Iceland Autumn Color in Myvatn Region: September 2016
Dates: September 9-19 (10.5 days, 10 nights)
Status: 3 of 8 spaces are available!
Cost: $3700 USD | All-inclusive except airfare and personal travel days
Iceland Autumn Color in Myvatn and Highland Regions: Photographing the Autumn foliage among lava fields of the Reykjanes Peninsula and Myvtan geothermal areas, autumn snowfalls of the Highlands region, the fall equinox aurora borealis, and the annual Icelandic sheep roundups. This exciting photo tour all around Iceland is meant for passionate outdoor photographers who desire to see and photograph Iceland's autumn color, nuances, and cultural mainstays of the fall season. Highlights of the fall season in Iceland include the colorful birch scrub bushes among the starkly contrasting black lava flows of the Myvatn region, autumn color among lush green mossy lava fields, dustings of snow on the peaks in the Highlands region (which is all but deserted at this time of year), and the strong probability of seeing the aurora borealis in the night sky. Low-angle sun at the northern latitudes we'll visit allows us to capture extended magic light periods. We'll also photograph a plethora of other scenic and rural destinations including country churches, waterfalls, farms, and horses.
As a special event, we also will spend up to two full days photographing the autumn sheep roundup in Iceland, giving us up close and personal interaction with Icelanders and their rural way of life. This is all about photojournalistic and candid photography, where the intent changes from capturing beauty shots to telling a story of tradition through your sequence of images. Not only is this a big weekend for doing the actual work in bringing the sheep down from the hillsides for the winter, but it's also a social time for rural Icelandic families to get together -- children and sheepdogs alike look forward all year to the roundup. Photographers will be able to shoot candid portraits of Icelanders and lots of children grabbing sheep (and getting dragged around) in the roundup, the thousands of sheep jostling and leaping in the roundup sort pen. As the stream of 10,000 sheep pour down from the hillsides from summer grazing grounds, opportunities for video and still shots will be plentiful. Additionally, anyone is welcome to jump in the pen to help sort or herd the sheep with everyone else.
Photography Instruction: This photo workshop is all about in-the- field field photography and situational instruction, working alongside your trip leader, and there will be no classroom workshops or presentations, although we can do image critiquing on clients' laptops in the evenings at guesthouses. We will always being prepared to go out to photograph the Aurora Borealis should it occur. Aurora Borealis viewing depends on 2 main factors: solar activity and clear weather. The chances of us photographing this phenomenon are very high, given that we're out for so many nights, and way away from the city of Reykjavik and the southern coast of Iceland. Photographic topics that will covered while shooting include nighttime and austral photography, Aurora Borealis photography, classic landscape photography composition and technique, HDR (High Dynamic Range) imagery, panoramic photography, adventure and travel photography, tilt/shift focusing, and slow shutter -speed effects. Our full 8 days and 8 nights of photography potential, allow us to see a variety of well-known Icelandic natural wonders around Akureyri, Lake Myvatn, and the central Highlands, combined with austral wonderment, enabling each participant to get the most out this once-in-a-lifetime trip. In good daytime weather and clear night skies, September days can long; sometimes our groups are putting in 15+ hour days! A maximum group size of 9 photographers ensures you will receive ample personal photographic coaching in the field from a full time working pro, maximizing the group's flexibility and ability to shoot more places, more spontaneously based on light and weather, and provide an intimate small group adventure experience.
Pro Leader: Johnathan Esper of Wildernesscapes Photography LLC, based in the USA, will be leading the trip. Johnathan is a full time photographer and experienced international photo trip leader, and this will be his 40th+ trip he's led to Iceland since beginning trips in the destination in 2011. Every trip so far has been an incredible experience for the participants. Johnathan has a unique background and an intimate knowledge of Iceland from living out of a car, exploring and photographing Iceland intensively for months at a time. He specializes in wide panoramic landscapes and adventure photography in Iceland and the Adirondack region in the USA. Award-winning Icelandic special guest photographer Örvar Þorgeirsson will also join us for an outing session sometime during the trip, which is always a highlight for everyone. Clients always appreciate his patient come- alongside teaching style, and his exclusive private outings with clients are always in high demand. His images can be seen on arcticphoto.is.
For a complete itinerary, trip and booking information, please visit IcelandPhotography.com here.
