Highlights : A Quick Fix!

2012 is upon us and I thought it was time for another quick post-processing tutorial ! Marianne and I are considering the possiblity of running either landscape workshops in the near future or running post-processing sessions. If we were to do the latter, we would have to have some sort of course material and think about how we would present it in an understandable manner. Hence, I’ve been trying to put into writing some aspects of our post-processing which has been developed through looking at many other people’s techniques before consolidating them into our own.

This entry describes how to ‘correct’ highlights very quickly and selectively. It requires only a very basic understanding of layer masks and blend modes. It is not a fix for badly taken images with half of the histogram bunched up on the far right hand side indicating that very little is recoverable. In fact, the example image today had no clipped highlights to begin with but I wanted to darken some areas of the image selectively without having to dance around artistically with a brush on a layer mask. If you want a term for it, it is a very basic ‘luminosity’ mask.

The starting image is shown below. It has already gone through most of the steps in post processing in my standard workflow which you can see here http://wp.me/prucx-e9

Before the mask is applied

The layers used to touch up the work are shown in the next image. I have turned off the eye dropper for the ‘multiply’ mode so that its effect is not visible yet. The ‘multiply’ mode is a blend mode which effectively darkens the image. If you imagine holding up one slide and looking at it through a light source, the effect is a simulation of holding up another exact copy of that slide in front of the light source ; light which gets through is diminished, hence the image appears darker. If you are applying this technique from scratch, simply duplicate the background layer and change the blend mode to ‘multiply’.

Focus on the Multiply layer for today

Next, switch to the ‘channels’ tab and you will see that by default, RGB and each individual R, G and B channels are all selected. Don’t change this. Press Ctrl-left click on the RGB (top) channel and you will see a selection appear on the image. The selection is what is ‘common’ to all of the channels and hence tends to be areas of highlight  or brightness (in rough terms).

In the Channels tab, Ctrl Left Click the RGB layer.

"Marching Ants" indicates your selection : the bright areas of the image

Next, switch back to the ‘layers’ tab (1) and you will see the marching ants persist on the image. Click on the eye dropper on the multiply layer (2) so that you can see the effect of the layer. The image should all of a sudden look unacceptably dark. Next, click on the layer mask button (3) and presto! The selected areas of brightness are the only parts affected by the multiply effect meaning that you have effectively dampened the bright areas of the image.I don’t usually let the computer do all my thinking for me and I end up modifying the mask a little. For instance, I did want some brightness retained on the glowing parts of the rock and waves and so I masked them out from the selection but it is the basic principle that’s important.

Follow the numbered steps

The image with brightness dampened

I have shown just one application of this simple tool but here are some other areas you might want to use this technique:

1. Wedding photography : we find it great for recovering highlights in the bride’s dress!

2. Exposure blending manually : applying this to the bright areas of the brightest exposure and inverting the mask will allow you to blend two images in a single step

3. Shadow recovery: A little more abstract, but try changing the blend mode to screen and inverting the mask (Ctrl-I) and you might see some interesting effects with shadows!

After a few tweaks for web presentation , this is the final image of the Westman Islands in Iceland with a lonely bird included. Say, don’t they look similar to the rocks of Port Elliot here in South Australia???

Westman Islands , Iceland

Port Elliot, South Australia

Happy New Year and happy post processing all!

-D

2011: A year in review

What a year 2011 has been for Marianne and me! If you were to ask us what the highlight of the year would be, of course the simple answer would have to be the birth of Charlotte.  Sure there were sleepless nights, bad days at work etc but why focus on negativity when the everyday little things she does makes us smile and proud. From her first toothless smile, gurgles, discovery of her fist and all things which fit into her mouth, her first triumphant roll. Milestones fly in unexpectedly and will continue to do so over the years . We hope to be as good a pair of parents to her as we can be ! What about photography? We’ve been a little slack in updating this blog post but I think somehow time has eluded us like never before and what used to be done in 10 minutes now takes 10 minutes spread over several hours! Nonetheless, it has been a big year for us and we look forward to 2012.

