Non UK Iceland

N

naveen.nag

Messages
214
Name
Naveen
Edit My Images
No
Hi everyone,

I am going to Iceland next week for 4 days. I am traveling alone but booked the sight seeing trips on each day covering the main attractions.

Hopefully it will be a good trip for photography.

Any tips or info on:
things to carry
Must do recommendations
What is the Weather like?

Looking forward to replies.

Naveen
 
Where are you staying? Distances are pretty huge so what looks like a few miles up the road on a map can easily be 3 or 4 hours drive, especially with the Icelandic weather which is extremely changeable!

I mainly used my 24-120 f/4 on a D750 but swapped to an 8mm fisheye for some Aurora shots as well as a 14mm f/2.8 for some other astro stuff. Used the 70-300 a few times for reindeer. A good, sturdy tripod is a must and even that might need holding down in the force 8+ breeze!

WHEN we go back, we'll revisit Vik and the ice lagoon and will do as much as possible on our way round the ring road. Geysir is pretty busy during the day, as are many of the popular sights/sites but when the coach trips depart, you can get some clear shots.

The weather is variable in the extreme, going from relatively still and sunny to a blizzard with 2-3 metres of visibility and back in minutes.

Don't forget to use your Mk 1 eyeballs as well as your camera - Mrs Nod isn't a photographer but got as much enjoyment from the trip as I did.
 
I would guess that November will be similar to March; changeable! When it's windy, it's WINDY! I'm a large gentleman and could lean into the wind like we used to as kids. Not great for photography but fun!

Taken less than 2 hours apart, the waterfall at 12:41 and the bollard/cleat at 14:25.
DSCF0100.jpg

DSCF4161.jpg
 
I'm guessing as you're going for a limited length of time, and mention that you have an activity booked each day, you have either a single base hotel, or a car, and a plan of what you're doing and when?

It's no good suggesting whale watching in Akureyri if you're based out of Selfoss in the Golden Circle, or Jokulsarlon, if you're based in Reykjavik with no car.

The weather changes by the hour, day, minute. It can be glorious sunshine in one spot, 10km up the road it can be blizzard conditions. FYI, October was the warmest on record for the country and form what I can tell, they're still waiting for any substantial snowfall. That said, having seen images of the snow in the UK, this could change very quickly.

To give you an idea of my 4 day itinerary over Christmas;

Day 1 - Golden Circle - Gulfoss, Geyser, Thingvellir, Fludir (best tomato soup in the world)
Day 2 - Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Vik and a couple of other locations along the coast
Day 3 - Golden Circle (if we missed anything)
Day 4 - Reykjavik, Reykjanes Penninsula and Blue Lagoon

We fly in on day 0, but arrive late in the afternoon, and then fly out 7am on day 5, so effectively four full days. This will be my fourth trip in the past two years and it's a family Christmas holiday as we're there from 22nd-27th December, so it will be light photography, mainly sightseeing, depending on the condition of the roads.
 
I would have suggested much of the above anyway, ensure you get some shots of the black sand volcanic beaches. They are wonderfully weird!
Whale watching is also an option, but perhaps less tours operating this time of year.

Enjoy it, its a cool place to be.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top