Winter Photography in Iceland

Published Sep 19, 2012 | By Erez Marom

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Sunset in Breiðamerkurjökull 0.5sec, f/13, ISO 100
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, Lee GND and ND filters, Heliopan CPL.

No matter where you live, the allure of travel to a locale quite different from your own is hard to resist for any landscape photographer. And chances are, there are few places anywhere in the world as different from where you're sitting right now than Iceland. Put simply, it's a photographer's dream destination. The landscape is incredible, with pitch-black volcanic terrain, immense glaciers and towering volcanoes. And to top it off, airfare can be very reasonable and in-land travel is easy to arrange. With all this going for it, Iceland has long been on my list of places to photograph. And not long ago, I had the opportunity to explore this incredible terrain and create some memorable images.

In this four page article I'll share with you my experience of shooting with fellow photographers in Iceland, introduce you to some remarkable areas of the country to photograph and provide some behind the scenes info for two of my favorite images from the trip.

Planning ahead: season and location

The northern lights (Aurora Borealis) over Jökulsárlón lagoon 30sec, f/2.8, ISO3200
Canon 5D Mark II, Samyang 14mm F2.8 IF ED MC Aspherical.
The green columns shining above the snowy landscape is a spectacle seen only when it's cold.

As with any destination, the first question my colleagues and I had to consider was which season to travel. Iceland in winter offers a completely different photographic experience than in the summer. The green, lush scenery of the warmer months is replaced by a white, cold ice-desert. Temperatures drop to a bone-chilling sub-zero degrees Fahrenheit, winds howl and conditions are tough. But for us, this was all part of the adventure and a small price to pay for the most unique shooting experience we could imagine.

That's because no other season allows you to walk on frozen lagoons right up to a huge glacier. Only during the winter season of late September through March is it safe to venture into ice caves. It's never dark enough to witness the northern lights in the summer. And from autumn through spring sunrises and sunsets are relatively short, and the light is relatively harsh during the rest of the day. It's also certainly worth mentioning that winter airfare to Iceland can be as much as 50% lower than other times of the year! Given all of this, we knew that we were headed into an icy escapade.

Dormant volcano of Öræfajökull 10sec, f/16, ISO100
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, Lee GND and ND filters, Heliopan CPL.

The next big task was deciding which region of Iceland to visit. With only a two-week itinerary planned, we would need to concentrate on a specific area of the country to maximize the time spent shooting, versus traveling. After much research, which included consulting Icelandic photographers and friends who had visited the country, as well as looking at hundreds of published images, we concluded that southern Iceland was our best bet.

In the South you'll find glaciers, lagoons, waterfalls and beaches - all readily accessible by car. Crucially though, since Iceland is located so far north, the winter sun both rises and sets to the south, providing some very unique photographic opportunities. As a bonus, the sun maintains a low angle throughout the day, providing soft side-lighting that is great for landscape photography.

Click here to continue reading our Winter in Iceland article...

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions held by dpreview.com or any affiliated companies.

Comments

Total comments: 76

I was lucky enough to be able to go on this trip last month, was an incredible experience. Even though the weather was cloudy most of the time, the seas were very stormy, which made for some lovely shots. Iceland is a very photogenic place, but to get captures like Erez posted here takes much time and patience, to get the lovely skies. Thanks to all of you that attended this trip, truly a wonderful bunch of guys, it was a pleasure spending time with all of you.

2 upvotes

Fantastic shots. Winter in Iceland (as well as the summers) have a lot to offer for photographers. I was recently given a new photo book with images from Iceland. It's called "Two in one" and the photographer is Sverrir Björnsson. He has taken pictures of the same motive during two seasons. Quite interesting with fantastic pics. You can check his photos of Iceland here: http://twoinone.is/
This winter we have exceptional great conditions for Northern lights so I expect there will be a great amount of stunning photos to be published by many.

0 upvotes

Top left and centre images are out of this world!

2 upvotes

Simply beautiful. I'm really amazed...