In January , we photographed Katie & Trent at the botanical gardens of Adelaide and learned a thing or two about being prepared for 4 seasons in one day. An old image of Cape Huay also ended up on the front cover of Australian Photography Magazine.

Katie & Trent got married

Cover art: Australian Photography Magazine January edition

In February, we travlled to Longview winery and continued to evolve the way in which we handle weddings both at the scene and in post production. Bettina and Simon were particularly cooperative and even walked in the rain with us to take some images on a wet and blustery day. We found ways to catalogue files for two photographers such that merging the combined proofs would still result in a presentation of files in logical order.

Bettina & Simon got married

In March, Australian Photography Magazine featured Marianne’s image of Korpudalur on the front cover as well as a 8 page feature article on travelling Iceland. Our wedding forays also continued with Anh and Ty’s wedding at the beautiful Mount Lofty house. It was our last wedding for the 2010-2011 season.

Anh & Ty got married

Cover art : Australian Photography Magazine March edition

In April and early May, Marianne and I planned a 10 day trip over Easter to Tasmania. This trip was one where we travelled slightly more comfortably than previously as Marianne was 5 months pregnant. We still managed short walks to slightly  ‘out of the way’ places and managed to snag a few images which would later be published. Fortuitously, we also bumped into Ian Wallace and Tom Putt’s photography workshop at Cradle Mountain on many a dawn and dusk. From the brief encounter, I was introduced to his website. After becoming a regular contributor on the site, one thing led to another and the end result is my first contribution to a publication! (More on that later)

Tasmania's forests were magical

Bay of Fires and its striking lichen.

One could go into waterfall overload in Tasmania!

In June, we took our last chance to travel without children and travelled to Victoria for an extended long weekend. It coincided with a lunar eclipse which I managed to photograph over the CBD but unfortunately, it also coincided with a flu-like illness which affected me for most of the brief trip. We based ourselves in the Dandenongs while travelling out as far as Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island. With Marianne now in the third trimester, serious walking was quite limited and taken with caution given the  slippery wet conditions.

The end of the eclipse from Federation Square

Cape Woolamai and the wild weather!

The weather was mostly wet and slippery in the Dandenongs

In July, we had the first of several exhibitions for the year which taught us the value of picking locations for exhibiting our work. We felt that our canvas prints of images from our big trip in 2010 looked better than any other work we had produced, however, canvas printing meant that our costs were also significantly higher.  We achieved great exposure at Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre and sold some prints not related to the actual works exhibited. During this penultimate month of Marianne’s pregnancy, I felt as though I needed to get the photography bug out of me and travelled further from Adelaide on my weekend forays. One particularly memorable dawn occurred at a favourite location down at Port Willunga.

Old and new technologies to harvest wind near Burra

A most memorable dawn at Port Willunga

In August, we also managed to exhibit our works at the SANTOS conservation centre outside the Adelaide Zoo. In retrospect, we feel that our works aren’t suited to exhibiting at SALA ( South Australian Living Artist) . Photography as a medium seemed to be appreciated in a different manner to other more traditional or abstract mediums and as such, most of the questions directed at us were regarding the use of photoshop! An annoyance which has since given us much time to consider future responses. And of course, at the end of August, Charlotte came into the world!! Need I say any more than I already have!

Travels were limited in August for this reason!

One of our 40" prints to sell during the year

 

In September life was all about working out this thing called parenthood! Photography took a back seat but toward the end of the month, I started making some trips out on weekends again and we had to consider how to photograph a wedding with Marianne needing to express milk and training little Charlotte to be ‘babysittable’. As it turned out, she has given great joy to our grandparents while being cared for (with scattered moments of anxiety during prolonged fits of crying).

Daddy's little girl!

Our little lady!

