Arctic Eclipse 2026
Welcome to an unparalleled Iceland Photography Workshop, designed for passionate photographers eager to capture the breathtaking beauty of Iceland’s Westfjords. From August 3 to August 12, 2026, immerse yourself in a 10-day journey through some of the most picturesque landscapes and unique wildlife habitats Iceland has to offer. This workshop is meticulously planned to coincide with the rare solar eclipse on August 12, providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to photograph this celestial event against the stunning backdrop of Látrabjarg Cliffs.
Throughout the workshop, you will have the chance to photograph the charming puffins at Látrabjarg, elusive Arctic foxes in the remote Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, and the majestic Dynjandi waterfalls. Starting and ending in Reykjavik, is packed with diverse photography opportunities, from serene coastal villages to dramatic cliffs and fjords. Guided by experienced photography experts, you’ll refine your skills and create a stunning portfolio of images that tell the story of Iceland’s wild beauty. Join us for an unforgettable adventure in the land of fire and ice!
Dates
6 - 15 August, 2026
Group Size
Maximum of 8 participants
Price (USD)
$7,250 (Double Occupancy)
$8,150 (Single Occupancy)
Included
- 10 day workshop with 9 nights accommodation
- Award-winning, professional Photo Guides who will provide a combination of instruction, masterclasses, and in-field guidance
- Transportation during the workshop in a comfortable vehicle with ample room for you and your photography gear
- Welcome and Farewell meals on Days 1 and 9
- Breakfasts at hotels
- Post-processing and digital workflow masterclass/es with Photo Guides
- Access to exclusive discounts on gear from our partners
- Lots of fun, laughter, bragging rights, and amazing memories!
Excluded
- Flights to and from Iceland
- Travel to and from the workshop’s designated pick-up/drop-off points in Reykjavik
- Food and beverages (other than breakfasts, Welcome and Farewell meals)
- Items of a personal nature including (but not limited to) laundry services, clothing, Wi-Fi, email, or phone charges
- Personal Travel, Medical, Equipment, or Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Visas (if applicable)
- Gratuities for Photo Guides, local guides, and/or drivers
Book Now
To secure your spot on this workshop, select from the below to either pay a deposit or in full.
Completing your payment confirms acceptance of the Terms and Conditions as outlined.
A 4% charge is added using this service. Please contact us if you prefer other payment options.
Occupancy Type is subject to availability - please refer to Your Accommodation Selection in the Important Workshop Information section below.
Itinerary
We will keep the below itinerary flexible to allow you to capture the best images possible in the best light.
Some of the sites that we will shoot are included below:
- Make sure you have arrived in Iceland by early afternoon.
- The workshop will start late afternoon with a group orientation and welcome dinner together as a group.
- Siggi will take you to one of his favorite spots to shoot River Braids on the outskirts of the Highlands. The turquoise glacial river system here is vast and intricate, with endless abstract patterns to shoot.
- Geothermal wilderness of Hveravellir to shoot the many multi-colored, boiling mud pools. Most famous are Grænihver (Green Hot Spring), Bláihver (Blue Hot Spring), and Bóluhver (Bubble Hot spring affectionately known as the ‘Dragon Eye’).
- Kerlingarfjöll – a volcanic mountain range and geothermal area with a palette of colors. Minerals from the hot springs color the ground yellow, red, and green, while the glacier looming overhead adds shades of blue and white.
- The Highlands were made for droning!
There are countless unique sites to list, but this will be a full day of shooting jewel-colored crater lakes, dramatic lava flows, moss-covered explosion craters, river braids, volcanic craters stained red from iron, and turquoise waterfalls. These sites arise out of the surrounding vast, uninhabited desert of black volcanic sand.
- Rhyolite mountains of Landmannalauger, a volcanic oasis shaded in yellow, brown, green, blue, and pink colors.
- The largest volcanic crater in the world, incredible waterfalls (including ones we will film while driving across!), and moss-covered volcanic mountains that rise like pyramids out of nowhere, with colors so vivid they look radioactive!
