Iceland Photography - Highlands of Iceland Photo Tips - Ep.1
Introduction
In this article, I’m taking you to Iceland, one of my favorite places on planet Earth.
Last July, I led a group of 7 photographers on an 8-day trip through the remote Icelandic Highlands and also spent an extra week with my fiancé exploring other parts of the island.
I’ll walk you through some of the shots I captured and explain how I approached different scenarios and light conditions.
If you’ve never been to Iceland, people will usually tell you two things:
it’s expensive
you can experience all four seasons in a single day
I’ve been visiting Iceland for almost ten years, and this time the weather was a bit stranger than during my past visits. I don’t remember having so many sunny days in a row with puffy clouds and blue skies. It was very unusual.
From a landscape photography standpoint, this sometimes made it challenging to capture something great. At the same time, though, we had many other productive sessions with unique weather conditions.
1. Sunset from a Crater Lake in the Highlands
The first shot I wanna show you is from a sunset session we had on the first day of the trip.
Although it might look like a drone shot, I actually took it from the top of a crater where my students and I were exploring all the possibilities the landscape revealed to us.
Fujifilm X-T30 + XF50-140mm // ISO 200 - 1/10sec. - f/9 - 99mm
As you can see, here I played with light and shadow and the simple color palette of orange and blue tones that create a very strong color contrast. I really enjoy how every tiny detail falls into place so organically.
It was around 10:30 p.m. when I led the group along a steep and sketchy path at the edge of the crater lake.
The hike to reach the top of the crater wasn’t very long, and in doing so, we gained about 100 extra meters of altitude. From up there, you get a 360-degree view of the vast craters area around. It’s truly amazing.
That incredible light lasted for nearly an hour. That's one of the unique things about shooting in Iceland during this time of year …pure magic!
To get a similar view, it would have been easier to just launch a drone and capture some aerial shots, but my goal is always to fully experience the moment and push myself and my students to step out of our comfort zone to create something more personal and unique. Most of my best images have a big “sweat” component!
Don’t get me wrong, I still love flying my drone. However, I always try to challenge myself in multiple ways.
Putting in the effort is really important, and it’s true not only in photography.
The value of what we have is linked to how much we work for it. If we get something without any effort, it doesn’t really mean much to us.
Think about it: the energy we put in is what makes our accomplishments truly matter.
So, hiking up and standing atop the crater with the group, taking in that breathtaking view, it was absolutely stunning! There’s no drone that can match the feeling of being there in person, with the wind in your face and the sheer magnificence of it all.
Here below is another one from the same location. A beautiful panorama captured by Alex, one of the participants.
I really enjoy how he framed the entire scene and how the tiny figure adds a great sense of scale and makes you feel like you're actually there.
© Alex Bartok (workshop participant)
Here below is another image I captured from the same position. There is a higher complexity in it. I’m pretty happy with how the elements came together, and the compression of the telephoto helps balance the different weights.
Fujifilm X-T30 + XF50-140mm // ISO 200 - 1/8sec. - f/8 - 159mm
For those of you who have been following my work for a while, already know how much I love using a telephoto to capture intimate landscapes.
I’ve talked a lot about that in my videos and blog. This lens really helps you to tighten your compositions by focusing on just a portion of the scene, limiting the overall distractions, and telling many different stories of the same big landscape.
From my personal perspective, the real magic of Iceland isn’t in its grand aerials, but in the details. So, we had a lot of fun experimenting with the beautiful, warm, dynamic light.
The low angle of the sun really highlighted the full dimensionality of the landscape.
It’s important, while shooting, to look around and be open and reactive to the spontaneous moments that might happen.
2. Dealing with Harsh Light
Okay! Shooting in beautiful light can make things a lot easier, but it doesn't always guarantee amazing photos.
Visiting the Highlands involves a lot of driving, so for some locations we visited along the way, the light wasn’t always ideal; especially when you have a clear blue sky over you, which doesn’t really help and it makes things a bit more difficult.
When dealing with that type of light, I immediately avoid trying to capture wide vistas and instead focus on smaller sections of the landscape. Once again, the telephoto lens is really useful in these situations.
I know it might not be easy, but I believe there are always unexpected opportunities hidden behind those challenges.
Let me show you a couple of shots I took in tricky lighting and how I adjusted my approach to make them work.
For example, here we were heading back from Landmannalaugar and decided to stop by a large lake. As you can see, the light was harsh as hell, but I noticed this lovely arrangement of lava in the distance.
I loved the colors, and the textures, and that scene really reminded me of a lizard sipping water from a puddle.
Of course, I called the shot ‘The Lizard’!
Next time, I’d love to explore the area further and hopefully in better lighting conditions.
Here’s another close-up shot from a different location a bit further away.
As photographers, our goal is to look beyond the surface. There’s no such thing as bad light—just light that may not be ideal for a particular subject.