One dawn took me to Lochiel and Lake Bumbunga

In October, we got back into the swing of wedding photography with our busiest season planned to date. A total of 7 weddings booked until March 2012.  Alice and Matt’s wedding was photographed at Clare and Bungaree Station. It was the first time we had offered to create an album for clients and we are awaiting the final result of the album. We as a family also survived Charlotte’s first prolonged absence! Later in October, Carina and Paul tied the knot at the picturesque Al-Ru Farm in the northern outskirts of Adelaide.  Also in that month, we squeezed in another cover and feature article in Australian Photography Magazine based on our travels in Tasmania earlier in the year.

Cover Art: Australian Photography Magazine

Alice & Matt got married

Carina & Paul got married

In November, the book production process was finally reaching its end. Starting from June, the 12 contributors were busy selecting , rating  and re-editing images for publication while Ian Wallace had the mammoth task of coordinating,  putting together the book and sorting the necessary technical requirements and authorship. As the months progressed and the various drafts of the book unfolded, all of us became even keener for the release date of the book. Personally, 15 of my images were chosen for publication including the back inset and back cover image. The book so far has been a great success , particularly for the Tasmanian contributors who rapidly recuperated their own costs. Thus far, of my 100 copies, 50 are either sold or consigned for retail which has been great considering the very little time I’ve contributed to promoting the book. The book would only arrive a few days before Christmas!

Tasmania : A Visual Journey (back cover)

The books finally arrived!!

December rounded off 2011 with our busiest month yet. Another image found its way on to the cover of Australian Photography Magazine and the editor Robert Keeley requested an article and cover(s) for early issues in 2012. We also managed two further weddings. Jane and Mike’s wedding was set in the beautiful vineyards of Bird in Hand Winery in the Adelaide hills. We are also in the process of creating an album for them. Our final wedding was photographed in the interiors of St Marks College in North Adelaide due to the inclement weather.  Over Christmas and New Year, I managed to take a few more images around South Australian sites in between managing Charlie’s disrupted routines from the various celebrations during this period.

Jane & Mike got married

Cover Art: Australian Photography Magazine December edition

In summary, we have much to be  thankful for in 2011 and here’s a short list :

• Black and White photographics who consistently print our work and bring reality to our digital visions
• All of the exhibition centres who have allowed us to display our works. Hampstead Rehabilitation centre, the Challinger Gallery, SANTOS conservation centre and Gallery M in Marion.
• The online community and photographic support we have received through : Facebook (thanks to the 1000 fans!) , Flickr , Australian Photography forum, Deviant Art and Google Plus. Thank you to all of the photographers on these sites who continue to inspire and critique images.
• All of our family friends who have been incredibly supportive throughout the years and particularly since Charlotte arrived in the world. She now has many playmates, friends and cousins to grow up with over the years.
• Ian Wallace and all of the other contributors from the book project : Tasmania, A Visual Journey.
• Robert Keeley and the editorial staff from Australian Photography magazine who continue to ask us for content and publish our work. We are only happy to deliver !
• Our brides and grooms for allowing us an intimate look in on their most personal and special days. We hope you have enjoyed our services!
• Mother nature and her fickle ways ; thanks for the beauty all around us waiting to be captured by would be artists.
• Lastly, a personal thanks to Marianne and Charlotte for being the base upon which anything in life has been achieved and will be achieved in the future !

Cheers to 2012 and for those around in South Australia, we hope to see you at Gallery M for our first engagement of the new year!

One final shoot on New Years Eve

-D&M

Photographing Iceland – What You Need to Know (Part Three)

For those of you waiting patiently for the last in this 3-part series, here it is!  As some of you may know we have been a bit side-tracked with the birth of our baby girl, Charlotte, in the last 5 weeks – and I can’t say I’ve mastered the art of one-handed typing just yet!

This last post was going to be a summary of the key points of the previous two articles, but I think it may be more beneficial instead to run through an equipment list and some last minute tips.  You can find information on general logistics in Part One and some suggested itineraries in Part Two; these will open in a separate window.

