Best Aurora Lens - Iceland Trip

Hi everyone,

I am off to Iceland in 2 weeks and am hoping to see some Auroras. Most of the trip will be landscapes and waterfalls with the occasional hot springs to keep my wife happy.

I am pretty confident in my kit of:

• 5DIV
• 16-35 f/4 IS
• 24-70 II
• debating between 70-300 L (size) or 100-400 II (common filter size, more reach)

But, I am probably going to rent a lens on the off chance I can see Auroras. My general inclination is something like the Sigma 20 f/1.4 (despite the coma) or the very large and heave Sigma 14 f/1.8 art. But, I am wondering if there are any other lenses that people would recommend or modifications to the kit I am thinking of above (TSE 24? 50 Art?, some rental?).

Thanks,
Brant

When we visited Banff last winter I rented the Sigma 14 1.4. It performed flawlewssly, despite this being the first time I attempted night sky photography (the lens made me look better than my abilities). Yes the 14m is heavy and large but in my opinion well worth carrying around. Since then, I've been strongly considering purchasing the Sigma 14mm or the Sigma 20 1.4 (I see good deals on the 20mm often) for myself. However, I can find very little information about the 20mm so it is difficult to find real world comparisons of the two lenses.

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Originally Posted by Always Looking

When we visited Banff last winter I rented the Sigma 14 1.4. It performed flawlewssly, despite this being the first time I attempted night sky photography (the lens made me look better than my abilities). Yes the 14m is heavy and large but in my opinion well worth carrying around. Since then, I've been strongly considering purchasing the Sigma 14mm or the Sigma 20 1.4 (I see good deals on the 20mm often) for myself. However, I can find very little information about the 20mm so it is difficult to find real world comparisons of the two lenses.

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I rented the Sigma 14 f/1.8 for a trip to Zion in 2017. Great lens. I did side by side comparisons to my Rokinon f/2.8, which performed well especially considering its price point. But side-by-side comparisons, the distortion difference is significant, having an extra stop of light does help with shutterspeed or ISO, and I do like having all of my EXIF data.

Regarding comparisons, Bryan does have reviews and comparisons, for example, comparing the 14 f/1.8 to the 20 f/1.4 at f/2. Then lenstip and ephotozine also have reviews.

If you buy me a ticket to come along, I'll let you use my gear for free! :rolleyes:
But if you insist on renting, I'd really suggest a 14 mm of some variety. When you are that far north, the aurora comes in right over your head and is all around you. So the wider the angle, the better. I did okay with my 14 f/2.8 prime in Yellowknife (see below). For this one I only needed a 3 second exposure at ISO 2000, but granted it was a pretty good show that night so the aurora was brighter than average. The downside to a UWA lens is the keystoning as you tilt upwards (notice the trees are angled inwards). But in Iceland you don't have trees to worry about so this effect should be less noticeable.
Have a great trip!

https://photos.smugmug.com/Nature/No...5DIV9555-L.jpg

From my experience shooting auroras past years. Currently i mostly only use Sigma 14mm F/1.8 true performer on my eos 5div. Irix 15mm f/2.4 is also really good even its bit darker F wise. Also the new version of the samyan/rokinnon 14mm f/2.4 xp is told to be quite sharp. Sigma 20mm art 1.4 is also really good, bit easily gets frosted/foggy but little heat on it does the trick.

This is taken with sigma 14mm.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4865/...61c2d7b8_k.jpgOctober lights by Kasaari, on Flickr

Since i mostly shoot here in sw part of finland i rarely get auroras like that one on the picture. I usually use something like 1-4s and f/1.8 iso varying from 2000-5000, yes i use rather different isos than the native ones =)

Obviously there is a lot to see and do in Iceland, so if I do not get an aurora picture, not all will be lost. Looking specifically at aurora photography, I will be dealing with a near full moon for most of the trip (March 18-23) and long term aurora forecasts are not predicting a great amount of activity. I could have picked a better week for the moon as I hear 1/4 moon is ideal (some light on foreground while not blowing out the aurora). But I did target March vs other times we were thinking about to give us a chance.

So, I am leaning toward renting the Sigma 14 f/1.8 Art for a second time. Looking at ebay, I could pick up a Sigma 20 f/1.4 for ~$500 (guessing that is where the bids will end up), and there is a Zeiss 25 f/2 on B&H for ~$700. I am also kicking around the idea of the Sigma 12-24 f/2.8 Art, which would be a rental.