1 upvote

I just wanted to add to the multitude of compliments and say your work is wonderful. I love Iceland, I have been there 3 times, I am going back again this January. I will say that it's all about luck and timing, we had some horrible weather on my last trip. While the ground images were amazing, the aurora borealis never materialized, which was disappointing. I also write about my trips but more for entertainment than for instruction.

http://blog.lenstraveler18.com/category/iceland/

I should add that anyone going should make sure to stop for a hot dog at the various road side gas stations. I don't know why they are so good but I look forward to having one every time I go!

1 upvote

Amazing landscape, great story and great shots. If this country was not already on my wish list, it would be now. Thank you!

1 upvote

I was in Iceland in March and really enjoyed the stunning landscape and took lots of photos. You can see a few of them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lbdphotos/sets/72157629763478352/

We aimed for realism in the photos (except the aurora shots which are processed a lot for us). So even a keen amateur can get great photos there.

Erez's are amazing and show how beautiful Iceland is.

1 upvote

Stunning!

2 upvotes

Beautiful, simply beautiful...

1 upvote

Thanks for posting that brilliant set of images, its one of the best posts I've seen on DP review and it definitely makes me want to go there (although I won't be standing around in any icy streams! Your post processing is exemplary and very natural looking to me.

1 upvote

Thank you so much for this excellent article and sharing your incredible images! I intended to visit Iceland this summer, but could not make it. You have convinced me that photographically winter is the way to go. Maybe see you in January?

2 upvotes

Thank you,
it would be my pleasure :)

0 upvotes

I don't understand why so many people are talking about these photos being overedited and "unrealistic." The editing looks very tasteful and quite seamless to me. Beautiful landscapes in beautiful, soft light require some tweaking to bring out their full potential.

2 upvotes

Excellent article and images. I went to Iceland last February and agree with many of the author's conclusions. It is a truly beautiful, authentic, country with an otherworldly landscape. I captured a different perspective of Iceland - see my gallery at www.georgepappas.net/iceland.

Remember to bring a large plastic bag to cover your camera backpack for condensation protection when you go indoors. Keep your backpack or other weight on the hook of your tripod - the wind comes out of nowhere and can be very forceful. My 5DII took a spill on the beach and the lagoon with my 90mm TSE - it still worked the rest of the trip but needed a visit to Canon repair when I returned. I will definitely go again...and again..

1 upvote

Simply beautiful. I think I found a new vacation destination! Now if I can just convince my spouse. He seems to think northern Michigan is cold enough!

1 upvote

Actually Iceland can't have coldest temperatures.
Oceanic climate with location in the middle of Gulf stream prevents that and keeps usual temperatures mild especially in coastal area.

In fact when looking Wikipedia's climate charts for Marquette you have colder winter temperatures there.
Reykjavik's above freezing point average high temperatures for mid winter would be plain disappointing for my Finnish taste.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

1 upvote

Hi all

An Icelandic expat here that used to be a mountain rescue
volunteer - I liked these pictures very much.

I have to agree with Erez Marom, you better go with an
experienced guide when going in some of the rougher parts
of Iceland - especially during winter time.
They will know of visually interesting places, know the terrain,
and will also keep an eye on the weather forecast :-)

There are a few Icelandic guides that specialize in photo safari,
one I know personally is Odd Stefan, see on www.lightoniceland.com

Comment edited 10 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

Marvelous pictures, thanks for the explanation of the technique.
It's not my cup of tea but the results are great. Tnx.

2 upvotes

This is awesome! If I had the money and the time, I'd join this workshop in a heartbeat.

1 upvote

Superb pictures !!! I have gone to Iceland 5 times up to now and this country continue to attract me more and more. Sylain

1 upvote

I have the same problem. This country is so addictive, 2 times now, another trip planned in november to discoverother season.

1 upvote

Obviously, I need to stop giving away my phtoosafari guiding for fun, and start to charge. :P

2 upvotes

Superb photos! Congratulations!! :)

1 upvote

Great article, even had some beautiful HDR photos!

1 upvote

Gorgeus!

1 upvote

Superb photography and article!
But Gunnlaugur makes me wonder what the other side of iceland looks like...
Thanks Erez and dpreview!

