anyone have suggestions on books/itineraries/plans to make sure I don't miss any MUST SEE locations (I am scouring the www to find more places)
Thanks for the help
One week is not enough for a ring trip, it will be a rush, and you will miss a lot. As you both like nature, maybe you would prefer to hike a little instead of gazing at the horizon for five minutes next to the car, and rush to the next checkpoint. So I would pick two of the best hiking locations, and enjoy them for a few days by hiking. The problem is that 2wd car might not be adequate for certain locations (fx Landmannalaugar, Þórsmörk)...
For the photography week, I would scout out on the internet a set of locations, and then try to follow the weather forecast to find which one is the one with proper conditions, and move there. Sometimes it could be horrible in Jökulsárlón but perfect weather at Reynisdrangar, and they are not that far from each other. Your plan should be flexible as the weather is quite unpredictable, and changing fast in Iceland.
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A week is not enough. I have been traveling Iceland since 2005 and the country is a time soaker. You stop often and shoot a lot. I just completed a 10-day workshop where you can see our GPS track below. This was covered in a majorly equipped 4 WD drive Sprinter bus. We went on roads no 2 wd car could go and went deep into Iceland and places that many people don't know about and came back with some excellent photos. I have been visiting Iceland ay least twice a year so I know it well and always do these trip with one of the best Icelandic guides there is, Daniel.
May I suggest you concentrate on the regions showed on the map below. You can photograph a lot and have decent roads. The Snaefellsnes-peninsula
http://wakeupreykjavik.com/snaefellsnes-peninsula-top-10-things-to-do/
https://iheartreykjavik.net/2015/04/drive-it-yourself-the-snaefellsnes-peninsula/
Feel free to visit kevinraber.com (https://kevinraber.com/) to see some images from my trip of two weeks ago.
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Also check out my blog at https://muralipix.com/2017/04/16/iceland-march-17-2015-day-1/
Has lat-long of every location from where I photographed. Be forewarned that the blog is very long!!!
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Belatedly starting to think about a 2 week trip to Iceland in March 2018. Anyone have a workshop or private guide they would recommend? Kevin are you running an Iceland workshop in March with space left?
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Belatedly starting to think about a 2 week trip to Iceland in March 2018. Anyone have a workshop or private guide they would recommend? Kevin are you running an Iceland workshop in March with space left?
I can recommend this guy for Iceland in March. He's worked with Kevin on his previous Iceland trips :)
http://www.danielbergmann.com/workshops/2018-iceland-north-winter-photo-tour
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Belatedly starting to think about a 2 week trip to Iceland in March 2018. Anyone have a workshop or private guide they would recommend? Kevin are you running an Iceland workshop in March with space left?
My wife and I were there last March. Save yourself a pile of money: rent a car and spend time online deciding on the places you want to go, which is what we did. Then, plan your route, doubling or tripling your Google Map driving times to account for weather and the stops you’ll make along the way for those unexpected spectacular views.
March is pretty easy for decision-making as almost all inland roads are closed and, despite the snow, we successfully navigated all the roads we needed to (and we had only a small, front-wheel drive). That being said, being Canadian, we’re used to winter driving. Just take your time and slow down when the conditions deteriorate.
Even in March, there are still many spectacular places to photograph. You sure don’t need a guide as places are well-marked and/or well-mapped.
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Terry has a point, but if you want a guide, Daniel is a good egg.
Jeremy
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I strongly recommend you go with Daniel if photography is your focus, since it will still be winter and driving conditions can be hazardous, particularly if you come from warmer climes.
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Since I’m likely traveling alone I’m not excited about going it alone. Thanks all for the recommendations. My wife has also been seeing advertisements on Facebook for this company, curious if anyone has an opinion on them. https://iceland-photo-tours.com/iceland-winter-aurora-photo-workshop/