But, out of those lenses, the Sigma 14 f/1.8 seems like the best fit. Especially with the moon, f/2.8 would likely work, but with f/1.8 I should be able to play with shutter or decrease ISO.

Let me know if there are any other thoughts. I'll likely place my order in the next day or so.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Hey Brant; I don't have any specific input regarding your question on aurora lenses, but we were in Iceland a few year ago. Knowing your affinity for waterfall photos I'm sure you'll have a great time in Iceland! (And some great hot springs to keep your wife happy :) I'm sure you've done your research, but make sure you don't just stay in Reykjavik: there is a lot to see outside the city area.

Stephen

I was just looking at those aurora shots. Wow... I'll be beyond ecstatic if I get anything close to those. Just keep telling myself, bad forecast...all about luck....

Ok...

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Originally Posted by NFLD Stephen

Hey Brant; I don't have any specific input regarding your question on aurora lenses, but we were in Iceland a few year ago. Knowing your affinity for waterfall photos I'm sure you'll have a great time in Iceland! (And some great hot springs to keep your wife happy :) I'm sure you've done your research, but make sure you don't just stay in Reykjavik: there is a lot to see outside the city area.

Stephen

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Thanks Stephen. Actually, it is the opposite direction we are debating; are we going to visit Reykjavik at all or just drive past? Thoughts?

As for our trip, ummm….I just counted, I have 16 waterfalls identified.....and our second hotel in south Iceland might be within 20 minutes of both Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss..... :cool:

Reykjavik is a nice enough town, but my personal thought is that if you're there for the landscape then why go to the city. We spent a couple nights there and that was enough, I think we'd bypass altogether next time.

Only 16 identified? You must be skipping some to spare your wife :p
Both falls you mention were nice while we were there. Almost constant rainbows at Skogafoss with the very high volume of water and mist. I'd be interested to see what they are like in winter with all the ice. Very easy access for both; right alongside the ring road. How far south/east do you plan to go? We found Vik to be a nice town and a good base for southern Iceland.

Hey Stephen,

Ha!....I know, I know....always thinking of others :rolleyes:.

But, seriously, if you have some you would recommend, let me know.

We will make it to see Vik. Our plan is actually to make it all the way to Hofn on a day where we get up early and get back late. Most other days are more normal. But Hofn, weather permitting, is the furthest we plan to make it.

Generally, our plan is:

• Day 1 (after landing on redeye): Blue lagoon, meandering up West Iceland, seeing Hraunfossar and Barnafoss
• Day 2: Saefellsnes Peninsula including Kirkjufellfoss
• Day 3: Golden circle with Porufoss, Oxararfoss, Bruarfoss, and Gullfoss
• Day 4: South coast with Seljaolandsfoss, Gljufrabui, Klogafoss, Kvernufoss, Vik (and beaches/sea stacks)
• Day 5: Southeast coast, mostly about Diamond beach, Jokulsarlon, Hofn, glacier tour but may pick up Svartifoss, Magnusarfoss, Foss a Sidu, and Hundafoss
• Day 6: Second chance at Skogafoss and Seljaolandsfoss, fly home

Now, if this was with my friend that I do a waterfall weekend with each year....it would be a different trip. But, instead, good hotels, good restaurants, hot springs, etc are identified.

Again, any tips or other waterfalls would be great.

Thanks,
Brant

A little hint regardin auroras.....stop looking only KP numbers, once i stopped that i have seen wayyyy more auroras. Also spring solistice or what ever that is english is 20.3 this mean week befora and afret even a slight activity can give quite nice shows. Here is one good english speaking site to see what is coming in northern europe and covers iceland too.

https://www.virmalised.ee/aurora-alerts/

Basically the bigger the speed and more red bz is you are good =) and the oval image naturally helps

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Originally Posted by Karsaa

A little hint regardin auroras.....stop looking only KP numbers, once i stopped that i have seen wayyyy more auroras. Also spring solistice or what ever that is english is 20.3 this mean week befora and afret even a slight activity can give quite nice shows. Here is one good english speaking site to see what is coming in northern europe and covers iceland too.

https://www.virmalised.ee/aurora-alerts/

Basically the bigger the speed and more red bz is you are good =) and the oval image naturally helps

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Thanks...and looking at the live aurora cams, there are aurora's right now from Sweden to Iceland, even though it is only KP2. I was also wondering how late I would have to stay up to see auroras...willing to jeopardize the next day's activities....but, it is only 8:30 pm in Iceland right now and checked two live cams both of which showed auroras.

