How to take photos in Iceland: Pro tips for stunning shots
Iceland is a beautiful country with a very unique landscape that just begs for you to take a photo. I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen a bad photo of Iceland. You might be saying to yourself, “but hey, I’m not a professional photographer, how can I take the best photos with the camera I have?” In this article, I’ll explain some tips to help take a great photo in Iceland, with any camera. You don’t need any experience or a professional camera. A cell phone will do. We want you to go to Iceland (or any other place really) and feel like you captured it in a way that brings back all the excitement you felt while you were there.
It’s all in the plan
First things first, you’ve got to know where you’re going when you arrive on Icelandic soil. Having a plan written down of where you’re going to go and on which days is going to help big time. I would not suggest winging it, there’s too much to see and do! Don’t just look into what places you want to go to, look at what times these locations are most busy. We wanted to see the Blue Lagoon, but wanted to photograph it as empty as possible. So we arrived before the doors opened, and were waiting first in line - first into the lagoon meant it was totally empty creating really cool images.
Iceland is divided into 8 regions: Capital Region, Southern Peninsula, West, Westfjords, Northwest, Northeast, East and South. Most people will fly into Reykjavik in the Capitol Region, this is such a fun and colorful city to explore so it’s worth checking it out. If you don’t have much time we’d suggest staying on the East side of the island, this is where the very popular Golden Circle is. This is a great start to your photography plan, the drive can be done in a day and includes Thingvellir National Park, Geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss waterfall.
You can either jump on a tour that drives you around the Golden Circle or rent a car and take your own self-drive tour. We suggest renting a car, driving in Iceland is very easy, the roads are pretty good and there is no such thing as traffic. Tours will take you to the main tourist hotspots, but some of the best images we got on our trip were taken simply by pulling over on the side of the road. There is no ugly place to stop in Iceland, from amazing Icelandic horses to a waterfall or glacier around very corner.
Whale watching is huge in Iceland, and a tour can give you access to photograph these amazing creatures. You can get tours from the Capitol region, or you can go to Húsavík In the north. Húsavík is considered one of the best places because the variety of whales that come to that area - we saw quite a few! If you have the time to drive North for this adventure we’d highly recommend it.
To the South of the island there are some cool spots and glaciers to see. One of our favorite place to stop in the South was Diamond Beach. Big chunks of the glacier break off and travel down stream to the ocean where they get washed up on the beach looking like huge diamonds on the black sand - you can certainly get some more creative images here.
Some of our favorite places were:
The Abandoned DC Plane on Sólheimasandur, Húsavík, Diamond Beach, Blue lagoon, Thingvellir National park, The Black Church of Budir on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Kirkjufell, just to name a few.
Must-Have’s for Iceland
I’m going to preface this with my recommendations are geared around taking as little as possible, so you can get the most fun out of your adventure. No one wants to carry heavy stuff for miles and miles on a hike. These are some items you might not have thought of, but are super helpful in Iceland.
Cell Phone Case
Whatever phone you have, you might want to invest into an underwater or waterproof case for it. There’s plenty of blowback from waterfalls, rain, and ice. Note on cell phone cases - make sure you clean the phone camera lens before you put the case on!
Dry Bag
If you’re bringing your DSLR with multiple lenses, you might want to invest in a dry bag for your equipment. Let’s say you want to go ice climbing or caving, you won’t be able to hold onto your camera the whole time (because you’ll need your hands), plus it’s a great place to keep spare batteries, extra lenses, or just a clean lens cloth for wiping condensation off of your lenses. This bag can get heavy quick when you’re walking long distances or doing some serious adventuring, so try to keep things at a minimum so you can still have fun.
Offline Maps
Internet can be on an off if you’re driving around Iceland. We suggest downloading an offline map of where you’re headed to each day, that way you’re not wasting time getting lost in the internet dead zones.
Plastic Zipper Bags
This is also a great way to keep extra cards and batteries dry just incase you get caught in a rainstorm or get a little too close to a waterfall. In a pinch, if you need to cover your camera from the elements, you can always use it to put your camera in by poking a hole for the lens to see out of while keeping the rest of your gear dry.
Raincoat, Layers and an Extra Pair of Shoes/Socks
No matter what time of year you go to Iceland the weather is unpredictable. I felt like I spent the whole time in lots of layers and a raincoat was a must. So first, you need to pack a raincoat. Then, pack some layers and an extra pair of shoes and stocks. No one wants wet feet.
Simple Tips for Taking Great Photos in Iceland
Now that you’re all ready, let’s get to those tips we promised for taking great photos even if you’re not a professional:
Tip #1: Rule of Thirds.
Divide your image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Place key elements along these lines. On most phones they have a grid function you can put on that will help. Your image immediately looks more interesting if you put the subject to the left or the right of the frame, rather than right in the middle. It’s also pretty fun to go extreme here too, cropping the subject in a unique way.
Tip #2: Leading Lines.
When taking a phone, there are natural lines that will show up. You can use those lines to guide the viewer where you want them to look first. For example, if you’re photographing a road and the lines are leading to the horizon, you’ll look right where they are pointing. Sometimes it’s a river, sometimes it’s actual lines like tracks or road lines.
Tip #3: Angles.
I’m short, but I like to get even lower to get something different. Sometimes looking up at something magnificent makes it feel even bigger and more magnificent. But I also like to get as high up as I can go too, I’m a huge fan of overhead shots. You can even get a little creative and throw in some dutch angles where you’ve tilted the camera a bit making it slightly off level.
Tip #4: Clean your lens!
This probably should have been the first thing. But half way through reading this list, you probably smudged your camera lens anyway just by holding your phone. If it’s not clean, it can give you some unwanted effects with light and it won’t give you the best image. It’s a simple one, but sometimes you just forget.
Tip #5: Lightroom (App or Desktop)
The Lightroom app for the iPhone or desktop are super powerful tools. It gives you loads of creative control over the editing of your images.
Now you know some great tips and gear to make taking photos in Iceland a breeze. Now get out there, put your raincoat on and go.
90 seconds of Iceland
Our personal advice for traveling in Iceland!
Stop at every gas station not just for gas, but to pee. You never know when you’re going to find a restroom.
Gas station food in Iceland is pretty good, and cheaper than restaurants, so is a good way to stay on budget.
Careful for suicidal birds, they seem to fly towards your windscreen without a care in the world.
Every hour of the day feels like 30 mins, plan for a 12-13 hour day.
Drink the water, it’s great.
Take a drone. If you dont have one, buy one!
Waterproof everything.
Again, layers, layers, and layers.
Don’t try and pronounce anything, you can’t.
