Iceland Ahoy - Roll On Reykjavik

[bill_thorlin]

The memsahib has always had a wish to see and walk on/in/under a

glacier and as the half-century is approaching the present is a trip

to Iceland. As it is not a location for soaking up the sun on a beach

we have gone for broke and decided to go in February ( might as well

see it at its best/worst if you see what I mean ).

 

Will need to be well wrapped up so need to keep the kit being taken

under control.Will be taking 2 bodies.

 

LENSES - 50mm 1.7 - 100mm 2.8 - 24-105 3.5/4.5 - maybe 75-300 4.5/5.6

( or 100-300 4 if I upgrade in time ). Think the 400 can rest at home

in the warm.

 

FILM - slides Provia 100f & Sensia 400 ( cannot convince myself on

Velvia 50 ) film Fuji NPS160 ( because I love it ) Fuji Press 400 &

maybe something at 800 ( Fuji NPZ - because I love this as well ).

You will have to talk me into b&w !

 

Filters - always use an uv and want to try out an 81a and guess

polarisers could be useful ( especially if we get some clear days ).

 

Tripod or monopod ? ( Wife not thrilled standing stock still when I

forget ).

 

Technique - I always try looking for middle grey but may have to

change to opening up by 1 or 2 stops ? assuming middle grey might

not be present. ( I hope we get some snow here so I can practise the

alternative. )

 

Location - will be doing the golden circle trip but does anyone have

any advice as to other places that are really worth the effort.

 

Reykjavik - again any must-see spots and any good

restaurants/eateries and bars ?

[patrick_p]

I was in Iceland over the summer and it was chilly. It will be very cold when you are there. I stayed with a friend who has been living there 1 year. He showed me some video of their winder storms where the snow and rain come down horizontally. So dress warm.

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Be prepared for the high cost of things. It is the most expensive place I've ever been.

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Bring your longest zoom lens. There are lots of interesting birds and I found my 200mm didn't have the reach I needed.

<br><br>

I didn't find Reykjavik too interesting for photography. There is a big ugly church called Hallgrimskirkja that everyone photographs (including me). You may be able to get some interesting angles on it. The harbour is good for photography. Also I found the cloud formations interesting to photograph. There are tons of waterfalls around. You could try to photograph some cool ice formations on the falls. Be aware that you will most likely not see the sun while you are there so choose your film accordingly.

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Bring a tripod, monopods don't cut it.

<br><br>

Here is the gallery from my trip. I used Provia 100f and Velvia 100. <br>

<a href="http://www.patrickperon.com/Galleries/Iceland.asp">Patrick's Iceland</a>

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Good luck,<br>

Patrick

[thv]

From someone who lives in (a suburb of) Reykjavik, I can say that it doesn't get very cold in the winter, and not very warm in the summer.

Expect temperatures from -10C up to +5C. The weather will probably change quickly and it will be very windy. You will have around 5-6 hours of "useable" daylight per day.

The bright side of this is that the sun is low in the sky all day and you might say you have 5 "magic" hours. The dark side is that the chances of clear skies aren't very good.

 

The colors will be a bit dull, so you might want to bring Velvia. To my mind, a tripod is much more useful than a monopod, but that of course depends on the kinds of photographs you take.

 

I don't know about "must see" spots since that depends on what you like. I think you should take at least one trip outside the city, and the golden circle is as good a choice as any. If you'll be staying more than a few days you might want to rent a 4x4.

 

There are several good restaurants in Reykjavik, but they are very expensive, as are most things. Especially these days, since the dollar is so low.

 

I saw that Patrick said you should bring a long lens for catching interesting birds. This is certainly true in the summer, but there are few birds here over the winter, and most of these have muted colors compared to the mating season.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Thrainn Vigfusson

[david_henderson]

Get "Lost in Iceland" by Sigureir Sigurjonsson. Not only are these the best landscape photographs I've seen from Iceland, but he also indicates where he took them so it'll help your trip planning. You can get it on Amazon/affiliates.