:cool:

Just ordered (rental) the Sigma 14 mm f/1.8.

basically kp1 show auroras in norhern finland and iceland. But that is more to show how deep south is possible to see them. Last night there was cme in sun which if direction is right is going to launch little show in earth, hopefully.

Many of my photographer friends have said that ...went to iceland see auroras...no luck since iceland is notorious of the weather bein cloudy....but go northern finland (utsjoki area example) and you have much higher chances =)

:)

Sure, I could add Northern Finland to my list of places I need to go. How are the waterfalls? Bears (polar or brown)? Epic salmon fishing? What time would you recommend coming over?

As for Iceland, I am treating auroras as a bonus. Ultimately, vacation is a state of mind and a chance to see something new and different. It has been on my list for awhile and I am excited to check it out. If the waterfalls are ugly (iced over), if no auroras....if cloudy/rainy/snowy weather...etc. I'll still have a good time. Its all a bonus.

Okay...I have followed this thread from the start and was anxiously waiting for some time to reply. I think your call on the Sigma lens is a good one.
My girlfriend, a good friend and me were visiting Iceland for 10 days exactly a year ago. We drove around the entire island using the ring road and I have learned a few things that I would take into concideration for a next visit.

First of all, it is an island with a landscape that I've never seen before. It is really amazing.

• Make sure you have a good kit of clothing. Iceland isn't actually that cold I think, but the wind and rain can make it feel like it's freezing a lot harder than the thermometer says it does. Wind and waterproof clothing are a must. I had Goretex shoes, wind and waterresistant pants and I had a jacket that was waterproof till 25K. I even coated the jacket again before going to be sure. Anyways, my shoes(high hiking model) were about 2-3 years old and I found out that they weren't waterproof around the edges of the toe, so basically I got wet feet. The jacket worked great, but not on the places where my backpack pressed onto my shoulders and eventually my jack wasn't as waterproof as I hoped. Luckily this happened a few days before we went back home, otherwise I would have bought some new Icelandic local waterproof stuff.
• The same counts for your camera gear. Even though I used "pro" stuff with weathersealing, my 70-200 F4L IS got some condensation behind the front element and focal display. Also my 5Ds's topdisplay became humid. The humidity was extreme and long periods walking in the rain aren't doing your gear good, the weathersealing will fail at some point if you're unlucky. An extra plastic sleave or something is recommended (and cheap).
• There is not much I can tell about the weather. We had dry weather up North, but snowy. Wet weather on the East. And a mix of wet and sunny days in the South. There's nothing more unpredictable than the Icelandic weather(you'll most probably fail too predict the weather
  using your local(home) experience). Good thing is that Iceland offers really good(and frequently updated) weather and road information. Use them! As said, the road information is really good. It warns for ice patches on the road, road closures, and even for closed hiking routes and Ice cave information. In our situation the amount of rain caused a few very popular hiking routes to be closed down because of the mud and als the ice caves were getting unstable at some point.
• We rented a 2 wheel drive car. Pretty much everyone else drives 4x4's. We got stuck twice in the north. Once when we drove onto a parking lot near the side of the road. The road was made free of snow, the parkinglot wasn't. Took about 10 minutes of digging with our hands. And one time when we had to park our car next to our cabin which we had to reach by going of a steap snowy ramp. Driving backwards with 1 person on the hood of the car did the trick eventually.
• Every car I've seen had spiked tires. The rental companies try to sell you some sort of all risk insurance for sandstorms when you get to the airport. If you watch the weather-forecast carefully I highly doubt that you'll get into such situation. Especially since the wintertime is also quite wet. In our case the car rental would become twice as expensive as is was, so we decided to take the risk. Anyway take some good photos of the car when you rent it. Decide for yourself what you want, I'm just telling this so the car renting company can't take you by surprise. Which they will absolutely do.

