Photography Workshops & Photo Tours: Iceland Aurora, Ice Caves, Winter Landscapes Jan28-Feb3 2013

Iceland Northern Lights, Ice Caves and Winter Landscapes 2013 Photography Workshop and Tour
Led by award-winning Icelandic photographer Örvar Þorgeirsson and international trip leader Johnathan Esper

7 full days, January 28-February 3, 2013
$2550 USD or € or ISK equivalents, all inclusive.
10 of 10 spaces filled; don't miss out on this solar cycle max year - check out my similar trip March 8-15!
To register, please contact one of the tour leaders directly.  

This unique weeklong photography tour and workshop around Iceland, the legendary land of fire and ice, is meant for outdoor photographers and nature-goers who desire to see and photograph Iceland's winter beauty and the Aurora Borealis and crystal ice caves. This hybrid trip focuses on bringing you to outstanding rural locations in Iceland, away from all the day-tours from Reykjavik, and finding photographic crystals in the wintery landscape during our daylight hours. We will go with a local glacier guide in search for ice caves to explore and photograph inside, which have stunning transluscent blue colors!  Then, in the dark hours of each day, hundreds of kilometers away from the city lights of Reykjavik, we'll search the skies and wait to photograph the Aurora Borealis - with phenomenal landscape backdrops. We will be based out of cozy rural guesthouses along the south coast and in the spectacular and remote East Fjords, allowing a comfortable schedule yet filling our days and nights with rewarding photography opportunities all around the region.

Photography Instruction: A maximum group size of 10 photographers ensures you will receive ample personal photographic coaching in the field from full time working pros and the best Icelandic photographers out there, and provide an intimate small group adventure experience. This photo workshop is all about in-the-field photography and situational instruction working alongside your two leaders, although we can also do image critiquing on client's laptops in the guesthouse in the evenings. Each day the group will photograph diverse landscapes and natural wonders of Iceland, in the quiet and peaceful setting of the Icelandic wintertime. Then, each evening and night the group will enjoy home-cooked meals and a cozy guesthouse, while always being prepared to go out and photograph the Aurora Borealis should it occur. The chances of us photographing this phenomenon are very high, given that we're out for six 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 6 days and 6 nights of photography potential, allow us to see a variety of well-known Icelandic natural wonders along the Golden Circle, South Coast, Skaftafell glaciers, Jokulsarlon glacier laggon, East Fjords, ice caves of the Vatnajokull glacier region, along with more subtle icy details, and combined with austral wonderment, enabling each participant to get the most out this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Pro Leader:  Johnathan Esper of Wildernesscapes Photography LLC in the USA will be co-leading the trip with very best native Icelandic photographer, Örvar Þorgeirsson of ArcticPhoto.is.   Johnathan is a full time photographer and international photo trip leader, and this will be his 6th trip he's led to Iceland since begining Iceland trips in 2011.  Johnathan has a unique background and an intimate knowledge of Iceland from exploring and photographing Iceland intensively for years, and he specializes in wide panoramic landscapes and adventure photography in Iceland and the Adirondack region in the USA.  Johnathan is thrilled to once again be working and co-leading with Örvar Þorgeirsson, known worldwide for his dramatic imagery of Icelandic volcanic eruptions, aurora borealis, and crystal blue ice caves.  Örvar's images are seen on arcticphoto.is, at his photo gallery located on Laugarvegur Street in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, and on flickr where he is a real sensation.  These two photographers frequently partner on trips, creating a broader dynamic range of photographic and teaching styles that will surely propel you forward in your photographic vision and capability. 

Trip Details  : The cost of this tour is $2550 USD (or Euro equivalent), all inclusive, and includes all photographic opportunites and professional instruction, ice and glacier guiding, all ground and 4x4 transportation, all meals and food (breakfast served in our guesthouse, lunches sourced from local cafes or bagged lunches, and hot dinners at our places of accomodation and/or restaurants), and accommodation for 6 nights (in cozy rural authentic Icelandic guesthouses; accommodation is based on double occupancy, and will be comfortable, clean, cozy, and with shared bathrooms; private bathrooms in-room or single supplement may be requested for an additional fee).  The trip formally starts pre-sunrise on the morning of January 28, and finishes after sunset on February 3, for a full 7 day itinerary in the countryside. Bookend nights in Reykjavik are recommended, and on your own. 
A $600 deposit is due at the time of registration, and the remaining balance of $1950 is due by the trip start date.  Refunds are allowed at the discretion of the trip leaders, with a mix of cash refund and future trip credit, depending on cancellation date. This tour is open to photographers of all skill levels and formats, although your leaders shoot exclusively digitally. There is a maximum group size of 10, and a minimum of 4. We'll be so immersed in the Icelandic countryside for our entire time as a group, that we have left no time to enjoy the sights of Reykjavik, so we encourage you to stay in Reykjavik for a couple days on your own, either before or after the tour. If you have additional questions, the trip leaders will be happy to answer them over the phone or email.

Client Quotes: here

Leaders:
Johnathan A. Esper
Wildernesscapes Photography LLC
PO Box 326, Long Lake, NY
United States
johnathanesper@gmail.com
phone: 001 518 624 6675
www.WildernessPhotographs.com

Örvar Þorgeirsson
Laugavegur, Reykjavik
Iceland
www.arcticphoto.is