*Fully refundable deposit up to 60 days before workshop. Full price for the package is $8,500 for single room. Full price for shared rooms $7,500 Please see details below.
Bonjour Mesdames et Messieurs, Iceland is a magical place for photographers. That's why I am excited to be hosting this workshop along with our top Icelandic tour guide!
This is more than just a workshop, it is also a way to discover another culture with amazing food and sights! I am very excited for this workshop, and I am sure it will be incredible memories for you!
This workshop will only have a limited number of participants. I really want to keep a small group so you can enjoy this experience to the fullest!
- Serge
Welcome to Reykjavik! We will meet in the lobby of our host hotel at 5:00 pm with Serge and our local photography guide for introductions and a briefing on the workshop activities, then go from there to a nearby restaurant for a Welcome Dinner where we get to know each other and learn more what we will be doing during the coming week. After dinner, we will head out to capture the sunset and blue hour over the Solar Voyager sculpture and Hallgrimskirkja. Sunset will be at 8:05 pm and blue hour lasts until almost 10:00 pm.
Note: Upon arriving to Iceland, we suggest using the FlyBus service from Keflavik Airport to the host hotel in Reykjavik. Taxis are also available near the terminal building. The FlyBus service is located right outside the terminal building and the cost is around $35 USD each way. Book online using the FlyBus Plus service which will drop you off at your hotel. You can book a round trip to take you back to the airport after the tour. Book FlyBus online:
1. Visit https://www.re.is/flybus
2. Choose the FlyBus+ service which will ask for your hotel information.
3. Pay online.
The adventure truly begins as we board a specialized, comfortable bus, and set off on our journey along the South Coast. This stretch is one of Iceland’s best photo routes with two of the country’s most famous attractions, the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. The former stands at 63 meters tall and falls in a narrow cascade in front of a cavern; if the path is clear, we will be able to walk behind it and photograph the water from a unique angle. Skógafoss has no cavern behind it (outside of legend, where there is said to be a trove of hidden treasure), but is much more dramatic than Seljalandsfoss.
Though the same height, it is broader and more powerful, thundering to the earth and creating an enormous plume of mist. If the sun is shining, rainbows arch throughout the mist. We continue along the South Coast to the Reynisfjara black-sand-beach for a sunset shoot. This magical stretch of coastline has been voted one of the most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world. The main subjects from Reynisfjara beach are the Reynisdrangar sea-stacks. These two basalt columns rise from the tumultuous ocean, 66 meters tall at the highest point, and are, according to folklore, the petrified remains of two trolls caught in the morning sun trying to pull a ship into shore. You will spend your second night at accommodation in the nearby, charming village of Vík. Overnight Hotel Katla.
Today we continue along the South Coast to Vatnajökull National Park, a vast area that contains many of Iceland’s greatest subjects for photography. You’ll spend several days in this diverse region. You can expect a range of subjects throughout the first part of this day, including lava landscapes, glacier tongues, waterfalls and desert-like stretches of black sands. The second part of the day will be focused on one location in particular, however: the mesmerizing Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Jökulsárlón is often spoken of as ‘the crown jewel of Iceland’s nature’, due to its unreal beauty. Here, vividly blue icebergs break from the retreating glacier tongue Breiðamerkurjökull, some towering high above the water, and slowly cruise across the lake towards the ocean. Each one is unique and makes for a fascinating subject. Many seals call the lagoon home, and can be photographed either swimming in the azure water or hauling out on the ice. Adjacent to Jökulsárlón is Diamond Beach, named as such for the fact the icebergs wash up on the black sand. Photographing the contrasts between the ice, sand, and surf will result in some beautiful images. We spend the night in the Jökulsárlón area, and will hopefully be able to enjoy a northern lights photography session over the lagoon or beach, conditions allowing. Overnight Hotel Smyrlabjorg.
Sunrise finds us back at Jökulsárlón lagoon to take advantage of the changes under different lighting conditions, after which we head back to Diamond Beach for another shoot there. We spend another night in the Jökulsárlón area, with hopes for a good opportunity to capture the northern lights. Overnight Hotel Smyrlabjorg.