I'll see if I can come up with some more tips and location...hopefully I'll have some time tomorrow. This is also a good motivator to finally start to sort out the photos of the trip :rolleyes:

As for lenses. I took the 16-35 F4 L IS and 70-200 F4L IS
I took 988 photos total.
660 with the 16-35, 299 photos at 16mm, 208 photos at 35mm, the remaining part somewhere in between
228 with the 70-200, 111 photos at 70mm, 78 at 200mm, the remaining part somewhere in between
I do have to admit that I take quite some multi exposure shots, so interpret this information in whatever way you want :p

Enjoy your trip in Iceland!

Thanks Jan.

I've tried to focus on good clothing. We both have some version (Goretex, eVent, etc) of breathable/waterproof boots, pants, and jackets. As the jackets we had are more intended for summer, we actually picked up these very loose fitting "froggtogg" jackets that are supposedly waterproof. They are like a Tyvek. But, they are very lightweight and can go on over a heavy coat and are backups, so, even if only ok, I am good with it we always have the originals. Also, ice trekkers for the boots.

Water inside the camera? TDP doesn't have the stunned emoji I want to use. I'll definitely throw in some extra ziplocks and trash bags. I have a ruggard rain shields, but those are more aimed at bigger lenses, ok...just ordered 2 of the smaller rain shields. But, it sounds as if I'll need to let me camera acclimate inside a ziplock/trashbag.

Went the SUV route on the car rental. And, one of the only times in my life, picked up the "recommended" insurance from expedia even though I'll have coverage through my credit card and my actual auto insurance. But, we'll be sure to photograph the car. I hadn't heard about sand storms and am planning on declining insurance offered at the counter in Iceland.

Can't wait to see some of your pictures and any suggested locations would be great.

Thanks again...Brant

Okay...now that I've browsed through my photos I remember that we called it the Black and White Island. I must admit that we weren't very lucky with the weather most of the time. However there's still something magical about the place, even with bad weather.

Most touristic places are pretty much next to the road. If you go a little further you might be surprised by the beauty around the corner.

A quick selection:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7801/...1cc545e6_c.jpg
Iceland overview by Jan Paalman, on Flickr

So basically:

1. Some random boat in a place in the East/South East, still have to check Google Maps and try to pinpoint my photos to the right location
2. A beach near Vik I believe. Black sand/grind, seriously heavy wind and rain. Do watch out for sneaker waves! It's like waves in Iceland don't follow rythm :p
3. Same as 2
4. Diamond beach...again bad weather. Only small Ice Blocks and loads of tourists. At the other side of the road is the glacier lake (Jökulsárlón) where all the big icebergs are drifting. I personally found it more interesting. But this really depends on the weather and tides I guess.
5. Svartifoss, I really enjoyed the hike to this waterfall. It's a one of a kind waterfall. Hard to take decent photos though. It's high and not that wide.
6. Strokkur/Geysir, part of the Golden Circle. We had great weather this day, loads of wind though. It doesn't get more touristic as the Golden Circle, but still I enjoyed it quite a bit. Seeing a geysir is something really cool. Also Gulfoss is amazing, I loved it. All of the Golden Circle stuff is next to the road. You barely have to walk.
7. ^
8. ^
9. Some church we spotted somewhere down the road during the Golden Circle trip.
10. Pingvellir national park. I quite enjoyed walking around here. The area is really beautiful. There's also a nice "small" waterfall and there's some Icelandic cultural history. You can also scuba dive here :rolleyes: the water is crystal clear.
11. The Kerid crater. Some go here during the Golden Circle trip. It's next to the road. It's an old vulcano crater filled with water with ice on it. I thought is was a great sight.
12. First encounter of Northern Lights, somewhere in the South.
13. A little later during the night at our apartment next to this farm. It was quite cloudy unfortunately, but we definitely had our first real experience with Northern light. We also checked Seljalandsfoss at about 2300h. You would be amazed how many other tourists try to take photos of the Northern lights at touristic hotspots. Unfortunately the waterfall is being lit by (too strong) lights. There's a very difficult contrast to take good shots (at least in our case)
14. This is actually at Skogafoss...well...sort of. Skogafoss at ground level is very crowded with tourists, a nice view though. However if you climb the ladders to the top of the waterfall the amount of tourists shrinks down already. Up top is cool. However if you take some time you can hike really well from the top, following the river upstream. Lots of rapids and waterfalls in a valley like scenery. I personally think this was absolutely worth it. Muddy though in our case.
15. This was also an unforgettable day. Just before sunset I checked a map and saw this road that would lead to the feet of a glacier. We decided to drive into a road and had a little walk. We came at this glacier and could walk straight into and onto it. It was amazing. It makes you feel really small. Be careful though. My friend and I followed two other tourists taking photos between the ice in the glacier. I took some photos of my friend, then looked upward and questioned the stability of a big chunck of ice (about 2 sq Meters I reckon). We decided to get away there. Another couple were about to come to the same place when we were just leaving there. I told them my concerns and they decided not to go further. Five minutes later we walked about 100m further on the glacier when we heard a big crash. The ice chunck actually fell down, the glacier looked completely different. I don't my friend or the first couple would have survived it if it happended when they were standing there. Watching from "higher" ground is a "pro" tip:o Name of the glacier: Sólheimajokull, at the end of road 221 is a parking place.
16. Solheimasandur, the crashed DC3 Planewreck. Also a very touristic spot. Unfortunately we had bad weather again. It's a boring walk of about 40 minutes over a gravel road. Perhaps the view is better when the weather is good. My father took me to every airshow in the area when I was young, so this one took my attention. I really wanted to go. Afterwards I don't think it was worth it walking to in bad weather. I reckon that this will be a hotspot for Northern Lights photography as well.
17. Reykjadalur. This was the best hike we did. It was extremely muddy, knee deep at some parts, but with really good views. At the end you come at this hot spring creek where you can take of your clothes and take a nice warm bath in nature. There's also quite some geo activity to take photos of. Normally it's an hour walk, I believe we did it in almost 2,5 hours with photo stops. When we were almost back at the car there were some American girls who started the hike on sandals...we tried to explain it was a long hike, but they thought they could do it faster by running. Never heard of them again :p
18. This was one of the views on our way back from the creek.