2 upvotes

Iceland looks simply stunning for hiking and photography. Pity it's about as far as you can physically go from Tasmania :)

2 upvotes

Lovely images. The low sun rays enhance the scenes immeasurably. Will try to get there one day. :)

2 upvotes

Beautiful images! I want to visit Iceland in winters after seeing these :)

2 upvotes

me like! dpreview please moar! :)

2 upvotes

This is first-rate work of a true artist, a real pro, who creates stunning Art with relatively modest means. My hat off to this man. Great article!

2 upvotes

LOL, I spent three weeks in Iceland this past Winter but unfortunately for me, it was apparently an historically cold and snowy season. Too bloody cold and Wintery to get out at night unless you're a real hardcore fanatic. Oh well, I may go back in the future sometime in late Spring/Summer (have family there!), oh well, I got a couple of hours of sunlight :D. The pictures in this article look great though.

2 upvotes

My son and I went to Iceland two summers in a row for two weeks at a time before my wife and daughter joined us for a third 2 week trip. There are no Starbucks, no McDonalds, limited wifi, no crowds, no traffic, rental cars cóst a fortune, driving through a sandstorm without "Ash" insurance cost me $3000. It's really boring, nothing to see, better to save your money and take a cruise to the Carribean...

0 upvotes

Maybe my sarcasm detector is faulty, but no Starbucks, no McDonalds, and no crowds sounds pretty good to me. Pretty sure that "nothing to see" is just incorrect, though, judging by the images in the article and what others have told me.

8 upvotes

No Starbucks?

Oh dear, they might actually make decent coffee then...

4 upvotes

Well, I have only been there 15 or 16 times. Will be there again in 2 weeks time and just booked for Feb 2013 too (inspired by the article). It is always different. One of the most fantastic places on earth (and I have visited Antarctica 2x). And yes you can drink black water (Starbucks) in Iceland but I prefer real coffee or pure Icelandic glacier water, and yes there are Burger Kings and Taco Bell's and McDonalds ventures but I prefer fresh no-carb Icelandic salmon, and yes driving around has a cost but not that dramatic, and yes there are sand storms but only stupid people drive through them!!!

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 4 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

Now you've done it! If they run out of rental cars it will be your fault.
Tell me now what you would do when you are on the ring road one hour from the nearest town and all of a sudden you are in the middle of a sand storm? How do you protect the car? Stupid people don't pay for the insurance :-)

Well there might be a couple of things to see...
http://www.pbase.com/kingfisher/iceland

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

For coffee, they have some of the best barista in the world. I am a coffee addict and its a real paradise. Sylvain

1 upvote

Iceland has absolutely legendary local foods and drinks... I enjoyed every bite :)

0 upvotes

great article!

1 upvote

Great reading. Iceland is amazing.
But personally vertical framing for landscapes just doesn't look effective.

1 upvote

Loved Iceland in June but these images tell me I must go back for winter. Great article.

1 upvote

Thanks for a nice article; incredible shots, and thanks again for the specs, they are very useful for learning

1 upvote

I agree with Gunnlaugur.

0 upvotes

Gunnlaugur, thank you for the feedback and honest opinion, I respect that very much. But as a hobby photographer it is likewise part of the thrill, sometimes if not most of the time it takes hardship to capture the image, we capture the 1/125th second of the happy time and hike back for 3 hours :-) hoping when we study the image we have one keeper for the trouble we have had. I didnt think the poster denied the harshness of the landscape, but he wanted to share the amazing experience... thanks for setting the expectation :-) i just asked my wife if I can go to Iceland... she gave me a blank reply :-) ... well better that than an immediate DENIED , as photographer we need to be optimist...

2 upvotes

nothing against the photographer... and I guess this is the trap most people fall into... Iceland still life/the pristine country in the north... (and if that's your cup of tea, you'll get it..)

anyway, if you come to Iceland.. the reality is that you have to be prepared for wind and rain... cold and darkness... as well as blinding light

Iceland is a place you need bright lenses that are able to capture light...

during the summer (4 months) you have too much light,,, during the winter the land is dark, dismal and cold - a very rocky and hard outpost of Earth...

so, please... not sugarcoating....

granted... the sky, the clouds and the untouched land - nature not conquered - makes Iceland what it is...

