Workshops: Iceland 2015 Winter Aurora Borealis + Ice Caves Workshops

 Iceland Aurora Borealis, Ice Caves and Winter Landscapes Classic 2015 Photography Workshops and Tours 

Price:   $2500 USD (7 days, 7 nights)

Dates: 

08-15 February 2015  (fully booked, sorry! )

This unique 7 day/7 night night photography tour and workshop around southern Iceland, the legendary land of fire and ice, is meant for outdoor photographers and nature-goers who desire to see and photograph Iceland's beauty in winter, including glacier and ocean landscapes, the Aurora Borealis, crystal ice caves, and icebergs.  During daylight hours, we utilize the low-angle sun to capture magic light even midday, and photograph a plethora of scenic and rural distinations including glaciers, country churches, waterfalls, horses, and iceberg lagoons. Ice caves unique to Iceland are extraordindary to explore and photograph inside, which have stunning transluscent blue colors, which we'll do with a local ice guide for 1-2 days!  Then, in the dark hours of each day, with epic glacial backgrounds and in dark places away from any artifical lights, we'll search the skies and wait to photograph the Aurora Borealis - always with phenomenal landscape backdrops and reflection potential. We will be based out of cozy rural guesthouses along the south coast and in the spectacular and remote East Fjords, allowing a comfortable schedule yet filling our days and nights with rewarding photography opportunities all around the region. 


Photography Instruction: A maximum group size of 6 photographers ensures you will receive ample personal photographic coaching in the field from a full time working pro, and provide an intimate small group adventure experience. This photo workshop is all about in-the-field field photography and situational instruction working alongside your leader, although we can also do image critiquing on client's laptops in the guesthouse in the evenings. Each day the group will photograph diverse landscapes and natural wonders of Iceland, in the quiet and peaceful setting of the Icelandic wintertime. Then, each evening and night the group will enjoy home-cooked meals and a cozy guesthouse, while always being prepared to go out and photograph the Aurora Borealis should it occur. The chances of us photographing this phenomenon are very high, given that we're out for seven nights, and way away from the city of Reykjavik and the southern coast of Iceland. Photographic topics that will covered while shooting include nighttime and austral photography, Aurora Borealis photography, classic landscape photography composition and technique, HDR (High Dynamic Range) imagery, panoramic photography, adventure and travel photography, tilt/shift focusing, and slow shutter -speed effects. Our full 7 days and 7 nights of photography potential, allow us to see a variety of well-known Icelandic natural wonders along the Golden Circle, South Coast and East Fjords, ice caves of the Vatnajokull glacier region, along with more subtle icy details, and combined with austral wonderment, enabling each participant to get the most out this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Pro Leader: Johnathan Esper of Wildernesscapes Photography LLC in the USA will be leading the trip. Johnathan is a full time photographer and international photo trip leader, and has a unique background and an intimate knowledge of Iceland from living out of a car, exploring and photographing Iceland intensively for months at a time, and he specializes in wide panoramic landscapes and adventure photography in Iceland and the Adirondack region in the USA. Johnathan is also very experienced in leading workshops, having led 16+ very successful photography workshops around Iceland since 2011 which are often sold-out, and also sometimes works with the very best native Icelandic photographer, Örvar Þorgeirsson. Örvar will join us as a special guest photographer on one of the days which will be a highlight for everyone, and his images are seen on arcticphoto.is

Trip Details: The cost of this tour is $ 2500 USD (or Euro equivalent), all inclusive, and includes all photographic opportunites and professional instruction, guiding, all ground and 4x4 transportation, all meals and food (breakfast served in our guesthouse, lunches sourced from local cafes or bagged lunches, and hot dinners at our places of accomodation and/or restaurants), and accommodation for 7 nights (in cozy rural authentic Icelandic guesthouses; accommodation is based on double occupancy, and will be comfortable, clean, cozy, occasionally with shared bathrooms;  single supplement may be requested for an additional fee).
A $500 deposit is due at the time of registration, and the remaining balance is due by the trip start. Refunds are allowed at the discretion of the trip leader (see details below), with a mix of cash refund and future trip credit, depending on cancellation date. This tour is open to all digital photographers of all abilities. There is a maximum group size of 6, and a minimum of 3. We'll be so immersed in the Icelandic countryside for our entire time as a group, that we have left no time to enjoy the sights of Reykjavik, so we encourage you to stay in Reykjavik for a couple days on your own, either before or after the tour. If you have additional questions, the trip leader will be happy to answer them over the phone or email.

Itinerary:  (always subject to change based on weather and other factors)

day #dateitineraryaccomodation
0

08 Februray 2015

OR

15 February 2015

arrive to Iceland, day free, possible night shoot with Orvar if good weatherReykjavik (included)
1 
South Coast waterfalls and beaches
Vik, hotel Lundi
2 rural and farm scenes along drive to Skaftafell glacier region, Skaftafell NPSkaftafell
3 Ice cave full day with local guideJokulsarlon area
4 2nd ice cave or Jokularsarlon glacier lagoon and iceberg beach areasJokulsarlon area
5 glacier sights till Hofn, sunset north of Hofn

Hoffell / Hofn  Eastfjords

6 glacial and mounting sights around Eastfjords and Hofn, drive back to JokulsarlonJokulsarlon area
7

15 February 2015 

OR

22 February 2015

South coast sights, drive back to Reykjavik, sunset at Seljalandsfoss, Klefarvatn possible evening shoot if clear weather and unlucky so farnot included (Reykjavik)


Leader:
Johnathan A. Esper
Wildernesscapes Photography LLC
PO Box 326, Long Lake, NY
United States
johnathanesper@gmail.com
phone: 001 518 624 6675
www.WildernessPhotographs.com

Special guest native Icelandic photographer:
Örvar Þorgeirsson
www.arcticphoto.is

$500.00

Aron Franklín,Einar Rúnar Sigurðsson,Iceland,Johnathan A Esper,crampons,exploration,explorer,guide,ice,ice guide,mountaineer...
Svinafellsjokull glacier
ީngvellir National Park Aurora Bor
Vatnajl glacier region ice cave
Vatnaj&#
Jokulsarlon Aurora Borealis reflection
Ocean surf and icebergs near Jokulsarlon
Aurora Over Iceland
  • To book your space on this trip, please pay a deposit payment of $500 USD per person. Until payment is sent, your place is not guaranteed.  You may conveniently pay your deposit here on this website, securely with your credit which will be processed by Paypal payment processor.  The deposit portion may also be paid via personal or bank check for USA and Canadian clients; contact me for further instructions.  
  • Cancellation policy:  In the unfortunate case if you need to cancel, cancellation policy is: Deposit payments are refundable as 100% future scheduled trip credit up to 120 days before trip start, 50% future scheduled trip credit if cancellation is 120-60 days before trip start, and non-refundable less than 60 days before start. Final payments for the full trip balance are 100% refundable as cash until the trip start, and non-refundable after the trip start. If I am able to fill your empty spot on the trip, half of what you'd lose will additionally be returned to you, for all the above situations.   If I cancel the trip for some major reason, such as overwhelming volcanic activity, trip leader health crisis, etc, then I fully refund everything in cash or Paypal, or a pro-rated amount if the trip must end early for the same reasons.   I am not responsible for reimbursing you for travel or other ancillary expenses you incur in prep for the trip.  
  • Final Payment. The final payment for the balance due on the trip (after your paid deposit), is due one week prior to the trip start. Payment options include bank transfer to my Icelandic bank account (details on request), cash in person at the trip start (with prior permissin), personal or bank checks (preferred for USA and Canada clients), and credit cards (a 2% credit card fee will be added for final payments with card).