Northern Iceland Winter Landscapes and Aurora Borealis photography tour
visiting Myvatn and Akureyri region + Snaefellsness extension
Dates: Feb 28-March 6, 2014 (6 days, 6 nights) Brand new itinerary for 2014!
2 of 6 spaces still open!
$1950 USD or Euro equivalent, all inclusive including domestic airfare to Akureyri
Northern Iceland Aurora Borealis and Winter Landscapes 2014 Photography Workshop and Tour; This unique 6 day / 6 night photography tour and workshop in the north of 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 in the best region in the country for viewing the Aurora Borealis, during the height of the spring soltice, which statistically has the most frequent occuring aurora borealis activity. This hybrid workshop and photo tour 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 especially photograph the famous geothermal areas of Lake Myvatn as well as the Tröllskagi Peninsula mountains, based in Iceland's second largest town, Akureyri. 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. The Akureyri region is simply the best region to view the Aurora Borealis due to it's more northerly latitudes perfectly situated under the Auroral Oval region of greatest auroral activitiy. We will be based out of cozy rural guesthouses in Akureyri and Myvatn regions, and in the spectacular and Tröllaskagi and Snæfellsness Peninsulas, allowing a comfortable schedule yet filling our days and nights with rewarding photography opportunities all around the region. This trip is scheduled immediately following my Iceland Aurora Borealis and Winter South Coast Landscapes Photography Tour the week preceding. So for the ultimate Icelandic Aurora and glacial experience book these two together, and receive $250 off the total!
Photography Instruction: A maximum group size of 6 photographers ensures you will receive ample personal photographic coaching in the field from a full time working pro, and provide an intimate small group adventure experience. This photo workshop is all about in-the-field field photography and situational instruction working alongside your leader, 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 good restaurant 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 seven 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 around Akureyri, Lake Myvatn, and the Snæfellsness Peninsula, and combined with austral wonderment, enable 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 leading the trip, his 10th in Iceland. Johnathan is a full time photographer and international photo trip leader, and 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, and he specializes in wide panoramic landscapes and adventure photography in Iceland and the Adirondack region in the USA. Johnathan is also very experienced in leading workshops, having led several very successful photography workshops around Iceland since 2011 which are often sold-out, and also sometimes works with the very best native Icelandic photographer, Örvar Þorgeirsson. Örvar will hopefully join us as a special guest photographer on one of the days which will be a highlight for everyone, and his images are seen on arcticphoto.is.
Trip Details : The cost of this tour is $1950 USD (or Euro equivalent), all inclusive, and begins in Akureryi on the evening of February 28 2014 and concludes after sunset on March 6 in Reykjavik. The trip cost includes domestic airfare to Akureyri from Reykjavik at the start of the trip (to be booked on your behalf once your international flights are booked on our own). Also included is all photographic opportunites and professional instruction, photographic 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). Accomodation and potential night aurora shooting starts on the evening of Feb 28th in Akureyri, and the trip concludes in the late afternoon of March 6th without accomodation for that night in Reykjavik. A $600 deposit is due at the time of registration, and the remaining balance of $1350 is due by the trip start. Refunds are allowed at the discretion of the trip leader, with a mix of cash refund and future trip credit, depending on cancellation date. This tour is open to photographers of skill levels, with rural country and landscape and austral photography interests, and a detailed suggested packing list will be provided. There is a maximum group size of 6, and a minimum of 2. 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 leader will be happy to answer them over the phone or email.
