Photographing in Iceland

Tuesday 15 November 2022, 16:40 by Nando Harmsen | 4,785 views | 9 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

I travelled to Iceland on behalf of a photography travel agency. Eight days photographing in the land of fire and ice, with a group of enthusiastic photographers in tow.

I was also given a lovely set of lenses by Canon Nederland, which I used to take my first photos of Iceland.

This article gives a brief impression of the trip, which I hope will inspire you.

My trip to Iceland was not without its obstacles. Due to the various measures in place, I had to cancel the trip in June 2021.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to go after all in November 2021. With two guides, one of whom was me, and a group of fourteen photographers, we travelled from one photogenic location to the next.

Canon provided a lovely set of lenses. The RF15-35mm f/2,8L IS, the RF24-105mm f/4L IS and the RF100-500mm f/4,5-7,1L IS.

The equipment

Since I started photographing with the Canon EOS R5, I have been using my trusty EF lenses with an adapter. It works perfectly, and I have nothing to complain about. But I thought it would be fun to photograph this trip using only RF lenses.

Canon Nederland was willing to provide a lovely set of lenses, two of which I had already used and even reviewed.

The RF 24-105mm f/4L is a fantastic compact all-round
lens, and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS is ideal for more intimate landscapes and animals. Also read the review of this lens.

The early morning twilight, photographed with the RF100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS.
The RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS was a new lens for me. A fantastic ultra-wide-angle zoom lens with a large aperture, perfect for photographing the Northern Lights. Or wide landscapes, of course.

I really enjoyed photographing with this lens. It is even one millimetre wider than my own EF16-35mm f/2,8L III. That millimetre may not seem like much, but it is certainly noticeable at that focal length range.

The famous geyser in Iceland. Thanks to the 15mm focal length, I had a wide enough angle of view at this short distance to take a portrait-orientation photo while still getting everything in the frame.

My first time in Iceland

What struck me about Iceland were the long distances that have to be covered. The island is about three times the size of the Netherlands, and although there is plenty to see, many places are a long way from each other.

That was also why we travelled from hotel to hotel, giving us the opportunity to see a lot. This included the notorious black beach of Reynisfjara near Vik, and the ice lagoon together with the well-known Diamond Beach.

At Diamond Beach, you find the blocks of ice that come from the glacier and have been thrown onto the beach by the surf. The morning sun does the rest.

The land of fire and ice... and waterfalls

A trip around Iceland is not complete without visiting waterfalls. Naturally, we visited several, including the famous Skogafoss. Kvernufoss turned out to be the most special, however, as you can easily get behind the waterfall itself.

Another small jewel was Faxi waterfall, where I was able to photograph beautiful natural ice sculptures in the sunlight.

A view from behind Kvernufoss waterfall. That is very special when the sun shines through the falling water.

Photographing with the drone

If you go looking for ice in Iceland, you soon end up at the glaciers. My drone came in handy there. It lets you photograph from places that are simply inaccessible.

The drone also came in handy at the Fjadrargljufur canyon. The ranger gave tips on how best to film and photograph it.

I love glaciers. This is Freynes, photographed with a drone.

Volcanic springs and the Northern Lights

Besides ice, there is also fire in Iceland. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to visit the active volcano. It is no longer as spectacular as it was last summer, when I was not allowed to visit the country. There are volcanic springs, though. Photographing them in an attractive way is quite a challenge.

The Gunnuhver volcanic springs produce clouds that smell of sulphur. The landscape is otherworldly.
One of the things you naturally hope for is the Northern Lights. We already had plenty of activity on the first evening. Later in the week there was even more activity, but the clouds got in the way.

This is something you never have control over, so it should be seen as an extra. In other words, the Northern Lights are the icing on the cake.

The Northern Lights at the Gardur lighthouse. It was not easy to get both properly exposed in the frame, but I managed it.
The trip to Iceland was a great success, and it was also educational in my role as a photography and travel guide. I cannot wait to go back in 2022, but then it will be in summer, when the sun barely sets.

With thanks to Canon Nederland for providing the lenses. During this trip I used Haida filters.

Dit artikel is voor het laatst bijgewerkt op 15 november 2022.
De eerste publicatiedatum is zondag 14 november 2021, 16:08.

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