Iceland Summer Photography Workshop

Dancing Puffin
A puffin does a happy dance after bringing home a fish in Iceland

Join professional photographer Loren Fisher on his 11th trip to Iceland since 2018. We'll have seven days of glorious photography as we explore the beauty of Iceland in the summer. There are many reasons why Iceland has become one of the world’s premier photography locations: the people are friendly (most speak English!), the scenery is unmatched and the locations are unique. We will explore well known and little known parts of the country, getting the most out of the long summer days. We'll shoot as many sunsets and sunrises as we can and grab naps when we need to during the day. We will be there right at the beginning of Aurora Borealis season, so if we are lucky we'll see the Northern Lights! We will cover a lot of territory, see lots of sites and make many memorable photos.

We will start on the Reykjanes peninsula where we'll photograph historic sod roof houses and then head to the Snaefellsjokull Peninsula for a special waterfalls and mountain scene, rock formations, black stone beach, rock bridge, a black church and quaint villages. Next are more spectacular waterfalls, Europe's largest glacier up close, black sand beaches reaching out to haunting sea stacks, glacial lagoons and the amazing diamond beach where chucks of ice float up on the black sand making for amazing compositions. Even if you aren't a wildlife photographer you'll have fun shooting puffins, those crazily cute birds that have a permanent sad face. You won't need more than a 300mm lens to get great shots. Sunrise and sunset on black beaches make for special photos. We'll see so many spectacular things that even the worst photographer ever would make great photos!

There is a limit of six participants so you won't be crowded as we drive or shoot. We will be in a large passenger van, we'll have plenty of space for you and your equipment.

Iceland Mountain



Who should attend

If you want to see the beauty and splendor of one of the world's most spectacular places, this trip is for you – your photographic experience doesn’t matter. Loren will be working with you to help you improve your photography, no matter your level. If you need it, Loren will help with mastering your camera settings, using the proper lens, composition and how to capture what you are seeing with your camera. Most of our shooting locations will near our van, some walking up to 1/2 mile will be required, including wandering on sand beaches and up to glaciers. There won’t be long, strenuous hiking but you could be walking over rough and narrow paths. One waterfall requires hiking about 1/2 mile but great shots can be made on the way if you don't want to walk that far.



What’s included:

  • Professional photography instruction
  • Transportation in a spacious van offering ample room for you and your photography gear
  • Single occupancy in some of Iceland’s nicest hotels. All rooms have private bathrooms
  • Breakfast each day
  • Loren's Guide to Iceland detailing what to bring and what to expect

Not included:

  • Flight to Iceland
  • Meals, other than breakfast
  • Dates

August 12-18, 2023

Most flights from the U.S. arrive before 7 a.m. Many people opt to arrive a day early to adjust to the four hour time difference and overnight flight.

Rates

Registration is $4800. Previous clients: $4300. Registration fee includes professional photography instruction, Loren's Guide to Iceland, lodging (single occupancy), ground transportation and breakfast. There is a discount of $400 per person for couples sharing a room. Registration does not include airfare to Iceland, other meals, alcohol, snacks and beverages. Rates are net, per person, in U.S. dollars. Final payment is due May 1, 2023.



Maximum group size:
6

Photo Equipment

You’ll want to have a wide angle, telephoto and possibly a macro lens. Make sure you have lots of memory cards, spare batteries and charger and maybe a polarizer filter and neutral density filter. You’ll need a sturdy tripod, don’t skimp here either on quality or size. I suggest staying away from light “travel tripods” since we are going be shooting things you probably won’t see again in your lifetime and getting a fuzzy photo because of shaky tripod would be

criminal. I also suggest bringing a laptop to download your photos and a way to have a backup, either on the original cards or an external hard drive. If you aren’t absolutely sure of everything that your camera does, bring your instruction manual so we can help you fix any problems.



Our itinerary (subject to change)

Day 1, Aug. 12, 2023 Our Iceland adventure begins with your arrival at Keflavik International Airport. From there you’ll take the Flybus to our hotel in Reykjavik. The group will meet in the hotel’s lobby at 7:00 p.m. and go to a local restaurant for a delicious meal and we’ll get to know each other. We will also run through the itinerary and talk about the days ahead.


Day 2, Aug. 13
We make a long drive up to the Snaefellsjokull Peninsula and settle into our hotel. On the way we'll stop at Budir and the unique church painted black and a beach with fun seals hanging out on the rocks. After a break at the hotel, we'll go to Arnarstapi to photograph a natural stone bridge, rugged black cliffs, a black stone beach and the quaint town. Since the sun doesn't set until 9:40 p.m. we will catch the end of the day light along the coast.

