The Best Photography Locations in Iceland

Where I shoot, when to be there, and exactly how — by Serge Ramelli

Hello fellow lovers of waterfalls, glaciers and the wild northern light!

Iceland is a landscape photographer's paradise — fire and ice, black beaches and the aurora, all on one small island. Below are my favourite spots, each with a Google Maps link to the exact place I stood, the camera settings, and the time of day (or year) that makes it sing.

One quick tip: Iceland is about water, ice and patience. Bring a tripod and ND filters for the waterfalls and beaches, dress for the weather, and let the conditions dictate the shot — chase the aurora on clear winter nights and the ice caves only with a guide.

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1. Skógafoss

📍 Skógafoss (63.532, -19.5114)

One of Iceland's grandest waterfalls — a 60-metre curtain of water you can walk right up to. Shoot it head-on from the black-sand riverbed at sunset, and use a long exposure to turn the falls into silk. Get close and you will need a rain cover for the spray.

Best time: Sunset, with a tripod and an ND filter for the silky water.

📷 Sony A7R III · 24mm · f/16 · 4s · ISO 50 (tripod + ND)🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-01

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2. Háifoss

📍 Háifoss (64.2125, -19.6869)

A thundering 122-metre waterfall plunging into a vast green-and-rust canyon in the highlands. Shoot from the canyon rim with the winding river leading the eye in, and time it for a dramatic sunset sky over the gorge.

Best time: Sunset; a sturdy tripod near the rim (mind the edge).

📷 Sony A7R IV · 13mm · f/18 · 1/10s · ISO 50🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-02

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3. Diamond Beach (Jökulsárlón)

📍 Diamond Beach, Jökulsárlón (64.0466, -16.1755)

Chunks of glittering glacier ice wash up on black volcanic sand like scattered diamonds. Get low with a wide lens and use a long exposure so the surf swirls around the ice in silky trails. Every wave rearranges the scene — work fast and keep shooting.

Best time: Sunrise or sunset for colour through the ice; a tripod and ND filter for the swirl. Watch the waves.

📷 Sony A7R III · 21mm · f/16 · 1s · ISO 100 (tripod)🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-03 📷 Sony A7R IV · 13mm · f/14 · 0.8s · ISO 50 (tripod)🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-04📷 Sony A7R III · 19mm · f/7.1 · 2.5s · ISO 100 (tripod)🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-05 📷 Sony A7R IV · 14mm · f/22 · 0.4s · ISO 50 (tripod)🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-06

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4. Stokksnes & Vestrahorn

📍 Stokksnes (Vestrahorn) (64.2497, -14.9667)

The jagged Vestrahorn rising over the black-sand beach at Stokksnes is one of the great landscapes on earth. On a calm evening the wet sand becomes a mirror; among the grassy dunes you get a softer foreground; and if you are lucky, an Icelandic horse will gallop across the beach for you.

Best time: Sunset into blue hour, on a still evening for the reflections.

📷 Sony A7R IV · 12mm · f/7.1 · 1/40s · ISO 100🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-07 📷 Sony A7R IV · 24mm · f/4 · 1/125s · ISO 100🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-08 📷 Sony A7R IV · 24mm · f/4 · 1/640s · ISO 200🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-09

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5. The Ice Cave (Vatnajökull)

📍 Vatnajökull ice caves (from Jökulsárlón) (64.0784, -16.2306)

Beneath the Vatnajökull glacier, winter meltwater carves caves of glowing blue crystal ice. Put a person in a red jacket inside for scale and colour. These are only accessible on a guided tour in winter — book ahead, and shoot handheld at a higher ISO in the low light.

Best time: Winter (roughly November–March) on a guided tour. Bring a fast lens.

📷 Sony A7R III · 24mm · f/7.1 · 1/5s · ISO 100🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-10

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6. The Northern Lights

📍 Lómagnúpur (South Iceland dark sky) (63.97, -17.45)

The aurora borealis is the reason many photographers come to Iceland. Find a dramatic foreground — here, the towering peak of Lómagnúpur with a still pool for the reflection — get well away from town lights, and shoot a wide, fast lens at a high ISO. Then simply wait for the sky to dance.

Best time: Clear, dark winter nights (Sept–April), away from light pollution. Check an aurora forecast.

📷 Sony A7R IV · 12mm · f/4 · 4s · ISO 2500🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-11

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7. A Glacier Reflection (Skaftafell)

📍 Svínafellsjökull / Skaftafell (64.0167, -16.8772)

Where a glacier tongue spills out of the mountains near Skaftafell, a still meltwater pool mirrors the whole scene. Shoot it in flat, moody light and convert to black-and-white for a timeless, Ansel-Adams-style landscape.

Best time: Overcast daytime for soft even light; great in black-and-white.

📷 Leica Q3 · 28mm · f/7.1 · 1/100s · ISO 100🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-12

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8. The Sun Voyager (Reykjavík)

📍 Sun Voyager (Sólfar), Reykjavík (64.1475, -21.9224)

Back in the capital, the Sun Voyager sculpture — a gleaming steel Viking longship — sits on the Reykjavík waterfront. Shoot it head-on at blue hour with the mountains and the bay behind, and a touch of warm light on the steel.

Best time: Blue hour, for balanced light on the sculpture and the sky.

📷 Sony A7R IV · 24mm · f/9 · 3.2s · ISO 100 (tripod)🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-13

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9. The Highland Craters (Aerial)

📍 Fjallabak Highlands (approx.) (63.98, -18.5)

Iceland's interior highlands look like another planet from above — fields of red and black volcanic craters streaked with ash. A drone at low altitude reveals the patterns and the scale. Note these remote highland tracks are summer-only and need a 4x4.

Best time: Summer, from a drone in soft overcast light. (Remote — 4x4 and highland access required.)

📷 DJI (L2D-20c) · 12mm · f/11 · 1/120s · ISO 100🔖 License this image — ref. ICE-14

 

Happy shooting! — Serge

 

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