Iceland Photo Tours

Who they are and where they go

Iceland Photo Tours is a Reykjavík-based photography tour operator and travel agency that runs its own photo tours and workshops, led by professional photo guides. The about page says it was founded in 2012 "with the mission of capturing Iceland's unique landscapes though photography" and that it is authorized by the official tourism board of Iceland. The footer names the company as Iceland Photo Workshops ehf., at Lækjargata 2, 101 Reykjavík. It calls itself "Iceland's Leading Photography Tour Operator" and "Europe's leading photography travel agency."

Iceland is the core, with summer, winter, autumn and private tour collections. The about page says demand led the company to expand to "photography workshops all over the world," often run with award-winning guides from other countries, and the site's catalog includes Greenland, Norway, the Faroe Islands, Slovenia and Croatia, Italy, France, Portugal, Scotland, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Africa, Antarctica, Patagonia and South America. The about page sums up the spread as running "from ice caves in Iceland to cherry blossoms in Japan," and elsewhere mentions the wild horses of the Camargue and the deserts of Namibia. It also offers to tailor a landscape workshop for anyone who cannot find one that suits.

The range

The homepage features four Iceland trips: a 5-Day Summer Photo Tour of black sand beaches, waterfalls and glacier lagoons, an 8 Day Summer Photography Workshop, a 10 Day Photo Workshop in the Highlands and South Coast, and a 12 Day Midnight Sun Photography Workshop around Iceland. Reviews on the about page name others, including a 4 Day Northern Lights and Ice Cave Photo Tour, a Two Week Circle of Iceland Photo Workshop in Autumn, a 9 Day workshop in North and West Iceland, an 11 Day Midnight Sun workshop in the Westfjords and a 6 Day camping workshop in the Icelandic Highlands.

International trips on the homepage include Red Sails in Greenland, a Slovenia and Croatia Photo Tour, a 7-Day Lofoten Islands Winter Photo Tour, a Vietnam Photography Tour, a Dubai and Abu Dhabi Photography Workshop, a 9-Day Patagonia Photo Workshop in Autumn, a Lencois Maranhenses photography tour, and a Cappadocia trip "Among Fairy Chimneys & Balloons."

The private tours page shows how the shorter options work. Private photo tours start in Reykjavík and include a Snaefellsnes Peninsula tour available all year (minimum age 16), a Private Northern Lights Photo Tour from August to April with hotel pickup in Reykjavík, a Golden Circle tour with Kerid crater lasting 11 hours, a Highlands workshop from June to October (minimum age 18), a Reykjanes Peninsula workshop, a Landmannalaugar super jeep tour, a 2 Day South Coast workshop (2 days and 1 night, free hotel pickup), a 3 Day South Coast tour (3 days and 2 nights) and a 5 Day Snaefellsnes and Westfjords tour (5 days and 4 nights). Tour cards list the language as English. The same page lists helicopter tours from Reykjavik Domestic Airport of 4 hours, 75 minutes and 40 minutes, and a wider catalog of non-photography tours in Iceland, such as glacier, ice cave, Golden Circle and whale watching trips.

Beyond tours, the company offers location scouting for film productions, with help on transport, accommodation, equipment hire and permits, and fashion and editorial shoots in Iceland, where it handles scouting, the shoot and post production. The scouting page notes that Iceland's government lets film and TV shoots apply to get 20% of production costs back.

How the trips work

The about page lists what every guest gets: guides who are "local and international award-winning professional landscape photographers," transport with room for camera gear, comfortable accommodation so guests are well rested, and any equipment needed "for traversing difficult terrain" free of charge; the private tours page calls this "Glacier Gear Included." Every guest also receives post-processing video tutorials the company values at "over $1,500." When not shooting, guides give lectures and presentations, and the site says trips suit "a complete beginner or a seasoned veteran."

The private tours FAQ adds that the photo guide drives, in a vehicle suited to the weather, monitors conditions and light, and gives close one-to-one supervision, and that private trips come with pre-booked accommodation and transport, which it notes matters because rooms can be hard to find at short notice in the summer and winter high seasons. It also warns that winter driving in Iceland "is only for the very experienced," one of its arguments for a guided trip over a self-drive. The company says it will tailor a private tour to a guest's educational needs on request. Reviews the company chose to show describe well-located hotels, good food, vans with space for equipment, and guides who changed itineraries around storms; one reviewer from Hong Kong says he was told before departure what to bring and prepare. The site also publishes free guides on photographing the aurora, ice caves and puffins, on what to wear for winter tours, and on the best time to visit Iceland for photography.

The site does not give a maximum group size for the group workshops, and the tour cards on the homepage and private tours page show no prices, only the homepage promise of "unbeatable prices."

Booking and contact

Tours are booked on the site by choosing a starting location, dates and number of travelers, with "Book Now Pay Later," "Best price guarantee," "Instant confirmation" and "24/7 customer support" shown on the private tours page. The company can be reached on +354 519 8979, at info@iceland-photo-tours.com or through a contact form, and the footer links to terms and conditions and an FAQ. The tour listings do not state cancellation windows or deposit rules.

Track record, gaps and who it suits

The about page shows 5000+ happy guests, 500+ tours, 1m+ website visitors and 4000+ customer reviews, and says returning customers include Art Wolfe and Daniel Kordan. Reviews show 5.0 from 13 reviews for the 4 Day Northern Lights and Ice Cave tour and 14 reviews for the 10 Day Northern Lights and Ice Caves workshop.

What stays open: prices, group sizes and the cancellation rules, which a traveler needs to read in the booking flow or terms. Iceland Photo Tours suits photographers of any level who want a guide to handle driving, timing and light in Iceland's changeable weather, whether for an evening of aurora or a two-week circuit, and those ready to travel further afield with the same company.