Overview

 Join Daniel Beltrá nd Justin Black for this unique photographic experience in the land of fire and ice.

Storybook waterfalls gushing over volcanic formations… Icebergs on black sand beaches… Orange-billed Atlantic puffins perched on sea cliffs… Deep sapphire hues in ancient glacial ice… steaming geothermal rivers flowing through a multi-colored volcanic landscape…

This is Iceland, land of fire and ice. Astride the Mid Atlantic Ridge, this geologically active island is being ripped in two by the opposing movement of the North American and Eurasian Plates, while magma surges through the Earth’s fractured crust to fill the void of displaced land. The ice cap and glaciers feed pristine rivers, and over 100 volcanoes and countless geothermal springs dot the landscape.

Renowned photographers Daniel Beltrá and Justin Black will lead this twelve-night photo workshop for ten participants, emphasizing photography in the field at amazing locations selected on our prior Icelandic travels. Our small group will travel in comfort in a specially customized bus with room for everyone to have a window seat, complete with Wi-Fi and numerous power outlets to enable us to edit our images while we’re on the road.

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We will make the most of light and weather conditions each day, remaining flexible enough to respond to great opportunities. Accommodations will be at quality hotels, with all meals and beverages included. On the last evening of the trip, we’ll return to Reykjavík, enjoy a final celebratory dinner together and spend the night at the excellent Grand Hotel Reykjavik, located in the city center. Most flights to the U.S. depart the in morning.

The focus of this expedition is photography in the field. Daniel and Justin will provide generous hands-on mentorship, sharing their expertise and professional insights on developing creativity and personal vision, composition, working with various qualities of light and changing weather, working landscape scenarios to best effect, and capturing wildlife behavior. Techniques covered will include working the scene to find optimal perspectives and compositions, stitching for high-resolution and panoramics, merging exposures for tonal-range control, using filters, fill flash, and long-exposure techniques.

Constructive critiques will be included in the schedule, to help participants identify where they are succeeding and how they might focus their energies to advance their vision and skills. During critiques, emphasis is first placed on identifying what participants are doing right with regard to chosen subject and composition, followed by discussion of ways to improve the execution of the image in light of the emotional response, concepts, and aesthetics that led the photographer to make the image in the first place.

Attentive group support during the workshop will be provided by experienced Icelandic guides Ragnar Sigurdsson and Einar Erlendsson.

 ITINERARY

Reykjavik

13. July. Arrival Reykavik and transfer to hotel. Supper. Overnight at Grand Hotel Reykjavik
14. July. Orientation and lectures on composition and technique to get everyone prepared to make the most of our time in the field. City photography mid afternoon. Supper. Overnight at Grand Hotel Reykjavik

Underneath Vatnajokull Glacier

15. – 16. July. Drive to the south-east to stay in the vicinity of the largest glacier in Europe. Sunrises and sunsets at the glacier lagoon, icebergs on the beach, and other glacier locations selected with the light and weather in mind.

In the vicinity of Laki, the largest recorded volcano eruption (1783)

17. July. Move more to the west on the south-east coast. Waterfalls, basaltic formations, lava fields, volcano craters, and more.

Behind the mountains in the south

18. July. Drive to Hrauneyjar highland hotel. 2-3 possible routes depending on weather. Along the coast or Fjallabak south or north, routes behind the mountains on the south coast.

Iceland hidden highland treasure

19. July.  Stationed at Hrauneyjar hidden gems of the Icelandic Highlands will be explored. The highland lakes in the desert, some majestic waterfalls or mossy mountains.

Hveravellir highland geothermal area 

20. July.  Travel via Gullfoss up to Kerlingafjöll and to Hvervellir, a camp by a geothermal area in the middle of the highland of Iceland. Two oases in the biggest desert in Europe.

Breidafjordur & Snæfellsnes peninsula

22.-23. July.  Travel to Snæfellsnes peninsula and spend two nights there. Explore locations at the peninsula like Dritvik, Malarrif, Arnarstapi and Hellnar. Visit beaches and seacliffs with birds.

Icelandic horses, red sand beach on route back to Reykjavik

24. July

Photograph two locations en route to Reykjavik. Last supper in Reykjavik, overnight Reykjavik.

25. July

Fly home.