Iceland Glacier Regions + Eastfjords + Faroe Islands Extension: July 2016
Dates: July 8-22, 2016 (15 days, 14 nights)
Status: 8 of 8 spaces still available!
Cost: $5500 USD | All-inclusive, including 1-way airfare to the Faroe Islands
Iceland + Faroe Islands: Featuring the classic itinerary of the south coast, Vatnajökull glacier regions including Jokulsarlon, then through the remote Eastfjords, and finishing with an extension in the Faroe Islands of the North Atlantic Ocean. This unforgettable 15 day itinerary covers ~2400km across two iconic North Atlantic islands: Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Both Iceland the Faroes have recently been listed as some of the top 10 travel destinations by leading travel guides. Iceland, the legendary land of fire and ice, is top of every photographer's list to go to, proven by the current exponential growth in tourism in the country. Summertime in Iceland, with long midnight sunsets, is a special time of year. This is also one of the few opportunities to go with a photography group to the Faroes, and the only Iceland/Faroe combo photo trip in the world. Our photography tour and workshop is meant for outdoor photographers and nature-goers who desire to see and photograph North Atlantic landscapes in the middle of wildflower season. Highlights include glacier and ocean landscapes, waterfalls, icebergs and glacial lagoons, and above all, idyllic pastoral and country rural scenes nestled along spectacular ocean cliffs and green mountains.
For the first week of the trip, we drive through Iceland, first along the south coast classic and popular locations including national parks and waterfalls. We'll then spend a few days in the Skaftafell glacier area and Jokulsarlon lagoon area, and finally a couple more days in the oft-bypassed verdant Eastfjords region featuring secret waterfalls, old bridges, and fjord valleys. We'll enjoy Iceland's long summer daylight hours as we photograph highlights including erupting geysers and geothermal areas, nuzzle with Icelandic horses in idyllic green pastures, peer over sea cliffs alive with hundreds of thousands of birds including puffins, swim in warm volcanic springs, feel Europe's most powerful waterfall, hike up mountains for panoramic vistas of Iceland's green mountains, explore some of Iceland's stark highland regions, and photograph and walk on Iceland's glaciers.
We then fly over to the Faroe Islands, an independent-spirited archipeligo of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, interconnected by a world-class level of undersea highway tunnels. Springtime in the Faroes is special, with lush green fields and wildflowers, turf-roofed traditional houses, and steep pyramidal-shaped mountains dropping into ocean channels among the islands. The small towns nested at the base of these mountains are idyllically situated and very photogenic. Of course, there are also puffins and millions of other seabirds with roost on the ocean cliffs -- and great traditional mountain landscapes with spectacular ocean backdrops.
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, unless there is extra downtime from rainy weather. Photographic topics that will be covered while shooting include classic landscape photography composition and technique, HDR (High Dynamic Range) imagery, panoramic photography, adventure and travel photography, tilt/shift focusing, slow shutter speed effects, and exhaustive use of filters. We will also be going on some shorter hikes (2-5 hours) to truly experience the land. Group participants may wander on their own occasionally if they wish to pursue individual photographic objectives, enabling each participant to get the most out of this once-in-a- lifetime trip. A maximum group size of 8 photographers ensures you will receive ample personal photographic coaching in teh 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 49th+ trip he's led to Iceland since beginning trips to the destination in 2011, and his 3rd time in the Faroes. 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, for added instructional and cultural diversity. Örvar and his wife Mai run a fine art gallery in downtown Reykjavik, and he is one of the top photographers in the country. 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.