What to Bring

Every photographer has different interests, but I will assume that since you are following this blog and have gotten this far in the series that you are primarily interested in nature landscape photography.  Most of the time the wide angle lens is my lens of choice, and its attached to the camera body about 90% of the time.  However, you will find that the vast landscapes in Iceland sometimes require a mid-zoom, or even a moderate telephoto lens to capture details that you will lose in a single wide angle composition.  Here’s a list of some of the key items that we brought along:

Telephoto perspectives condense planes which can emphasise the scale of natural features such as the glacier at Hvitavatn

Camera body:  Yes, a bit silly, of course you need one of these.  If your’s isn’t weather-sealed, you will need to take extra care in the damp environments of the waterfalls you’re going to shoot, and the salty black beaches you’ll be wandering along.

Wide angle lens:  Self-explanatory.

Mid-zoom/telephoto lens: Use the mid-zoom (e.g. 24-70mm) for taking multiple frames to stitch into a panorama, and the telephoto (70-200mm) to really hone in details in the distance.  Dylan sometimes even used a 2x extender attached to the telephoto to get SUPER close-ups.

A Farmstead at the base of Eyjafjallajokull taken with 70-200 with 2X extender

Polarisers:  These are pretty much permanently attached to our lenses.  Great for cutting out glare and increasing saturation and contrast, and one of the filters whose effect cannot yet be replicated by software.

Varying the degree of polarisation can dramatically change the quality of reflected light

Tripod:  Essential for long exposures and getting crisp, sharp images.  If you have a fancy one with legs that can be extended any which way and/or lowered to ground level, it will also allow for unique angles and compositions.  We use a tripod for about 95% of all our images.

A steady tripod is required for sharp long exposure images such as this exposure of Seljalandsfoss

Graduated Neutral Density filters:  A must for controlling exposures, especially for dawn and dusk shooting sessions.  We each have a set of 3 that roughly add up to 9-10 stops between them: my favourite is the Hi-Tech 4-stop soft, whereas Dylan likes to stack a 3-stop and 2-stop combo.

The exposure of skies can be made much more dramatic by use of GND filters

Neutral Density filter:  For those totally boring scenes in the middle of the day, but you won’t have time to return to – sometimes the ND filter can make a difference.  We have a 9-stop and a 10-stop ND to use with the appropriate lens.

Bruarfoss was already beautiful but a dense ND filter gave it an even more dream like quality

Raincover:  You MUST have one of these to shoot the waterfalls and geysirs.  After having to send our 5DMkII for repairs following our first trip to Iceland, we used a raincover any time we got within 50 metres of any water (okay, that’s an exaggeration, but I wanted you to realise how important this point is!).  Even if your camera body is weather-sealed (like the 7D is supposed to be) I still wouldn’t take the chance.

Keep your camera safe from the elements such as the spray from Dettifoss

And because these really added to our comfort:

Waterproof boots:  We lived in our’s.  It sure makes things a lot nicer when you don’t have to contend with wet socks and frozen toes.  Most of the time, anyway.

Waterproof outers:  If you can get your hands on the Goretex Extreme line of gear, you will not regret spending the money on it.  These are windproof as well and when worn over your two thermal layers and fleece, you’ll be nice and toasty at 1am shooting the most awesome aurora you’ve ever seen.

Hanging up the outers at the end of a day's hike

Last Reminders

• Allow yourself enough time to explore your chosen locations.  There’s nothing worse than having to hurry along and wondering if you’d have got the shot if only you had more time.
• Try to scout possible locations if you really find that you have more than enough time on your hands.  Try different angles with your setup.  Maybe your first location or composition isn’t the best one.
• Don’t forget to book your accommodation in advance if you’re thinking of hiking the Laugavegur Trail at the Ferðafélag Íslands website (http://www.fi.is/en/huts/).
• If you run into trouble with your camera gear, head to Beco in Reyjavik – this store stocks just about everything (the website is in Icelandic, so here’s a link to their Facebook page with their address).
• Make sure you check road accessibility: http://www.vegagerdin.is/english/road-conditions-and-weather/.
• Check the aurora forecast here: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/3

The Absolute Last Word…

Accept that you will return to Iceland.  Maybe not for another year or even another 10 years, but you will.  It’s inevitable.

Maybe we’ll see you there. 

-M

See you in Iceland! Perhaps in the cotton fields of Landmannalaugar?

