Photophys.com: The Science of Photography

Iceland is only about five hours from New York, and probably offers the greatest scenic diversity in the world for an area only about the size of West Virginia. I heartily recommend Iceland for interesting vacations and wonderful nature photography. We visited Iceland in 2006 and took the Ring Rider road trip that was offered by Iceland Air. That included a car and “farm stays” spaced around the island. We saw magnificent waterfalls, geothermal areas, an arctic lagoon filled with ice bergs, and a variety of arctic birds. On top of that, there is European history dating from 870 CE, and ancient Nordic myths in the form of sagas.

Needless to say, the photographic opportunities were great. I was equipped with a Canon 10D camera with 17-40mm, 28-135mm, and 70-300mm lenses. Backup was provided by a Canon S80 camera. That turned out to be adequate, though at times a bit more reach would have helped. Some of my photos from the Ring Rider trip from can be found here. I was able to photograph almost everything I expected, except we were never able to get close to puffins.

The big movie studios certainly have not ignored Iceland. In addition to films of Islandic origin, a couple of James Bond movies made use of the glacial lagoon, the first scene of Prometheus (2012) was filmed at Dettifoss waterfall, and Tom Cruise is currently filming Oblivion. If you are tempted to visit and photograph Iceland, note that most people you will encounter speak English in addition to Old Norse; and you get to drive on the right side of the road.

The self-guided tour is ideal for photographers, and photographic workshops are also available. However, there are a number of other tours that are considerably less expensive than photographic workshops, and they offer convenience. One of the largest operators is OAT. I have not tried their tours, but some of my friends reported very successful trips.

Our 2006 trip was wonderful, and I recommend that package. However, we missed seeing the western coast and in particular the West Fjords, and ever since 2006 we have contemplated a return to Iceland to fill in the gaps. 2012 turned out to be the year, and after much deliberation, we decided to go with Betchart Expeditions, a California outfit that runs tours for the scientific societies AAAS and Sigma Xi. The main reason for this choice was their itinerary which included the Snaefellsness Peninsula and the West Fjords.

Like most tours of Iceland this one started with the Golden Triangle of sights near Reykjavik. We had been there, but it was only one day. Also, it gave us a chance to compare the guided tour with the self-guided experience. Here it became obvious that photographers with tripods would not have time to set up for the photographs they wanted to take. Later in the tour that would not always be a problem, but often the most important stops would not be allotted enough time for photographers. In guided tours of Costa Rica with birders and a tour of the Galapagos with a small boat, the time restrictions were not much of a problem; but a tour by bus puts more pressure on time.

From my point of view the most successful parts of the trip were the following:

1. Boat tour for bird watching in Breidafjordur Bay.

2. Stay at Flatey Island that permitted early morning hikes and bird watching.

3. The Latrabjarg Bird Cliffs, though time was too limited.

4. Whale watching from a boat near Husavik.

This time I was equipped with Canon 7D and 60D cameras with 10-22mm, 15-85mm, and 100-400mm lenses and a Canon S100 in my pocket. I had a monopod and a light Slik Sprint Pro travel tripod with a Giottos ball head. One problem was that the Acratech clamp from the monopod fell off and was lost, so I made out with the tripod. I got no use from the 10-22mm lens; and, in fact, had little time for landscape photography. I had expected to do some slow shutter photography with ND filers and some time lapse work, but that didn’t pan out.

One warning is in order. Iceland Air permits only 6 kg (13 lbs) in carry-on luggage. There may be ways for photographers to get special permits, but most of us are stuck with these limits. My cameras, lenses, and a few filters in a Think Tank Sling-O-Matic 20 shoulder bag weighed in at 14 lbs and was permitted by inspection without weighing it. I was helped considerably by a Big Pockets vest that could even hold my 100-400mm lens if necessary.

For some examples of my work take a look at late evening in Reykjavik, a shag from a boat, a red-necked phalarope on Flatey Island, and a puffin at Latrabjarg. More samples can be found here.

@2012 Charles S. Johnson, Jr.