We return to Diamond beach for a sunrise shoot then head further east along Iceland’s South Coast, out of Vatnajökull National Park, to Mt. Vestrahorn on the Stokksnes Peninsula. This is one of Serge’s favorite locations in Iceland, and we soon see why. The dramatic mountain is accented by dark black sand dunes, sea grasses and a picturesque cove/ beach area revealing the quintessential stark, barren and often haunting nature of Iceland’s landscapes. We will stay here through sunset when Vestrahorn becomes shadowy and even more atmospheric. As night falls, we hope once more to capture the northern lights, this time with the mountain as your foreground. If the auroras are dancing when we return to the hotel, we’ll visit Jökulsárlón to capture them. Overnight Hotel Smyrlabjorg.
Today we visit the spectacular Skaftafell Nature Reserve. This area is so beautiful that it was once a National Park in its own right before the newly formed Vatnajökull National Park absorbed it. We’ll spend the majority of the day shooting its many sites including glacier tongues and lagoons, mountains, ice caps, forests, river systems and waterfalls. After capturing the magic of this beautiful reserve, we will head back to the South Coast, returning to Reynisfjara beach for another sunset shoot. As always, we look for the opportunity to capture the northern lights again tonight. Overnight Hotel Katla.
Day seven is your final full day of photography, and you will spend it shooting three of Iceland’s most famous sites: Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Area, and Gullfoss Waterfall, all found the on Golden Circle Route. Þingvellir is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Icelandic mainland and is where the early residents formed their first parliament in 930 AD. While the history of this place is inspiring, the landscapes are our focus. Our subjects here are the valley walls marking the edges of the continents, the lava fields that fill the area from eruptions in centuries past, and the many ravines filled with crystal clear spring water, opened by earthquakes in the area. Iceland’s largest natural lake, Þingvallavatn, is a beautiful subject with its surrounding mountains.
The Geysir geothermal area is our opportunity to photograph Iceland’s seething geothermal activity. The area is dotted with many fumaroles, hot springs and mud-pots, the earth is vividly colored by the elements rising from the crust, and there are mighty geysers on site. We will have plenty of chances to shoot Strokkur, which erupts every five to ten minutes to heights which exceed twenty meters. Our final subject will be one of Iceland’s most recognisable and renowned sites: Gullfoss waterfall. This incredible feature, the name of which translates to the ‘Golden Waterfall’, is immensely powerful, thundering in two tiers into a dramatic, ancient canyon. There are several platforms from which we can photograph the waterfall’s ominous strength. When the sun is shining, we can capture the colorful rainbows dancing in the spray. Returning to Reykjavík we celebrate the amazing images we captured and new friends made at our Farewell Dinner. Overnight Fosshotel Reykjavik.
Departure day 🛫
Again, we recommend using the FlyBus Plus.
Dates: September 12-19, 2023.
Guide: Top Icelandic photo tour guide.
Vehicle: 4WD Sprinter accommodates guide/ driver, and 12-16 people.
Meals: Welcome dinner and farewell dinner, plus breakfast daily. All other meals are the responsibility of the participants.
Deposit: $2,500 deposit fully refundable up to 60 days prior to workshop.
Participants: workshop is limited to 12-16 participants.
Reserve your space now because there is a lot of demand. See you in Iceland my friend!
~ Serge Ramelli
Fully refundable deposits up to 60 days prior to the workshop. Deposit to secure your spot for the workshop is $2,500. Total price per ticket is $8,500 for single rooms and $7,500 for shared rooms. You will be billed for the remaining balance as we near the workshop date in September of 2023.
The fee for the whole workshop is $8,000 per person, which includes:
Additional meals, flight tickets and additional nights in the hotel are at your expense.
You will pay a reservation of $2,500 to secure your spot in the workshop and pay the remaining balance of $6,000 as we near the workshop in September 2023.
This is a fully refundable deposit up to 60 days prior to the workshop. The deposit is to secure your spot with hotel and workshop.
Now that we have covered the technical part, let’s go over what to wear. The weather in Iceland can get quite cold with an average temperature of 8.5C or 47F so dress warm and wear layers!
Trust me when I say the views and photos are worth the bit of cold ;)
I accept all level of experience in photography, but just make sure you have the gear needed; otherwise it will be no fun for you. If you are missing a lens or a ND filter don’t worry about it!
If you have more questions regarding the workshop contact us.
If you would like to reach me directly you can send me an email at [email protected]
The first 5 participants could bring their spouse for an additional charge of $1,000. However, at this moment, this option is already sold out.
*Fully refundable deposit up to 60 days before workshop. Full price for the package is $8,500 for single room. Full price for shared rooms $7,500 Please see details below.
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