Photographing Iceland – What You Need to Know (Part Two)

This article is the second in a 3-part series on photographing the amazing country of Iceland.  Part One provided information on the logistics of planning a trip to Iceland, whereas this one will concentrate on locations to visit (names of places are not written with nordic accents).

What to photograph

There are endless sources of inspiration in Iceland and to do it justice some locations really need to be visited twice – or more.  As landscape photographers, we concentrated primarily on… you guessed it… landscapes!  However, there are also opportunities to capture wildlife, birds, architectural/historical buildings and sculptures, Viking saga sites and the very docile Icelandic horses.  To try and keep it short, we will mainly list landscape locations.  We won’t describe each location in detail but have included a few images from the various regions to whet your appetite.

How long do you have?

During our 5-week trip last year we felt that we allocated enough time at each location to capture its essence.  However, even then, we did not explore the far eastern reaches of Iceland, and we could have easily spent more time in the Westfjords, southern Iceland and the interior highlands.

We assume you are planning a self-drive tour, hiring a 4WD, and have the appropriate equipment (camera, clothing and general supplies) to visit these locations.  We give recommendations only, and are not liable for any injury or damage sustained to your person or equipment if you decide to follow these suggestions!

Top Left: Gullfoss, Top Right: Bruarfoss, Bottom Left: Seljalandsfoss, Bottom Right: Skogafoss

5-7 days

As photographic holidays go, we consider this a fairly short amount of time.  Usually in this timeframe we may try to visit between 2-3 regions, spending somewhere around 2 days for each area.  All of the following are accessible at any time of year, with perhaps the only exception being Dynjandi.

Suggested Itinerary One (heading east of Reykjavik and along the south coast):

Reykjavik, Blue Lagoon (no need to enter the actual building), the waterfalls Bruarfoss, Gullfoss, Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, Thingvellir National Park, Geysir, rock formation Dyrholaey, the black sand beaches of Vik and surrounds, the mountain Lomagnupur, Skaftafell National Park, the incredible glacier-fed lagoon Jokulsarlon.

Top: Dyrholaey, Middle: Vik, Bottom: Lomagnupur

Suggested Itinerary Two (heading north of Reykjavik and through the western regions):

Reykjavik, Snaefellsjokull National Park, the villages Arnastapi, Hellnar and Breidavik, black sand beaches at Djupalon, the waterfalls Hraunfossar and Barnafoss, the mountain Kirkjufell and its nearby waterfall Kirkjufellsfoss, possibly some of the Westfjords and the mighty waterfall Dynjandi (book a ferry to save driving time to get to the Westfjords).

Top: Svinafell Glacier, Mid: Jokulsarlon (coast), Bottom: Jokulsarlon (lagoon)

10-14 days

The few extra days open up a lot of options.  You could do both of the suggested itineraries as listed above, or if you’re only heading in one direction you could spend the extra days at a more leisurely pace as you head towards either the Westfjords or Jokulsarlon and then explore those destinations more thoroughly.  You will need to check accessibility for some of these locations.

Suggested Itinerary Three (southern coast and highlands):

Add to Itinerary One with a journey to the central highlands (roads permitting) and visit Landmannalaugar, Veidivotn, Hrauneyjar and Hveravellir.  Or, if you wanted to hike the Laugavegur Trail it would also be possible (summer months only) – allow between 4-6 days for the trek and then spend the remaining time in the southern region before taking in the Golden Triangle sights (Thingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir) as you head back towards Reykjavik.

Top: Landmannalaugar, Mid: Alftavatn, Bottom: Thorsmork

Suggested Itinerary Four (Snaefellnes Peninsula, Westfjords and northern Iceland):

Combine Itinerary Two with a stopover at the rock formation Hvitserkur, visit the waterfalls Godafoss and Aldeyjarfoss, fine dine in Akureyri, and you might even squeeze in Dettifoss (roads allowing), Selfoss and the Myvatn area – if you get this far east it is possible to drive back to Reykjavik in one very long day, or alternatively you can catch a domestic flight from Akureyri.