Day 3, Aug. 14
We'll be up bright and early to catch sunrise at Kirkjufellsfoss, one of the most scenic waterfalls anywhere. The falls sits in front of a mountain and is a spectacular sight. We'll go into the nearby fishing town of Grundarfjörður and meet a local stone artist and have lunch in a cute local cafe. We then stop in a massive lava field covered with soft, green moss and go to a little town to see another small black church and meet some Icelandic horses and sheep. In the evening we'll photograph an abandoned house as the stars appear. If conditions are right we'll be able to see and photograph the aurora.


Day 4, Aug. 15
We bid the Snaefellsjokull Peninsula goodbye and make our long drive south. We will be dazzled when we stop at three amazing waterfalls (foss means waterfalls in Icelandic). Seljalandsfoss is one of Iceland’s most photographed. The 206-foot drop is impressive but there’s an added thrill of a cavern inside the mountain that has an amazing view across the valley through the waterfalls. You better have water protection for yourself and your camera because you'll probably get wet from the mist. The next waterfall we will visit is Skogafoss. Falling from a height of 196 feet, Skogafoss has several views and if we are lucky to be there on a sunny day we may catch a beautiful rainbow in the mist. We'll then walk back to another nearby waterfall that has cut a beautiful small canyon.

Then we are back in the van and heading farther south along the coast and stopping at the splendid beach of Reynisfjara. We are nearly to our destination, the fishing village of Vik. Reynisfjara is a black sand beach with basalt columns that make for great photos. We'll also photograph a group of rock sea stacks, Reynisdrangar, before going to our hotel in Vik. As the sun gets low, we'll go out on a beach in Vik and shoot the sea stacks from another angle.


Day 5, Aug. 16
Today we get an up close view of the Svinafellsjökull Glacier and photograph right beside one of the tongues. The remote location is away from tourists and is a favorite stop by participants on Loren's previous workshops. Then we go to a couple of glacial lagoons where large chunks of ice break off and float in the water. You can't go to Iceland without a visit to Diamond Beach, where smaller pieces of glacier float up on the black sand beach and glisten in the sun. It makes for dramatic photos and is quite the sight, clear and blue ice against the dark black backdrop of sand. We may check out some Icelandic horses before going back to Vic for the night.

Day 6, Aug. 17
Our last full day of photography starts at the Dyrhólaey cliffs where we will be able to get close to puffins, those cute and colorful birds. We then start our trek back to Reykjavik but there is plenty to shoot on the way. We'll go to the Golden Circle, home to one of the most wondrous of Iceland's waterfalls, Gullfoss, and Geysir, an area that gave the name to geysers around the world. The geyser Strokkur shoots its hot water in the air every 10 minutes or so, so we'll have several opportunities to shoot. Gullfoss, the "Golden Falls" is one of the most magnificent falls you'll ever see and a great place to wind down our tour. We'll drive on to Reykjavik and check into our hotel in the heart of the city.

Day 7, Aug. 18
From our central location there is plenty to photograph in Reykjavik before our tour ends at noon. We'll go to Hallgrimskirkja, an inspiring cathedral and the tallest building in Iceland. You'll can go to the top for an incredible view of the city. We can also go Harpa Concert Hall with its unique geometric shapes that make for wonderful architectural photos and take a short walk to the Sun Voyager, a beautiful sculpture on the coastline. Then we are off to the airport and our flights home.

Deposits and Cancellations

A $1000 deposit must be paid in order to secure your space in the workshop. Full payment must be received by May 1, 2023.

Notice of your cancellation must be made in writing, at which time the following refunds are offered:90 days or more before workshop: Full workshop refund minus the deposit. Your deposit will be refunded if your spot can be filled.90 or fewer days before workshop: no refund guaranteed. Your payments will be refunded if your spot can be filled.

No partial refunds are made for unused portions or services of a workshop. Workshops are sold as a package only.

If a workshop is cancelled, you will receive a full refund of any money paid. If I need to cancel the workshop, I will not be held responsible for your other expenses, such as airline ticket, that may be associated with the canceled workshop. I suggest you purchase trip insurance to be safe.

About Loren Fisher

This workshop is being led by Loren Fisher, who has been a professional photographer since 1978. He worked at seven newspapers including USA Today, is a past president of the New Jersey chapter of ASMP, was an adjunct professor at Rutgers University and sells his fine art photography at his gallery in Woodstock, VT. He has lead dozens of workshops in places like Iceland, Chile, Italy, France, Guatemala, Florida, Oregon, New York, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Boston and Washington, D.C. He has published two photography books “Pope John Paul II: An American Celebration” and “Branson Backstage.” Loren has been to 50 states and over 20 countries.

What else you need to know

Once you register, you will receive information about the trip. It includes a Liability Release Form that needs to be immediately returned and suggestions for equipment and clothing. After paying, you should be taken to the Emergency Contact Form. It only takes a couple of minutes, please fill it out.

Questions?
Email Loren at Loren@LorenPhotos.com or call/text 802-332-6611.