- Lómagnúpur, the mountain on the Ring Road with the highest cliffs in Iceland. Located next to a glacial river, the colorful river braids in the foreground make this mountain incredibly photogenic.
- Svínafellsjökull – an immense glacier tongue that stretches down from the ice cap towards the sea, resembling fingers. Amazing ice abstracts!
- Múlagljúfur – once referred to as ‘Secret Canyon’ but has turned out to be the worst-kept secret! This Insta-famous canyon is popular for a reason – it is EPIC!
- Icebergs from above at Glacier Lagoons
- Diamond Beach
- Glacier Tongues
- Vestrahorn, the iconic mountain that sits alone on the shore of the wild Atlantic Ocean – surrounded by purple wildflowers in summer, shallow pools providing reflections, and undulating black dunes.
- Eystrahorn – an incredibly steep mountain that has been battered over eons by wind and waves, creating jagged peaks and rugged formations from the dark lava rock.
- Brunnhorn – affectionately known as ‘Batman Mountain’ for its distinct shape, with its foreground of turquoise glacial rivers.
- Fjarðarárgljúfur – a magnificent canyon with deep, unusually shaped walls that twist and turn. It is especially epic from above, resembling a zipper ripping along the earth.
- Stunning Waterfalls
- Picturesque Icelandic churches
- One of Siggi’s favorite things to shoot, so he has many spots along the south coast up his sleeve. Turquoise, golden, deep blues, and vibrant greens – you’ll be amazed by the different colors of the river systems as they flow through the farmlands of the south coast, picking up different mineral and sediment deposits that change the color of the water!
- We’ll arrive in the city early in the evening for a Farewell Dinner.
- You’ll make your way home from Iceland with memories to last a lifetime, new friends, and memory cards full of amazing images of Iceland.
During this workshop, we will be focusing on photographing Puffins at one of the best location to shoot them in Iceland, and capturing the solar eclipse of 2026 in the same place. We will also explore some of the incredible landscapes of the Westfjords along with photographing the arctic fox in one of Icelands most remote places.
Our guides will monitor weather forecasts, sunrise/sunset times, road conditions, and any other factors and plan the days to optimize shooting conditions. We will prioritize hands-on, practical learning on location during conditions over classroom/post-processing training.
Ultimately, our goal is to put you in the best locations at the right time with the best light so you can capture fantastic images.
Important Workshop Information
A mild to moderate level of fitness is required for this workshop.
Most shooting locations are easily accessible via a short hike. However, sometimes this may be across rough, uneven, icy or muddy terrain that includes elevation changes. Our Guides will let you know if a photography destination involves a long hike, steep incline or particularly challenging terrain, and provide alternative shooting locations or other options if you don’t feel comfortable.
Participants should be able to carry their own camera gear while hiking.
Sometimes we may remain in a location shooting for a few hours. Participants should be comfortable outdoors for extended periods of time in various weather conditions such as wind, rain, sun and extremes of temperature. Wherever possible, our Guides will keep the vehicle available nearby so participants can rest and take a break.
All participants should be in good physical shape with no mobility issues. If you have any concerns about your suitability, then reach out to us and we will be happy to discuss the particular location details of the workshop with you.
You must advise Viking International Phototours in advance and in writing via email of any illness, injury, or pre-existing medical conditions that might reasonably be expected to affect your participation during the workshop.
We welcome you to join!
This drone photography workshop caters for all skill levels – from absolute beginners to advanced drone photographers.
If you are interested in attending but don’t own your own equipment yet, we have a limited number of drones available for hire. Please contact us for information and rates.
We can also provide recommendations if you want to purchase your own drone before the workshop starts, and we will help you to set it up.
Our workshops require a minimum number of participants to proceed.
We will confirm if your photography workshop will be proceeding 90 days before the start date, at which point full payment of any remaining balance will be required.
Viking International Phototours reserves the right to reschedule or cancel workshops due to low participant numbers. We will do our best to reschedule the workshop within two years of the original date.