Clockwise from top left: Dettifoss, Selfoss, Godafoss

Suggested Itinerary Five (Ring Road sights):

It is possible to circumvent the entire country along the Main Ring Road if you have upwards of 10 days, but this limits the number of opportunities you have at each location.  If going in a clockwise direction you can follow Itinerary Four but limit the time spent on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.  Near Myvatn, visit the geothermal areas of Hverir, Krafla and Viti (still classified as ‘active’ volcanic areas), then in the north-east hike to the waterfall Hengifoss, photograph a sunset near Kopasker, discover the friendly horses at Husey and explore the eastern towns of Egilsstadir and Seydisfjordur (which we didn’t get to do).  Come back along the south coast and visit locations listed in Itinerary One.

Top: Hverir, Mid: Krafla, Bottom: Hveravellir

3 weeks

This is quite a decent amount of time, and probably the minimum recommended to provide you with enough photographic opportunities if you really want to concentrate on several regions.  It may even allow for return visits at different times during your holiday to locations where you feel you may not have had adequate time previously.  The following itinerary can be used as a guide, but beware that it will still involve a considerable amount of driving.

Suggested Itinerary Six (approximate timeframes for each area, anti-clockwise around the Ring Road):

Days 1-2: Reykjavik and surrounds (e.g. Golden Triangle)

Days 3-5: Central interior highlands (Landmannalaugar, Veidivotn)

Days 6-9: South to south-eastern Iceland (Vík, Seljalandsfoss, Jokulsarlon)

Days 10-11: East to north-eastern Iceland (Egilsstadir, Seydisfjordur, Husey)

Days 12-14: North-eastern to north Iceland (Myvatn, Kopasker, Akureyri, Dettifoss, Godafoss)

Days 15-18: Westfjords

Days 19-21: Western Iceland (Snaefellnes peninsula, Hraunfossar) and return to Reykjavik

Clockwise from top left: Korpudalur, Dynjandi, Arnafjörður

Over 3 weeks

The country is your oyster!  With over 21 days at your disposal, why not take the time to visit the Westman Islands (Vestmanneyjar) in the south, or Grimsey in the north.  There is definitely enough time to hike the Laugavegur Trail, spend a whole weekend near Jokulsarlon, visit Dettifoss from both sides, chase auroras in the highlands, spend a whole day bird-watching, or take a whale-watching tour off the northern coast.  Your holiday can be taken at a leisurely pace, allowing you two nights or more at each place you pick for your accommodation – which can make it more relaxing and cut down on time you spend packing and unpacking supplies.

Top (L): Puffin, Top (R): Female Ptarmigan, Mid: Sheep, Bottom: Icelandic Horses

Remember to…

Check road accessibility.  This website is an excellent resource and should be readily available to you whilst you are in the country: http://www.vegagerdin.is/english/road-conditions-and-weather/.  The itineraries include locations we visited in both our 2009 and 2010 trips – to have separated them by season would have made for too exhausting a post.  It should be noted that more than a few of the locations listed – especially the interior sights – were inaccessible to us in 2009 due to road closures.

Check the aurora forecast here: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/3 .  From late August it may be possible to catch the Aurora Borealis if the activity is high enough from around midnight.  Before then it is still not truly dark and the northern lights, while still around, may not be as visible, especially if there are populated areas nearby.

Keep a notebook to jot down the places you visit… because when you get back you may not remember how to correctly spell the names of the locations!  Of course, you can mark them on your roadmap, but we found we also stopped very often at random places as we were driving from one location to another and some were not always on the map.

I think that’s enough suggestions to get you started on your location planning.  Any questions, feel free to post in comments!

-M

Photographing Iceland – What You Need to Know (Part One)

We’ve had several requests from inspired fellow photographers for suggested itineraries and locations when planning a trip to Iceland after seeing our Facebook and website galleries – which is, of course, one of the greatest compliments we could ever receive!  As with any photographic holiday, preparation and planning goes a long way towards making the trip a success.  There are plans to write an article on planning photographic holidays in general, but for this one we will concentrate specifically on this amazing country that we have come to know reasonably well.

