Iceland Photography Adventure 2018 (10.09.2018 - 20.09.2018)

The Trip

Iceland...the Land of Fire and Ice.  It's every landscape photographer's dream to go there at least once in their lifetime.  I've always thought of Iceland as ultimate paradise for landscape photographers where you have  opportunity to photograph countless waterfalls, mountains, fjords, volcanoes, and last but not least, the elusive Aurora Borealis.  

​The trip was meticulously planned back in July 2017.  Several itinerary options were carefully planned to visit as many locations as possible in the whole of Iceland.  To maximize our experience, I've roped in the services of a travel agent who is very familiar with Iceland.  Hours of research was done through website information and sharing of experiences from friends who have been to Iceland, to ensure success of this trip.  The trip date was selected to capitalize on the three public holidays during that period.  

This is my 4th photography trip that I have successfully arranged, after Photography Trip to South Island New Zealand in August 2016 (7 participants), Photography Trip to Bromo, East Java, Indonesia in April 2018 (11 participants) and Family-cum-Photography Trip to North Island, New Zealand in August 2018.
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Participants (L to R):

• Nur Ismail Mohammed, 50 (Tour Leader & lead Photographer)
• Shaari Mat Saod, 56
• Othman Abdullah, 56
• Sheikh Izham Sheikh Razak, 44
• Abdul Rahman "Arman" Haron, 69
• Izzuddin Hanur Harith, 61​
  

Blog

I've included some write-ups on the locations that were visited are (please click on the hyperlink to access my blog pages): Gullfoss, Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Hraunfossar, Reynisjara & Vik, Solheimasandur, Strokkur Geysir, Eldhraun Lava Fields, Fjallsarlon, Jokusarlon, Diamond Beach, Stokksnes Vestrahorn, Godafoss, Hverir, Hvitserkur, Kirkjufellsfoss and Reykjavik.  We have managed to cover a total distance of 2,648km during the 10-day road trip!

This was the poster for the trip, and advertisement was only to a closed group of photographers.

​The trip's logo was designed by El'Arief Mohd Khair, one of my New Zealand 2016's participants.

The logo was also embroidered on our trip's T-shirt for the participants to use during the trip.

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Prerequisites:

• Fitness – exercise to build up fitness and stamina;
• Sort out the equipment to bring for the trip;
  • DSLR / Mirrorless camera, with RAW capabilities (required);
  • Backup second camera (highly recommended);
  • Very sturdy tripod (highly recommended);
  • Remote shutter release, either wireless or wired type (recommended);
  • Camera bag with rain cover (recommended);
  • Photography filters (highly recommended);
  • Adequate SD cards & batteries;
  • Rain cover for camera (recommended);
  • Notebook computer (optional for transferring of files).
• Understand the workings and settings of your cameras and lenses before arriving in Iceland. If need be, download a PDF copy of your camera's manual onto your smartphones for ease of reference.
• Proper clothing and accessories (depending on the season as Iceland's weather can be unpredictable);
• You are responsible to bring your own medications;
• Packed food items (well packed).

Road trip in Iceland tips:

• Left hand drive! Always remember that!
• Drive during daytime, as much as possible.  Safest due to unfamiliar roads and animals crossing.  Plus the views are awesome!
• Roads are unforgiving (no emergency lanes, only at dedicated locations). 
• Road types (paved, unpaved & gravel (F-roads)). Only 4WD allowed on the F-roads.
• Get a good road map.  I've bought the “International Photographer” road map for EUR29 (now on sale for less than EUR18.96!).
• Install “Here We Go” apps (benefit of having offline maps).  Research and download all locations before arriving in Iceland.
• Do your research on the photography locations, thoroughly and browse for sample images from the internet, if you decide not to go with anybody who has organized a trip to Iceland before. :-)
• Install apps on your smartphones for up-to-date Aurora Borealis tracking. 
• Local Iceland meteorological agency online for up-to-date weather conditions: Icelandic Met Office.
• Visit Europe's Aurora Service website for more info.
• If you are travelling in winter, always check the road conditions before you proceed to drive. You can visit www.road.is and https://safetravel.is/
• If you're going in summer, best to make your accommodation bookings before arriving in Iceland.  Alternatively, you can rent a campervan.

Please click on the map for the link and details on how to purchase the map.

Itinerary

Special thanks to:

• SONY Malaysia for the loan of SONY α7SII and SEL70200G;
• Lee Photo Sdn Bhd for loan of Leofoto LS-284C + LH-30 carbon fibre tripod set.
• Fakrul Jamil & Azharul Shah for sharing some of the shooting tips at the locations;

#SONY #SONYMalaysia #GMaster #Laowa #NiSi #nisifilters #nisiglobal #Leofoto #LeePhotoSdnBhd #razitravelservices #IcelandPhotographyAdventure2018