Well... I just have to add this photo in big format...just check the size of the people in the photo. And the guy is actually taking photos of the chunck of ice that later fell of. It's about 5-6 body lengths to the left of him.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7837/...73618764_c.jpg
Solheimajokull by Jan Paalman, on Flickr

Great pics Jan!

I have to agree: Iceland is a place like no other I've been to. Sometimes cold and bleak, but a strange kind of beauty.

Our trip a few years ago was in late august / early September, so very different weather conditions. But for what it's worth I have a few uploaded to flickr here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskgeczwP

For particular recommendations, take a look at Fjardrargljufur in southern iceland. Very interesting river canyon just a short drive from the ring road, though I'm not sure what it would be like in winter. A drive around the Reykjanes peninsula is worth it too. Obviously this is where the airport is so you'll see some of it regardless and it's home to the Blue Lagoon which everyone seems to make a pilgramage to. But there is also some other great geothermal activity in the area and awesome colored water and moss covered volcanic rock (again, not sure what it's like in winter). There is also a small footbridge here which supposedly runs between the european and north american continental plates.

Stephen

Just heads up if you still in iceland, this evening/night there should be really strong auroras since a quite hefty CME hits earth.

Thanks Kari

Sadly I wrote this from the airport. If I see Northern Lights tonight, they will be from New Hampshire. And, they are actually saying we might be able to see them there.

Iceland was great, but we never did see any auroras.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok. Thanks to everyone for your help.

I am back in New Hampshire having arrived back last night. As I, and maybe others, may refer back to this thread, I wanted to get a few useful tips and resources down while they are fresh in my mind.

First, let me say, I really enjoyed the trip. I feel relaxed, somewhat refreshed, and Iceland is a definite change of scenery. And this may because I do travel a good amount, but it reminded me of different places I've been. What was odd, was to have them all within miles of each other. Parts reminded me of the Icefields parkway in Banff/Jasper National Parks. Parts reminded me of the Seward Inlet in Alaska. Other parts, the badlands in eastern Washington. But, then, parts very distinctively Iceland.

Second, I may have been unlucky with the weather. About 3 weeks leading up to the trip, I started checking on the weather and it was often "Partly Cloudy" with every third or fourth day being a rain/snow event. As the window for my trip approach, every day was Rain/Snow, an indication of some sort of system moving through. So, keep in mind, I may have had a bad weather week. Yet, talking to the locals, bad weather is not uncommon. More so, they thought this had been an atypical March.