The intention is to divide this topic into 3 parts – the first (this post) to go through some basic logistics (when to visit, where to stay, how to get there), then a second article to concentrate on what to photograph (how long to spend at the locations, what to bring along), and a third to summarise the key points.

Why are you going (and what do you want to photograph)?

This has to be one of the first questions asked for any photographic trip.  You need to be clear on what you are going to photograph as this will influence where you spend the majority of your time and effort, and helps with planning your route as well as the time of year to go.  In any photographic endeavour the greatest enemy is time.  By pinpointing several locations that you want to visit, you can concentrate on a smaller region and thus make the most of your holiday.

One of the ways we decide where to visit is to look online and in bookshops or newsagencies.  Flickr and other photosharing websites can be a good first stop, and so can the official tourist websites.  Once in the country, we generally like to look for coffee table books or postcards, which give us an idea of vantage points, composition and places that may be more off the beaten track.

We visited Iceland twice over two years.  The first time we really didn’t have much of a clue and so a return trip was planned to revisit some of the locations that we felt deserved a better effort.  Over three weeks in late April/early May 2009 we spent a lot of time driving long distances trying to cover the entire country.  Our second trip was planned for August-September 2010 and this time we had specific locations and activities in mind, which meant that we managed a better percentage of “keeper” images.

We planned to hike the Laugavegur Trail on our second visit

When should you visit?

Both trips produced very different photographs.  In late spring (April-May) we found that a lot of the landscape was still covered with snow, and waterfalls were abundant as the snows melted.  The season also meant that the colours of the landscapes tended towards earthy colours (browns, yellows and grey skies).  At that time of year many of the interior roads are inaccessible, which means the central highlands and other interior locations will not be on your list of photography locations, including possibly Dynjandi and Dettifoss (two waterfalls NOT to be missed!).

Dylan photographing Dettifoss

The focus of our second trip was to hike the Laugavegur Trail, to visit both the West Fjords and interior highlands, and to spend more time at Jökulsárlón.  The Laugavegur Trail can only be hiked in the summer months, but we didn’t want to be too much a part of the tourist crowd, so we opted for as late as possible in summer to go such that as the weeks went by the crowds would slowly disappear.  By this time, the waterfalls don’t have as much water, but there are blue skies and green shrubbery, and the magic light of dusk lasts for several hours.

Either way, be prepared with plenty of warm clothing.  In late spring the day temperatures hover around 5 degrees Celsius, and I remember pulling on 3 layers of pants and 4 layers of tops (including outerwear).  In summer it is possible to walk around in a t-shirt but the nights can get bitterly cold, especially if you are planning to catch an aurora at 1am in the central highlands.  Waterproof, windproof outerwear is essential; it is rarely still in Iceland, and in the highlands the winds are so strong that you will need to crouch as low as possible to take a photo.

How will you get around?

Depending on where you live it can take almost 2 days to reach Iceland.  From Adelaide, Australia, it took approximately 35 hours, including all transit times.  IcelandAir will jetty you to and from Reykjavík via Heathrow.  Once in Iceland, we recommend hiring a 4WD vehicle, especially if you are planning to use the interior routes.  There are plenty of bumpy dirt roads and more than a few river crossings through the highlands.  If you only plan to use the Main Ring Road 1 that encircles the country, it is sealed and kept clear all year round (except when volcanoes erupt and glaciers melt), so you can get by without a 4WD.  Car hire was one of the most expensive commodities, which was also part of the reason we tried to go during the “shoulder” season (“low” season) – the difference in price between “peak” and “shoulder” season was at least 150%.  A very good map comes with car hire, though it is rather large and clumsy to handle.

You'll need a 4WD to access Landmannalaugar and other interior highland locations

Where can you stay?