If this happens, we will offer you the choice between:
- Retaining your spot on the rescheduled workshop;
- Transferring to the same workshop on a different date if there is availability; or
- Canceling your spot on the rescheduled workshop: No refund – your funds will be held as credit which can be transferred or used towards our other photography workshops, self-drive packages, or tours for up to 2 years from the date of cancellation.
In the improbable event that a workshop is canceled altogether rather than rescheduled, we will offer you the choice between:
- Applying your funds towards a different workshop, tour or self-drive experience; or
- Receiving a full refund minus a $300 USD fee and any non-refundable fees paid to third parties.
Please note that Viking International Phototours are not liable for travel expenses incurred to reach the workshop destination or any other personal expenses incurred in preparing for your workshop. For this reason, we require that you obtain Trip Cancellation & Travel Insurance.
We also recommend you do not book travel or make any trip-related purchases before the workshop has been confirmed.
Accommodation options on our photography workshops may include:
• Double Occupancy where you will share a room with your traveling companion;
• Double Occupancy where you are paired with another workshop participant of the same gender; and/or
• Single Occupancy in your own room.
Your accommodation selection is made when you book the workshop.
During this workshop, we will be staying in clean, comfortable accommodations that include hotels, guesthouses, and apartments.
Please note that if you select Single Occupancy, this may include your own bedroom within a multi-room apartment or Guesthouse (shared bathroom/kitchenette).
Solo Participants wanting Double Occupancy
Solo participants are welcome to select the Double Occupancy rate at the time of booking. If Viking International Phototours is unable to pair you with a roommate of the same gender from the workshop group, we will notify you ahead of the workshop and request you to pay the supplementary cost for a Single Occupancy room.
Single Room Availability
On some photography workshops, Single Occupancy rooms may be limited. If this is the case, single rooms will be assigned on a first-booked, first-served basis. If you booked a photography workshop at the Single Occupancy rate and we are unable to provide you with a single room, we will notify you ahead of the workshop, place you into a Double Occupancy room paired with a workshop participant of the same gender, and refund you the difference.
We cannot delay or change a workshop in the event of travel disruptions that cause a participant to arrive late.
If this happens, participants are responsible for arranging their own transport to catch up with the group – which can be a very costly expense. In addition, no refunds will be made for any time missed on a workshop due to the late arrival by the participant.
For this reason, we highly recommend you arrive the day before your workshop is scheduled to start at the latest.
At the very least, you will be more refreshed and relaxed for the start of your adventure.
Our workshop’s itinerary is subject to change at the discretion of our Photo Guides depending on factors including but not limited to weather, road conditions, transportation delays, and other factors beyond our control. We will check the weather forecasts and road conditions and plan our day to optimize shooting conditions.
We cannot guarantee that we will be able to visit all the locations on the itinerary.
Please note that you are solely responsible for your equipment, and are expected to adhere to all rules and regulations as specified by the Icelandic Transport Authority.
Viking International Phototours and our Photo Guides will not be liable for any injury or damage caused to equipment, environment, or people caused by you operating a drone during our workshop.
Please also note that the wind and weather in Iceland can be sudden and hazardous, so use your judgement and be mindful of conditions.
Please refer to the Terms and Conditions.
Booking with Viking International Phototours indicates acceptance of the Booking Terms and Conditions as outlined.
We know that plans can change, and unforeseen circumstances can happen.
You need to advise us in writing via email as soon as possible if you need to cancel your workshop. Your cancellation is not official until you have received a return email confirmation acknowledging your cancellation.
If you cancel and we can fill your spot on the workshop, you will receive a full refund minus a $300 USD fee.
If you cancel and the workshop does not fill, cancellation requests and refunds will be processed according to the following:
- More than 90 days from the start date of the workshop: Full refund minus $300 USD fee*
- Less than 90 days: No refund – your funds will be held as a credit which can be transferred or used towards our other self-drive packages, tours, or photography workshops for up to 2 years from the date of cancellation*.
*Please note that some of our workshops with partner companies/third parties may have non-refundable deposits, which will not be refunded or credited to you.
If you have any questions about this workshop, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