So, how bad was the weather. Well, "good" weather oscillated from heavy snow, to rain, to blizzard like conditions and finally to sunny about 5 to 6 times a day. The bad weather, we had gale force winds, hurricane force winds, and roads that were bad enough I found the first safe place to pull over and started adjusting plans. Originally being from Idaho and currently in New Hampshire, I drive snowy, stormy roads all the time.

One of my primary goals was an ice cave tours schedule for Friday. You know that storm that has cause the evacuation of a cruise ship and cargo ship off of Norway on Saturday. I am pretty sure that was moving over Iceland on Friday. My plan was to drive 3 hrs after the tour to our hotel for Friday night. Considering Jokulsarlon is about 6-7 hrs under good conditions to the airport, we did not want to drive the whole thing on Saturday and still catch our flight. I talked to the tour operator twice Friday morning, never said anything, and our hotel, and they never said anything, and both knew our plan. We were at Jokulsarlon and our actual guides eyes bugged out when they heard our plan and they started talking about how we needed to bunk down near there the night as the roads would likely be closed after the tour. As I got them to explain why, they showed me this wind model that showed up to 38 m/s (85 mph) sustained winds (hurricane force) projected for our path for immediately after the tour with the potential for snow. So, we scuttled the Ice Cave tour and headed back immediately through ~20-25 m/s (55 mph) winds. Mind you, this started about 15 miles south of Jokulsarlon and at Jokulsarlon, it was calm. People were flying drones over the lagoon. Sure the surf was up, but the weather was really pleasant where we were when we made the decision. 15 miles south, the winds were enough to be blowing my sideways and causing water in rivers/puddles/etc to fly aerosolize/fly up. Like I said, I am pretty sure this was the same system that is now causing the abandonment of two ships off Norway.

So, that is Iceland.

A few tips:

• First, I am a bit surprised but there seems to be almost this "if you want to kill yourself, we'll let you" attitude. Maybe it is independence? Maybe self sufficience? But I often run my plans by someone at the hotel and usually, if what I am proposing has a problem, they let me know. Here, it was more of "enjoy and good luck."
• Speaking as someone that is a bit aggressive in there plans, next time, I will probably favor multiple hotels and shorter travel distances.
• I may actually rely on tours to get me there and back from something specific. First, this lets you enjoy the scenery, which is amazing. But diesel was ~$7-8/gal, which actually does begin to offset the cost of a tour.
• To help being self sufficient, www.road.is is a great resource. It shows weather, road conditions, and number of cars passing different points in the last 10 min / that day (little car symbol followed by an over under number like 4/125 means 4 cars in the last 10 min, and 125 cars that day).
• www.weather.is is the English version of www.vedur.is and is what locals seem to use. More precisely, they look at the detailed model forecast as weather can be very localized. If you just look at reporting stations, you may miss an issue. That predicted 38 m/s winds? In between weather reporting stations, which peaked at ~22-25 m/s. But weather.is also includes the roads data as well as their own aurora forecast.
• No auroras on my trip, but the link above is great. I also really like Spaceweatherlive and Aurora Pro apps. But, as Kari has pointed out, we had cloud cover every night, which is not that uncommon for Iceland.
• Talking to our hotels, they actually think May is the best combination of good weather and fewer tourists. Peak tourist times tend to be Feb-March (I thought I was shoulder), and June-September.
• There is a bit of a problem in lack of places to pull off the road. As in, the roads are actually very elevated with steep decline, so you can't pull over. You either stop in the middle of the road (which I saw people doing), or you simply do not stop. I watched some epic light on landscapes go by simply because I could not find a place to pull over that I did not consider dangerous.