[patrick_p]

Lost in Iceland is a pretty awesome book. I got one for my parents.

[mark_picard1]

Ah, yes, the land of fire & ice..

 

A few years back, the wife & I flew to Iceland on a whim in early March... would love to go back. Spectacular scenery though low light. You may want an incident meter, provia 100, the new velvia 100. Bring whatever lenses you can carry... In a short drive you can experience glaciers, waterfalls, hot springs, green meadows. We spent a long weekend, travelled from Reykjavik through blinding snows to Pingvellir then along the green south coast to Myrdals-jokull. We did see huge numbers of birds in the volcanic cavities along the coast.

 

The southwest coast sits on the gulf stream and enjoys warmer temps, inland or on glaciers the temps drop...Pingvellir was frigid....

 

Wildlife is non-existent this time of year. Polar bears (northern Iceland) are shot before they reach land because they will decimate the livestock population. Did see arctic fox track.

 

Food - Our hotel offered a large pizza for $32us, soup & salad for $9us... as much soup as you wanted but only one helping of salad. Eating at filling stations, as gross as it is in the US, was the best bargain for fresh yogurts, sliced meats, cheeses & breads. We did dine one evening at a tiny place in a small town outside of Reykjavik... the owner scrabbled to translate her menu, the fish was fantastic. Proper "Restaurant" dining in Iceland is formal and expensive. Be prepared for sticker shock on gas prices.... in 1997,it translated to $8 per gal.

 

Reykjavik proper has lots of photographic opportunites... the homes are painted in fantastic caribbean colors, the view across the harbor, spectacular (Hvalfjordur)

 

Along our route we saw very few other tourists, we had Icelandic ponies surround us, trying to nimble whatever was in our pockets. Green lush meadows where there were hot springs, blinding snow on the glaciers. Not bad for 72 hr tour. Very fond memories.

 

Sigurgeir Sigurjonsson also produced an earlier book of images "Landscapes, Images of Iceland"

 

Also try to read up on the historical significance of places/people etc of Iceland.

Hope this will help your planning..

Mark Picard

www.markpicard.com

[bill_thorlin]

Thank you all very much for your input - greatly appreciated.

 

Thrainn - as you are the one is residence so to speak would it make more sense to delay our trip until May ? ( we can be flexible between February or May ). May I compliment you on your English, it made me double check mine !

[thv]

Bill, I would recommend you go in May. It will be close to the summer solstice and bright enough for sightseeing at least 16 hours per day. The weather will also be much nicer. Most of the birds will have arrived by mid-May, and you should bring at least one telephoto lens, if at all possible.

I recommend renting a 4x4 vehicle and driving along the south coast to Myrdalsjokull (i.e. the southernmost point) at least. You should also try to drive along the west coast from Reykjavik, to Hvalfjordur and the Snaefellsnes peninsula. You should also go into the interior and see Thingvellir, the Geysir area, and Gullfoss (i.e. the sights that the Golden Triangle covers).

 

I will take this opportunity to comment on the other answers: I agree with David and Patrick in that Lost in Iceland is a wonderful book and I recommend that you take a look at it. Feel free to contanct me if you see anything interesting in there (or any other source of images from Iceland) and I should be able to at least tell you how to get there.

Another reason to wait until May is one that Patrick mentioned: In winter, the winds can be brutal and rain/snow generally falls horizontally (if you can call that falling). There isn't much snow on the ground, even in winter, since the wind blows it out to sea. The wind has been known to move concrete buildings as far as 60-70 yards.

 

And thank you for complementing my english. I lived in the US for a few years decades ago, but my english is rather rusty since then. It makes me write carefully :-)

 

Thrainn

[ole_tjugen]

Also bring your very best wide-angle lens. If you don't have a good fast wide prime, get one. If I were to go with only one lens, I would go with a 21mm than anything else. I might even bring only one camera, if it was the Bessa-L with the 21mm lens on.