An Iceland photography workshop is special any time of year but something magical happens in the winter. In seven memorable days we will chase the northern lights, explore an incredible ice cave, visit a spectacular glacial lagoon, walk a black sand beach littered with "ice diamonds," shoot fabulous waterfalls and much more.
Iceland is the ultimate destination to improve your photos or make the photos you have always dreamed about. Join professional photographer Loren Fisher for an exciting trip to Iceland, the land of photographic wonders.
Isn't it too cold in Iceland in February? It is hard to believe, but along the southern and western coast it doesn't get that cold because the ocean's gulf stream brings warm currents to Iceland keeping the temperature moderate. It may dip to the low 20's with highs in the 30's. Loren will give you plenty of advice on what to wear and what the conditions will be like before you go. It is likely to be colder in New York City than where we will be.
Feb. 4-11, 2024
This will be Loren's 12th trip to Iceland since 2018, which means he will take you to unique locations that tourists don’t find on their own along with some of Iceland’s most famous sites. You'll be sure to come home with stunning photos and memories that will last a lifetime.
Like all of Loren’s destination workshops, we are there to make great photos, which means our itinerary is full and flexible. He will put you in the locations that give you the best opportunity for tremendous photos and offer any assistance you need. Hopefully we’ll have clear skies and have multiple occasions to see the northern lights dance across the sky!
There are many reasons why Iceland has become one of the world’s premier photography locations: the people are friendly and most speak English, the scenery is unmatched and the locations are unique.
What’s included:
- A professional photography guide and his fun sidekick.
- Transportation while in Iceland.
- Breakfast each day.
- 7 nights single occupancy lodging. All rooms have private bathrooms.
- Lots of fun.
- An experience of a lifetime.
- Small group size.
Not included:
- Flight to Iceland.
- Meals other than breakfasts.
- Alcohol, snacks and beverages.
- Travel Insurance.
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, whatever 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. He'll show you how to photograph the northern lights and inside an ice cave and will make sure you are getting great shots. Most of our shooting locations will near our van, some walking will be required, including wandering on sand beaches and glaciers. There won’t be long, strenuous uphill hiking, but at a couple of locations you may need to hike over rugged paths for over 1/2 mile. There could be a mile or so hike to the ice cave, depending where they are located this winter. The hike is usually over fairly easy terrain and we'll do it as the sun is rising to avoid as many tourists as possible.
Rates
Registration is $4,800. Previous clients: $4,500. Registration fee includes lodging (single occupancy), ground transportation and breakfast. There is a discount of $400 per person for couples sharing a room. It does not include airfare to Iceland, meals other than breakfast, alcohol, snacks and beverages. Rates are net, per person, in U.S. dollars.
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 I can help you fix any problems.
The Itinerary (subject to change)
Day 1 - Feb. 4, 2024 - Hey, we're in Iceland!
We'll meet at our Reykjavik hotel at 7:00 p.m. for a fun dinner where we talk about the week ahead and get to know each other. Get ready for a great Icelandic meal!
Day 2 - Feb. 5
This morning we head south to visit three amazing waterfalls. Seljalandsfoss is one of Iceland's most famous waterfalls. The drop of 206 feet makes for great images as does the frozen spray coating everything nearby. Not too far away is Skogafoss (foss means waterfall in Icelandic). On a sunny morning a rainbow appears and at times you can even see a double rainbow. Near to Skogafoss is a little known waterfall that we will take a leisurely 20 minute hike through a lovely valley to reveal a hidden gem.
We will spend the night in Vik, watching for northern lights after the sun sets at 5:40 p.m.
Day 3 - Feb. 6
We'll catch sunrise at 9:44 a.m. on the black sand beach at Reynisfjara and photograph the sea stacks and beautiful cliff jutting out into the ocean. Then we visit Dyrhólaey cliffs for incredible overhead coastal view of black sand beaches and the sea stacks. At low tide we'll take a short beach walk to unique basalt columns and mini caves created by cooling magma right on the black sand beach. At night we are hoping conditions are right for more aurora.
Day 4 - Feb. 7
Today we travel further along the southern coast stopping in Hofn, our base for the next two nights. We'll be traveling beside Vatnajokull, Europe’s largest glacier, which makes for exciting photos. We'll go up to the edge of a tongue of the glacier where we'll make unique photos of the huge, colorful ice formations with a massive snow covered mountain peak in the background. We go to the famous lagoon of Jokulsarlon, as icebergs float in the water. We'll spend a good deal of time on Diamond Beach where chunks of the glacier float up on the black sand beach. Once darkness sets in we'll be on the lookout for the aurora lighting up the night sky.
Day 5 - Feb. 8
We start the day before sunrise hiking to an ice cave in the Vatnajokull glacier, which may be the most unforgettable experience of the trip. These caves are carved by rivers in the summer and freeze solid in the winter and light seeps in creating wonderfully blue tunnels. We go early to beat the tourists and get great light coming in the cave entrance. Then we are off to one of the most spectacular scenes in Iceland - Vestrahorn. The large, black jagged mountain shoots up from the ocean and is covered with beautiful snow on the Stokksnes peninsula. The black sand beach and unique black sand dunes make for stunning foregrounds. There will be other scenes along the way that will amaze you. We spend the night again in Hofn, watching for the aurora.
Day 6 - Feb. 9
We make our way back to Vik stopping along the way at a unique mountain that looks like it is sprouting up from nowhere. We will photograph a special, deep gorge that has been carved through the rocks for millions of years. As we see some of Iceland's famous horses in a field, we'll stop and get to know some of them!
Day 7 - Feb. 10
As we venture back to Reykjavik we'll photograph some of the most amazing natural wonders Iceland has to offer. Gullfoss is the largest waterfalls we will see and one of Iceland's most visited places. The "foss" has two major drops that end in spray and a loud roar. There are several angles we can shoot from. We'll also visit Geysir, from which all other geysers are named. And next to it is Strokkur, a geyser that spits hot water in the air about every 10 minutes making for fun photos.
We'll check into our Reykjavik hotel and keep an eye on the mobile apps to check the aurora activity. If conditions are right we'll go out to a great location just outside the city and capture the dancing lights of the aurora one more time.
Day 8 - Feb. 11 - Reykjavik then home
My least favorite day of any workshop, the last one! But we will make the most of it by visiting some of the sights around Reykjavik before our noon departure to Keflavik Airport. From our central location there is plenty to photograph including 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 the 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.
Payment
The full fee is required by Nov. 1, 2023
Deposits and Cancellations
A $1000 deposit must be paid in order to secure your space in the workshop. Full payment must be received by Nov. 1, 2023.
Notice of your cancellation must be made in writing, at which time the following refunds are offered:
- 120 days or more before workshop: Full workshop refund minus the deposit.
- 119 to 90 days before workshop: 50% of workshop cost. Your payment, minus the deposit, will be refunded if your spot can be filled.
- 90 or fewer days before workshop: no refund. Your payment, minus the deposit, 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, LorenPhotos, LLC will not be held responsible for your other expenses, such as airline ticket, that may be associated with the canceled workshop. Getting trip insurance is highly recommended, including medical evacuation insurance.
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 Focus - A Vermont Gallery where he is a co-owner. He has lead dozens of workshops in places like Iceland, Cuba, Italy, France, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Florida, New York, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, 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 more than 20 countries.
What else you need to know
Once you register, you will receive more information about the trip including Loren's Iceland Winter Travel Guide with more suggestions for equipment and clothing. You'll get a Liability Release Form that needs to be immediately returned, an Emergency Contact Form.
Questions? Email Loren at Loren@LorenPhotos.com or call 802-332-6611.