A few impressions:

• Skogarfoss is more impressive in person than pictures.
• Seljalandsfoss was a bit less than I expected. I didn't get to walk behind it, as that was closed due to ice, but I suspect it is famous because it is the first waterfall you see coming from Reykjavik on Rt 1 in this region, is right off the road, and it photographs from behind the falls well.
• Kirkjufellfoss. Beautiful scene, and remarkably straightforward to photograph. There are about 3 set ups to shoot it from. This was maybe the only time I used my 16-35 lens and shooting from the top of the falls, I could have used wider. Rest of the falls were at 16-18 mm.
• Amazing waterfalls are everywhere. Now that I've seen it, it makes sense, Iceland has all these melting glaciers set atop these basalt/volcanic pedestals. As water cascades off the pedestal, usually you have a waterfall. I actually wonder if many of the famous ones are about access. I saw plenty of great looking waterfalls from a distance behind a farm and a "private road" sign.
• Landscapes in Iceland are underrated, at least from what I have seen online. The landscapes are stunning.

I'll add a few more impressions as I think of them. But, in terms of the trip overall, I am already planning on going back. I have at least 2 trips in mind: One to get my ice cave; and the other, in more of peak season for puffins, whales, and waterfalls with more greenery around them.

Thanks for the comprehensive report! That is really useful information. And it just whets my appetite all the more to get there! Now hurry up and post some more photos please :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jonathan Huyer

Thanks for the comprehensive report! That is really useful information. And it just whets my appetite all the more to get there! Now hurry up and post some more photos please :)

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Ha! Sure....

I am mostly through Day 1, more of a the preliminary cut, but I've process a few of my favorites.

Snaefellsnes Peninsula and Snaefellsjokull National Park:

Along Rt 50 headed to Borgarnes (great lunch at the Settlement Center)
Attachment 2746

Black Church at Budir

Attachment 2747

Stone Arch at Amarstapi:
Attachment 2748

Londranger:
Attachment 2749

A different shot at Svortuloft Lighthouse (btw, road getting here is single lane, potholed, and gravel/dirt for most of it):
Attachment 2750

Looks like uploading I am limited to 5 pics....to finish off the Day 1 tour through the Snaefellsnes Peninsula:

View from Svortuloft Lighthouse:
Attachment 2751

Attachment 2752

Pretty intense wave action. I am not sure of this, but I think the storm that messed with us on Friday was west of Iceland on Tuesday, kicking up the waves.

And..of course, Kirkjufellfoss:

Attachment 2753

Attachment 2754

It is unfortunate, as Kirkjufellfoss was the primary reason for me wanting to see the Snaefellnes Peninsula, but my time here was limited. I had planned to be here at sunset, and arrived 2 hrs early. I started shooting, but different waves of snow blew through while shooting, I had to work around and coordinate with the other photographers, and ultimately had ~30 minutes of shooting before a big enough band of snow came through that it just blotted everything out. I didn't get a panorama from the top of the waterfall, just the single shot above. But, the classic Kirkjufellfoss pic (the second) is amazingly straightforward to shoot.

So, I am still tweaking some of these and you may see them on flickr and maybe the weekly contest, but hopefully this gives anyone going an idea of what is on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. As I said, this is one of the locations I missed some great landscapes simply because there really isn't a shoulder to pull over on the road.

Thanks....Brant

I just want to thank everyone for sharing their images, hear their stories, suggestions, and tips.

And if any or all of you are in Orlando please don't hesitate to let me know I would feel truly honored to have an opportunity to host you and our home and provide you with at least one meal.

Wouldn't stress about the "ones that got away" when you captured scenes like these. Lots of visual horsepower in these images! Thanks for posting them.

Danny

Thanks Danny and Mike...

I thought I'd finish this out....quickly:

Day 2: This is mostly "the Golden circle" that they talk about and hype. It is a main tourist attraction with Thingervill National Park, some waterfalls, and geyser basin.

View while driving to "Golden Circle" (found a pull of spot) still in west Iceland....light isn't great, but...
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Look closely and you can see the wind is pushing waves upstream.

Porufoss:
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Fridheimar. So, Iceland has these geothermally heated greenhouses and actually has a lot of fresh vegetables. This set of greenhouses is part restaurant that specializes in tomato soup and fresh bread. Most ingredients are growing right next to you while you are eating.
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Geysers are named after Geysir in Iceland.
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And...Gullfoss:
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Day 3 - "South Iceland" Main town you'll see is Vik. But there are a number of waterfalls to the west of Vik including the famous Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss. In the summer, there are some great bird sanctuaries (puffins, etc). Also, some seastacks that I didn't really bother photographing due to crowds.