Skál!

7 upvotes

I visited Iceland in the last2 weeks of July this year. It rained fairly steadily every day and heavy grey clouds were omnipresent. Our trip to Jokalsarlon was disappointing due to high winds, heavy rain and dense low clouds. Visibility was about 75 yards. Our campsite in Skaftafell NP was completely water logged. This was the height of summer! Despite the weather, I did manage some nice shots at Landmanalaugar and Thorsmork. As Gannlaugur says, be prepared for the weather.

1 upvote

I live in Iceland, I'm an Icelander... may I go against the grain, i.e. be a bit critical

and comment on my country... as a native

these pictures are not Iceland... they are over-processed ... the Barbie-Ken version of Iceland /photography... if you like...

very good technically.... but they don't portrait Iceland as Iceland is...

what I'm trying to say is this, the pictures are excellent, but Iceland is something else...

a windy place,,, light, dark... and very moody,

these pristine and excellent photos capture a dream.. 1% of Iceland,, the 2 week tourist selection of best photos...

18 upvotes

Undoubtedly true, but I don't think it was the author's intent to create a documentary. He tried, and I believe succeeded, in creating beautiful images, gleaned from a harsh environment, that are unusual to those of us from lower latitudes. (and from what you say, may be unusual for Icelanders too!).

Not many readers are likely to think he just stepped out of his hotel and snapped these shots. The fact that they required significant planning, effort, and talent just add to their uniqueness. I appreciate that he included some details, technical and otherwise, to help us learn.

Overprocessed? Again, he said he was creating art. Also, until cameras can capture a scene as we see it, or imagine we would like to see it in our mind's eye, some processing will be necessary.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

7 upvotes

I also think that you are a bit harsh on this. He wasn't chasing the "real" iceland but obviously a somewhat romantic postcard view of it. And that's ok. And to me the pictures don't look overprocessed. They have all the natural light from longtime exposures. A bit saturated ok, more contrast maybe, but that's not what I call overprocessed.

Maybe it's a cliche view of iceland, a photo-calendar one. But in that, it's really good.

Comment edited 58 seconds after posting

3 upvotes

The truth is that almost ALL landscape photos are rarely true representations of what one actually sees in the day. One of the reasons landscape photographers love to shoot at sunrise or sunset is that the colors of the skies help brighten up an otherwise dull and plain looking scene. (Of course, the soft even lighting also helps overcome the limited dynamic range of the capturing medium.)

2 upvotes

As expected.

Isn't Iceland the home of trolls? Some anthropologists theorize that they descend from leprechauns that walked across land bridges during an ice age. Others insist they evolved locally from volcanic cinders or the disgorge of ice caves.

Comment edited 16 seconds after posting

1 upvote

"these pictures are not Iceland... they are over-processed ... the Barbie-Ken version of Iceland /photography... if you like..."

I don't agree with Gunnlaugur on this point. The pictures are the representation of the photographer, what he sees and interprets. Iceland can be many different things to different people and there is definitely no single representation of Iceland that is more correct than any other. The key to a successful visit is to bring a positive attitude and make the most out of your stay, rain or shine, sandstorm, midnight sun, or a case of Aurora Borealis.

3 upvotes

Hi guys,
thank you all so much for your kind words and for your interest in winter photography in Iceland.
I'd like to ask you to consider joining my January 2013 Iceland winter photo workshop, where you'll be able to experience and shoot all of these fantastic winter landscapes under my dedicated guidance:
http://erezmarom.com/news/index.php?NewsID=29
The 8-day workshop will be co-guided by renowned Icelandic Mountaineer and photographer Skarphedinn Thrainsson, and includes, other than an unbelievable winter experience, first class hotels and dining, a super-jeep tour into the frozen highlands, post-processing lessons, and much, much more.
Aurora predictions are through the roof for 2013, so we'll be going at just the right time.
Please contact me with any questions you might have about the workshop or about photography in Iceland. I hope to see you come January!

