Contents:
Camera Gear
Weather
Food
Clothing
Luggage Guide
Ice Caves
Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
Introduction:
I’m thrilled you have chosen to join in an amazing photography journey and trip of a lifetime to Iceland, one of the premiere landscape photography destinations in the world. The intention of the workshop is to have a great time discovering a new place, to learn and implement technical and artistic technique in photography, and walk away with amazing memories and images.
This document is designed to help you prepare for the upcoming workshop. Please, let me know if you have questions. I want to help everyone feel as relaxed and as excited as possible as we embark on this wonderful adventure together.
Icelandic culture:
Icelandic natives are extremely friendly, helpful and genuine. The area is very safe for travelers. We will be traveling along the South shore of the island. Most areas that we drive through and visit are in rural areas. As we drive to our destination points we will be traveling through small towns from time to time. These are nice stops to use the restroom, grab coffee, snacks and meals when needed. Due to the long-lasting “Golden Hour” light, we have plenty of time to stop when needed.
Camera Gear:
Minimum of one DSLR or mirrorless Camera Body
Wide angle lens (16mm or wider for full frame cameras, approximately 12mm for crop sensor) - 2.8 is very helpful for night and aurora borealis images. This is not required however. F4 will do the trick, but 2.8 or wider will be better.
Mid-range lens (24-70)
Telephoto (70-200)
Reliable Tri-pod with a ball head (Required, snow, sand and wind require a sturdy tripod)
Polarizing filters for both wide angle, and mid-range lenses
ND and Graduated ND Filters
European wall and car electricity converters
Rain sleeve for camera and lens
Battery charger
Extra batteries and memory cards
Laptop (for post processing)
Weather:
In November and December average lows are around 28 degrees Fahrenheit, and highs at approximately 39 degrees Fahrenheit.d Rain is a common occurrence in Iceland so we will want to be well prepared for such events in order to stay comfortable and protect our camera gear in the event that we are shooting in those sorts of conditions. Wind storms can exist on the island and we may need to prepare to be flexible in our shooting agenda and lodging itinerary.
Clothing:
Expect wintery conditions, with temperatures dropping to around 23 at the coldest. It is quite important that you bring a decent amount of synthetic clothing, it is very important to layer adequately. Some cotton is ok, but in the event that we receive rain you will definitely want synthetic layers. Cotton will stay wet and will make you cold. Synthetic clothing dries faster and keeps you relatively warm. Icelanders dress with 3 or 4 thin layers, starting with wool and ending with Gortex (or similar).
What is synthetic clothing? Fleece, nylon, polyester. Even though wool is not synthetic, it will keep you warm even while wet.
To get specific, here is what we recommend bringing:
Fleece pants or long johns
Outdoor hiking pants (not Jeans)
Synthetic rain pants (a light rain pant should be adequate)
One or two fleece tops
Rain jacket and rain pants
Eye protection (sunglasses)
Waterproof Hiking boots
Wool socks
Hat and gloves, scarf and balaclava
T-shirts for underlayers
Spare gloves
Spare shoes
Micro-spikes (for walking on packed snow and icy sections) CLICK HERE FOR PRODUCT
Waterproof boot covers CLICK HERE FOR PRODUCT
Luggage Guide:
6 people will be in one large passenger vehicle so it is important to bring only one medium or large size suitcase, one camera bag and one tripod each.
Ice Caves:
The Ice caves are a natural amazing phenomenon that can change with in days depending on weather conditions, so we never know what to expect, but we always hope for the amazing turquoise blue color. In the past few years Ice cave visits have become very popular, not only by photographers but by all travelers. There are groups going inside the caves from first daylight until darkness daily. This means it’s getting harder for photographers to set up their tripods and photograph to their likings. So taking tours to the Ice caves as we used to do is no longer a good option. We therefore need to hire a local glacier guide half the day that has been scouting and looking for other ice cave options with photographers needs in mind and hope for better cave opportunities. This will involve some more hiking to get to these caves (approximately one mile).
Trip interruption and cancellation insurance:
We strongly recommend taking out trip interruption and cancellation insurance. There are many companies that provide trip interruption or cancellation insurance . We also recommend medical travel insurance, to ensure you are covered for any health issues that occur abroad. Enlighten Photography LLC cannot be responsible for any medical treatment, or cost associated with returning home.
Here are several review sites. We recommend starting with the following sites which contain highly-rated companies:
There are certain companies that continually, year after year, make the top-ten list (in alphabetical order):
***In reviewing, make sure the company is a BBB Accredited business with an A+ rating. As of this update, all four companies above have the coveted A+ rating. Always get a quote and do not decide on price alone. Because selecting the right insurance for you can be confusing, we recommend speaking with an agent to understand the ins and outs of travel and/or travel medical insurance.