Skogafoss:
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I think this was actually a guide for a photo tour group, but, the "classic" shot from Skogafoss. I asked my wife if she wanted to pose for me and she looked at me like I was nuts for suggesting she get closer to the waterfall.

Church overlooking Vik. This style of church was everywhere. If someone wanted, there could be a great series of images of churches like this from all over Iceland. Interestingly, I am pretty sure I saw some of these on farms. So a few farm owners built their own churches.
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Seljalandsfoss. Famous for its images from behind the waterfall, that is close right now due to ice.
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Gljufrabuifoss. Looking at this and comparing it to other images, I should have gone to my 16-35 lens and shot wider than 24 mm. Granted, it was crowded with everyone wanting to jump on that rock for a selfie. I had to wait in between groups to fire off a few images. But, this is in a little cave. Great experience. 0.5 Km up a flat trail from Seljulandsfoss.
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Day 4 is the day where we were scheduled to to an ice cave tour. The plan was also to see Diamond beach, scout it before the tour, then really set up on it after the tour with, hopefully, better light.

As it stands, I had about 20 minutes at Diamond Beach, scuttled the tour and the second photo shoot at Diamond beach wanting to get back to the hotel before the storm hit and plans to go back someday.

Diamond Beach is where the icebergs from Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon flow to the ocean and then get washed up on the beach slowly melting.

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My processing is getting a bit heavy here as the light was directly overhead (taken around noon), you could see some crystal clear bergs (diamonds) and some that were powerfully blue.
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Noticing all the wave action in the back, I should caution that Iceland warns about rogue waves (they call them sneaker waves) at their beaches. There are a number of drownings each year. At Diamond beach I watched the wave action before getting close, so I had a good idea where they were coming in at, and stayed away from this (more scouting shots)….but even with that, a single large wave did blast in, lift the icebergs up and send them back toward me. Where I had been on dry land, I ended up knee deep in water jumping between icebergs that were starting to float. Everything was fine (even the camera)...but it is pretty easy to see how it could have end differently....so, watch those sneaker waves while on the beaches of Iceland.

So, conceding that this is a flawed image (water drops on the front filter, but it was raining--my wife got a better image on her phone from inside the car), just an example of the landscape in Southeast Iceland.

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Finally...roadside waterfall....
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Ok...done.

Thanks for viewing and staying with me.... I hope this gives you a flavor of the different regions of Iceland I saw....and really I only covered less than half the ring road (Snaefellsnes Peninsula to Jokulsarlon). Lots more to see for someday.

Brant

Great pictures Brant! Thanks for sharing.

Looks like you got some great shots despite (or in some cases because of) the weather. What really strikes me about these is the lack of any real accumulated snow. I know their winters are typically milder than most would anticipate given their northern latitude, but I still would have expected more snow to be on the ground. Interesting.

I finally got around to scrolling through these --- great shots! I also appreciate the stories that went with them. Landscape photography is all about adapting to the circumstances, and you obviously did that very well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NFLD Stephen

Great pictures Brant! Thanks for sharing.

Looks like you got some great shots despite (or in some cases because of) the weather. What really strikes me about these is the lack of any real accumulated snow. I know their winters are typically milder than most would anticipate given their northern latitude, but I still would have expected more snow to be on the ground. Interesting.

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Thanks Stephen!

So, the snow was weird. You could be in a near blizzard...have very little visibility…. but, then next to no accumulation and the sun is shinning.

But, overall, I think this is mostly about how close you are to sea level, which tends to really moderate things. What surprised me was that there were "mini" mountain passes even along the ring road. Gain even 500 ft in elevation and these passes could be ugly; more wind, more snow. Coming back from Kirkjufelfoss on the Snaefellsnes peninsula along Rt 56 was crazy. High winds and white out for stretches of road..rest of the drive was fine. Same right by Vik, but throw in 12% road grade.

But, checking the average weather, at Reykjavik, even in January the temps average 31 to 39 F (-1 to 4 C). So, at sea level, things are going to melt. Gain some elevation and you quickly see more accumulation.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jonathan Huyer

I finally got around to scrolling through these --- great shots! I also appreciate the stories that went with them. Landscape photography is all about adapting to the circumstances, and you obviously did that very well.

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Thanks Jonathan. What's your quote, you could drop your camera and take a good picture ;).

Thank you very much for the photo and the report, very cool passed all the power of nature!