I have only been home for one day, yet I can already share some impressions from the past two weeks in Iceland’s summer, as I once again made good use of my time at the airport 😅
For the fifth year in a row, I had the pleasure of leading the Iceland Summer Tour as a photography coach for Brockmann Phototravel, combining landscape and wildlife photography. The last three times, I guided the extended version of the tour, a 13-day journey around the island. Once again, I was supported by the excellent Christian Binder, with whom I truly enjoy running these tours.
There was one thing we could once again rely on during Iceland’s summer: everything was different 😊 In terms of weather, this tour was the complete opposite of last year’s sunny conditions, with several nights presenting rather challenging weather. Yet it is precisely under such circumstances that Iceland truly reveals its strengths.
On the other hand, we were rewarded with some wonderful light conditions at several locations, and above all, the wildlife was very kind to us. Across no fewer than twelve species, I was able to capture what are probably my finest images of the past ten years, despite having encountered these species many times before.
My growing focus on wildlife photography at Icelandic locations over recent years proved invaluable. This time, almost all of the specific habitats I had scouted over the years performed exactly as I had hoped.
Although the tour is primarily focused on landscape photography, I returned home this year mainly with wildlife images. At several well-known locations, we repeatedly switched between the two genres. For the first time, I also brought along my large telephoto lens, the Nikon Z 600mm f/4 TC S.
I will present my images in the following upcoming series (each featuring 18 photographs):
- The Wonderful Fauna of the Icelandic Tundra
- Birdlife Around the Jökulsárlón Glacier Region
- Iceland’s Summer Landscapes and Their Details
- Fresh from the Avifauna – The Unexpected By-catch of an Iceland Journey
In today’s first instalment, I would like to share some highlights from the beautiful tundra regions that I am particularly fond of. I simply love the lichen-covered volcanic stones, the thick layers of moss, and the delicate grasses. While there are even more reliable habitats for the species shown here elsewhere in Iceland, I usually prefer working in this wonderfully photogenic subarctic tundra.
The tour was tremendous fun, and I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank Steffi, Anja, Sabine, Nicole, Anne, and Harald 🙏. My sincere thanks also go to my outstanding co-coach Christian, and to Kathrin from Brockmann Phototravel for organising this wonderful journey, which would not have been possible without her 👌
Best regards,
Thomas
I hope you enjoyed the series 😊
Kind regards,
Thomas