Comment edited 53 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

Allow me to express, along with heartfelt congratulations, my totally green envy for the opportunity to take these images! Iceland truly seems a Photographer's place-to-be. Well done.
Some 30 years ago, the Color Photo magazine advertised a 2-week round trip on board the postal / supply ship which visited the scientific stations in the North, starting out of Trondheim, I think. It seems they always had several spare cabins to offer to the avid photographers, and I so much wanted to do this trip, but never had a chance. The scenery was hypnotically beautiful... Very much like the one presented here.
Thanks - and Good Light!

1 upvote

Fantastic images. Amazingly beautiful place. Great of you to share your knowledge to all of us. Huge fan of your Deviant Art gallery also.
Cheers, Grace.

1 upvote

Great images!
I've been to iceland several times, including the winter time. I actually think February is a better time as you get a bit more daylight. Also it's not as cold as you may think it is and it might surprise you. The temperature near the coast stay just around freezing point. The wind could be a killer, but I never felt cold like you would in Chicago and other areas in US.

2 upvotes

Amazing images, interesting insights on the reportage and on the picture making, good read; thanks for your article!

2 upvotes

GREAT shots. Nice break from all of the gear-head discussions (DXO results, Canon-Nikon-Sony arguements, how Canon has lost it) on various forums.

I would love to travel to Iceland on day. It does indeed look like a landscape photogaphers paradise.

9 upvotes

IF and only IF they removed the part where the camera used was a Canon 5D mounted on an L lens... and settings for the camera. They are trying to sway this article to a gear-head discussion.

0 upvotes

Hi Jsis,
it's very much the opposite. I myself wrote the tech-specs under each image since I always get asked for them by readers. Yet I'm the first to claim technique is much more important than equipment - just check out my other articles if you're not convinced... :)
BTW, the 5D2 wasn't even mine...

3 upvotes

Wonderful photos and an excellent article. Thank you.
I did a similar trip a few years back and I certaily intend to return to this "Paradise for Landscape Photographers"!

1 upvote

Thanks for the article, I hope to get some new lenses and a FF camera before I go so I can take advantage of the chance to photograph some beautiful landscapes.

1 upvote

Just amazing images!

1 upvote

Kudos to Samyang.

1 upvote

Just superb images and love the intention of sharing the passion on this hobby. Thank you very much, now I am a fan in your facebook page! ;)

3 upvotes

Some great shots.

Tempting, but ... surely the Canadians can claim similar marvels--right a their own front curbs. And curling too! Eh?

Iceland offers 4-5 hours of daylight in December, and the sun's arc barely reaches a few degrees above the horizon. The good news is that you get cheap air fare and hotel, perhaps with complementary vodka, and don't have to rise early, since it is dark until 10AM. The other side of the coin is that you have little time to see things or go anywhere, and a return drive in the dark is hazardous unless you stick to the better roads. If there is any wind, time lapse shots of auroras may be hard to obtain. Plus, there is the problem of vapor formation on lenses of cameras brought in and out of the cold. Fingers get too numb (either from cold or too much juice) to control dials, operate a phone, or even keep ahold of the bottle, as you hole up for that long last night in the remote uncharted ice cave.

Comment edited 32 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Well, I'd say the lack of curling options is more of an advantage, isn't it? ;)
Seriously speaking, the light-hours thing is a HUGE misconception. In Iceland you actually have MORE shooting time than other countries, since the whole daylight time (including 1.5 hours of twilight, 1.5 hours of sunrise, 4-5 hours of daylight, 1.5 hours of sunset and 1.5 additional hours of twilight) offers perfect shooting light. This is so much more compared to any other place I've ever visited, since you mostly have max half hour of sunrise and half hour of sunset to shoot. The limiting factor for me wa always the cold and the hunger, never the light hours!
Not having to rise early is definitely a huge plus for the lazy!
I've actually never faced vapor on the lens, even after moving from the super-warm hotel to the freezing outside. Numb fingers is another story...

0 upvotes

Great article, great pictures. And finally some clever use of the HDR technique, which is often way overprocessed, imo.

2 upvotes

Total comments: 76

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