Always stay open to possibilities and different interpretations!
3. Taking Advantage of Changing Light
Another interesting location we shot was this marsh. The blue sky, the water reflections, and the vibrant greens were absolutely beautiful.
Final shot
This type of location offers a wide range of opportunities, and on this particular occasion, we had to be very mindful of the light and how to simplify the foreground.
I managed to get a couple of decent shots.
Working the scene
This is the first one, which is okay, but the foreground felt a bit heavy. I’m not sure—it just seems a bit much. I wanted to show off more of those beautiful reflections and really draw people into the scene.
So, I moved to a slightly different position and reframed the shot to balance things out better. I played around with the grass, trying to create this nice path for the eye to follow right up to the mountains.
Working the scene
However, the light was still a bit too harsh on the foreground, and there was this annoying bit in the middle where things were overlapping.
To solve the first issue, I just waited for some clouds to give me a softer light in the foreground. Let me show you all of the variants that I shot of this scene.
Usually, once I’m happy with the framing, what I like to do when I have time and the light is changing, is capture multiple shots as the light changes and then go through them in Lightroom to find the image that I think has the best lighting setup for that particular scene.
To solve the second issue, I nudged my tripod up a bit to separate those elements. Just a few centimeters. It's amazing how these little tweaks can really make a shot come together.
You can clearly see how the midground in the final shot has more breathing room.
4. Seeking Directional Soft Light
Landmannalaugar is one of my favorite locations to visit in the highlands, and it offers endless opportunities. Most of the time, my go-to lens is, guess what? a telephoto, which I use about 90% of the time.
The weather in this area usually changes quite rapidly and embracing these shifts is really key to get very interesting and unexpected results.
During our visit, we got mostly overcast conditions. Cloudy days can provide a soft, diffused light that helps minimize harsh shadows and highlights, resulting in more balanced exposures across the scene.
This type of light is ideal for capturing the textures and subtle color variations in the landscape.
However, this type of light can also make the scene look flat if not handled properly.
Many people think all overcast days are the same, but there are different types of soft light, and they are actually quite different.
The key to capturing great photos on these days is to make sure the light has some sort of directionality. Even without the sun completely peeking through, directional soft light is important to add depth to your images.
This happens when the cloud cover is thinner in one area, allowing a bit more light through.
For example, this shot was taken in very flat light conditions.
There is no clear directionality of the lights, which is exactly why the image lacks depth. All the elements seem to belong to the same focal plane, which is not ideal.
In contrast, in the following shot, we have light slightly filtering through gaps of clouds, creating a softer yet directional light. This adds a beautiful and gentle contrast to the scene.
While more challenging, the harsh midday light can also work well in Landmannalaugar creating strong contrast areas that can emphasize the rugged textures of the lava fields. Something we’ve already seen in the previous examples.
Something to bear in mind is that harsh light can wash out the colors quite a lot.
For example, here is a drone shot captured by Alex in harsh light conditions.
And here is a shot I took a few days later from the same location on an overcast day.
As you can see, the moss here in the shot on the right has much richer colors. They’re both great shots, but those are variables you always have to consider.
5. The Surreal Landscape in Kerlingarfjöll
If there’s one place in Iceland that feels like you’ve stepped onto another planet it has to be Kerlingarfjöll. This stunning location somewhat resembles Landmannalaugar.
This location wasn’t on this year's workshop itinerary but will be on the 2025 edition. Kerlingarfjöll is part of an active volcanic system and is home to one of the most impressive geothermal areas in Iceland nestled among dramatic peaks.
The hills have a brownish, almost orange hue, composed of rhyolite, just like the mountains in Landmannalaugar.
This rhyolite gives them a rusty appearance, and between the hills are splashes of vibrant blues, greens, reds, and yellows. With the addition of steam rising directly from the ground and the bubbling hot springs scattered throughout the area, you know you’re in for an amazing experience.
Photography-wise, I’m reasonably happy with what I got. The weather wasn’t very cooperative the day we arrived...
But it slightly improved the following day, when we got a brief window of decent conditions that allowed me to capture some nice shots before the weather turned harsh again.
Once again, the telephoto lens proved to be an invaluable tool for photographing Iceland. At least for my personal taste.
The wide-angle lens is excellent for certain scenarios, like waterfalls or when you want to include a close object in the foreground.
Well, in the end, it really depends on your personal taste and style!
12. What About You?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this glimpse into the Highlands of Iceland. So, please leave a comment and share your thoughts!
And if you found this helpful, please forward this article to a friend or fellow photographer who might benefit from it.
If the idea of capturing these breathtaking landscapes alongside passionate photographers excites you, why not take the next step?
I'd love to have you join us for my Iceland Workshop 2025 Edition. It's a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the magic of Iceland with hands-on guidance, daily feedback, and an unforgettable adventure.
You can learn more about the itinerary and sign up on the official Iceland Workshop webpage.
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