Northern Lights Tour 2012

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The South coast offers a magnificent opportunity to photograph Icelandic landscape. It is a great area for exploring the majestic glaciers, mountainside waterfalls, black sandy shores, incredible rock formations and fields of lava grown with luscious moss and authentic Icelandic farms by the glaciers.

Now imagine all that landscape as the main stage of one of the most impressive spectacles of nature, the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. And as we all know, for taking the best photos it is important to consider what is in the foreground and what is taking place in the sky. Here’s where both of these aspects become essential. Hence, one of the objectives of this trip will be improving the use of our DSLR camera and our technique of night photography and time lapse. In doing this you will have the personal assistance of a specialist in this field – Enrique Pacheco whose knowledge will support you in achieving the best results.
The workshops are suitable for both professionals and beginners. No specific knowledge is needed to participate.

6 days / 5 nights (November 14th to 19th).

- Level: Medium.
- Difficulty of terrain: class 1 (no difficulty walking)
- Price: 995€
- Number of participants: 12
- Registration: info@enriquepacheco.com
- Included: Guide, driver, accommodation, all meals, transportation in Iceland and technical assistance.
- Not included: snacks, alcoholic beverages, flights to and from Iceland

Highlights

- Photographing one of the greatest spectacles of nature – the Northern Lights
- Learning and improving our technique in night photography
- Visiting Jokulsarlon – the glacier lagoon
- Most beautiful waterfall in Iceland – Gullfoss
- Volcanic landscapes, hot springs, etc.
- Capturing stunning waterfalls, geysers etc.
- Travelling to the most photogenic places

What to bring:

- DSLR Camera
- Tripod
- Memory cards (At least 16Gb)
- Remote
- Laptop or an external hard drive
- Warm clothes (winter coat, waterproof pants, boots and plenty of socks)

Itinerary

Day 1. Friday, March 9th. We will meet at our hotel, explanations of the trip and the program will be given. After that we will have time to get acquainted to each other and if you still have energy we can go photographing the Northern Lights at the Reykjanes peninsula.

Day 2. Saturday, March 10th. We’ll start the trip to the South. Our first stop is Vik – an authentic small Icelandic village near to the Skogafoss waterfall and the famous beaches of Dyrhólaey and Reynisdrangar, all of them amazing sceneries for our Northern Lights pictures.

Day 3. Sunday, March 11th. After a good sleep and a nice brunch we’ll head to our next spot, the big one, Jokulsarlon lagoon, well known for being the set for a James Bond movie. It is a beautiful lagoon between the glacier and the ocean, a magical place where we’ll spend the day shooting floating icebergs that travel from the glacier to the shore, where they stop in the volcanic sand. After a long day and night of shooting we will sleep in a comfortable and authentic farm
hotel very near to the lagoon.

Day 4. Monday March 12th. We head back to our previous accommodation in Vik, this time making new stops at Vatnajokull and Soleimajokull glaciers, where glacier lagoons are now appearing as a result of the climatic change. The last time lapses of the day will be done at beach in Vik where three big rock formations show up from the dept of the ocean which according to the Icelandic sagas are believed to be old trolls.

Day 5. Tuesday, March 13th. This day will be full of attractions – we’ll visit Thingvellir, the big valley where the American and European tectonic plates are crashing, creating a huge cliff. We will also be stopping at the Geysir and the hot springs that surround it. And finally Gullfoss – the majestic waterfall with two big steps. Get ready for one of the greatest experiences ever!
After these spectacular stops we’ll head back to our main hotel in Reykjavik.

Day 6. Wednesday, March 14th. Departure day. If Your flight is in the afternoon, don’t miss the Blue Lagoon near the airport!

Barbro Rakos
Producer (Alaska)

As a teacher, Enrique keeps the processes of photography, filmmaking, and post-production transparent and accessible. When you are on set with him, he encourages and welcomes your abilities, and shares what he knows with you as an equal. He invited all the students into deeper levels of the work, teasing us to push our boundaries and try new things. I also watched him successfully negotiate a challenging creative direction discussion, and learned a few things from that. Good communication is invaluable in this kind of work.
The skills and relationships I gained from this workshop were worth every penny, and the experience of traveling through remote parts of Iceland are priceless.