The hostels in Iceland are a cheap and efficient way to get around the country if you don’t require more than a bed and you are happy to self-cater.  Almost all the hostels offer 2-bed (“private”) rooms, but if you wanted to save even more, dormitory-style rooms are also available.  During low season it is possible you may be the only occupant of a hostel (we had a 70-bed hostel all to ourselves at Hvoll in 2009!).  As with anything, dorms come with their own disadvantages – sharing bathroom facilities, snoring occupants, late sleepers, reduced privacy – and your own pre-dawn outings may not be appreciated by others either!  Hostels can be booked through the Iceland Hostelling International website (http://www.hostel.is/).  Beware not all have laundry facilities.  The hostels range from modern and swish at Hvoll and Reykjavík, to cosy and homey facilities at Húsey and Kopasker.

For some locations the hostels are not in close proximity, especially as you move away from Reykjavík.  To photograph Jökulsárlón, for example, we stayed in accommodation run by the “Icelandic Farm Holidays” association (http://www.farmholidays.is/).  It is slightly more expensive than a private hostel room.  There are approximately 160 farms around Iceland that may be more suitable to your travel plans than the hostel locations.  If you plan to hike the Laugavegur Trail and want to stay in the mountain huts, you need to book well in advance through the Ferðafélag Íslands website (http://www.fi.is/en/huts/), or else carry a tent.

We can’t advise on 5-star accommodation as that isn’t our style of travel, but there will certainly be hotels to cater for those that like a bit more luxury.

Camping at Hrafntinnusker on the Laugavegur Trail

How will you handle food supplies?

We self-catered for almost the entire time we spent in Iceland.  It was easier as we did not have to rely on finding food outlets if we stayed out late for a sunset shoot, or if we wanted a midnight snack while waiting for auroras, or a nibble on a cold pre-dawn session at a secluded beach.  Spring temperatures are cold enough during the day to transport dairy foods and cold meats in the boot of the car whilst heading from one hostel to another.  During summer a little more care should be taken, perhaps using an esky or icepack and packing all the cold foods together.

Our favourite supermarket haunt was the Bonus Supermarket chain (http://www.bonus.is/) but they are rare as you head east of Reykjavik.  Look for the slightly ugly pink pig on a yellow banner.  Other supermarkets include 10-11, Krónan, and of course the various ones attached to petrol stations.

Our mascots Twiggy & Chip at a Bonus supermarket!

There is a booklet available in Reykjavík’s Tourist Information Centre that lists all the fine dining options around the country if you are so inclined.  As with accommodation however, we are not particular about our food, so we can only recommend one restaurant in Reykjavik – Geysir Bar and Bistro (the salted cod was AWESOME).  Other than that, the hot dogs stands received our custom for lunches and mid-afternoon snacks.

How much does it cost?

The global financial crisis had a large impact on Iceland’s economy.  As a result, the exchange rate went from 40 Icelandic krona (ISK) to over 100 ISK to the Australian dollar on our last visit; currently the Aussie dollar gets you just under 122 ISK.    This means that store-bought food and drink is very affordable, if not even cheaper than your local supermarket.

The cost of flights has also dropped in recent times.  Our first trip cost approximately $3500 for two people departing Adelaide, including return flights and the ‘domestic’ flights between Heathrow and Reykjavík.  The second time we visited on a round-the-world ticket.

As a rough guide to expenditure on accommodation and car hire, for our 5-week trip last year it cost approximately $8000.  The inclusions:

• Standard car hire (1 week, peak season)
• 4WD car hire (4 weeks, low season)
• Hostel accommodation (majority of nights)
• Farm Holidays accommodation (5 nights)
• Mountain Hut accommodation on the Laugavegur Trail (5 nights)

Car rentals can be booked through the Hostelling International website when you book your accommodation (http://www.hostel.is/).  We did not take out the volcanic ash insurance when hiring a vehicle.

Driving through the interior highlands

Well, I think that covers the basics!  A long post, I know, but next up will be suggested itineraries that will hopefully help you decide where you want to visit, whether you have just a few days, or a few weeks.  We’ll also list our favourite locations and give you an idea of how long you might want to spend there.

If you have any particular questions, feel free to post in comments and we’ll do our best to answer them!

-M