Iceland Photography Tips: Finding the Best Shots Between Famous Locations
Between Waterfalls and Canyons: Finding Photographs on Iceland’s Empty Roads
INTRODUCTION
First I want to say that I am a true Iceland addict. Over the past four years I have visited the island at least twelve times, and I plan many more.
If you are planning a photography trip to Iceland, you probably already have a list of places you want to visit in the hope of capturing your best photographs. It is a great way to start.
There is no doubt that places like Kirkjufell, Skógafoss and Diamond Beach should not be missed. These landscapes are truly unique and unlike anything you will find elsewhere in the world.
However, I noticed that photographers often focus too much on well-known spots instead of exploring and experiencing Iceland. I did the same on my first trip. I was focused on getting from spot A to spot B.
And those places are truly stunning, but they also attract large numbers of visitors every day. Capturing an image without hundreds of people somewhere in the frame can be almost impossible.
What if I told you that many of my best photographs were not taken at the famous locations at all?
A winter road cutting through the Icelandic landscape. Images like this often appear while travelling between well known photography locations
They appeared somewhere along the road between them. I captured them simply by watching the landscape, noticing the light and stopping now and then. A few of them have even been published around the world.
In this article I want to encourage you to notice the places most travellers drive past without stopping.
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THE ROAD BETWEEN LOCATION IS WHERE PHOTOGRAPHY HAPPENS
A moss covered volcanic landscape in Iceland. While travelling across the island the scenery can change dramatically within just a few miles.
I drove thousands of miles across the Iceland and one thing I quickly noticed is how constantly the landscape changes. Sometimes it feels like you are driving across the Moon, and fifty miles later it looks more like Mars.
The same place never looks the same twice. For me it always feels like visiting for the first time, even on roads I have driven many times before.
The weather is unpredictable and can change very quickly. That is why many of the best photographs start with simply noticing the light.
Sunlight briefly touching a mountain ridge in Iceland as clouds move across the landscape. Moments like this often last only a few seconds.
Always pay attention to how clouds move across the mountains, or how sunlight touches distant ridges. Sometimes the light opens for only a few seconds. That short moment might be your ten second window for the best image of the day.
I also pay attention to reflections in rivers or wet ground. After rain, even small puddles can suddenly create interesting compositions.
A mountain reflected in a calm Icelandic river. This photograph was later published in Photo Vogue.
Observation is much more important than rushing to the next spot. When you slow down and start noticing these small changes, the road itself becomes one of the most interesting places to photograph in Iceland.
THE INSTINCT TO STOP THE CAR
A quiet stretch of volcanic landscape in Iceland. Scenes like this often make me slow down and stop the car to look more carefully.
Small things can catch your eye while driving.
It might be a simple line in the landscape. A river cutting through moss fields. A road disappearing between hills.
At times it is just a patch of light on a hillside that looks slightly different from the rest of the scene.
At first it might not look like much. But something about it makes you slow down and look again.
A winding river cutting through the Icelandic landscape at sunset. Simple shapes like rivers or roads often become the starting point of a photograph.
I missed many photo opportunities, but over time I developed an instinct for these moments. I began to recognise when a place might turn into a photograph.
It can mean slowing down. It can mean stopping the car. And occasionally it means turning around and going back.
I remember one moment when I almost drove past a scene like this. It was just a quiet stretch of landscape with light moving across the hills. Something about it made me stop the car.
A brief moment of sunlight moving across the valley floor in Iceland. Scenes like this often appear unexpectedly while travelling between locations.
A few minutes later it became one of the best photographs from that trip.
Moments like this are easy to miss if you are only thinking about the next location on your list.
Learning to trust that instinct can often lead to some of the best photographs of the day.
WHY ROADSIDE PHOTOS OFTEN FEEL MORE AUTHENTIC
A rural landscape in Iceland with farms and fields between the mountains. Places like this are often overlooked, yet they can create some of the most personal photographs during a journey.
When you stop between locations, you start experiencing the landscape with no crowds. Just you and the landscape in front of you.
These kinds of moments feel like personal discoveries. They are places most people simply drive past.
They also feel more original. They create a visual story about your journey rather than repeating the same photograph everyone else takes.
Photographs taken unexpectedly often feel more meaningful. Being spontaneous can pay off well. When you allow yourself to be spontaneous, you start capturing your feelings rather than creating postcards.
A small farmhouse in the Icelandic countryside surrounded by fields and mountains. Scenes like this are easy to overlook while travelling, yet they often create some of the most personal photographs.
My regular trips to Iceland made me understand that photography is about experiencing life, and focusing on the journey is equally important.
As a photographer I stopped chasing iconic locations. Of course I will take some pictures of them too, but if there are too many people getting in my way I won’t be disappointed either, because my trip isn’t just about them.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR EYE FOR ROADSIDE PHOTOGRAPHY
Practical tips:
Slow down while driving through interesting landscapes
Driving slowly through Iceland’s moss covered landscapes makes it easier to notice small details and photographic opportunities along the road.
2. Watch the direction of light
Watching the direction of light can completely change a scene. In Iceland the light often moves quickly across the landscape, creating brief moments worth photographing.
3. Look for strong foreground elements
Foreground elements such as roads, structures, or natural lines can help guide the viewer’s eye through the image and add depth to the composition.
4. Notice shapes and lines in the landscape
Snow, water and land often create natural shapes and lines across the Icelandic landscape. Learning to notice these patterns can help turn simple scenes into strong compositions.
5. Be ready to stop quickly
When something interesting catches your eye, be ready to stop. Always pull over safely and make sure you are not blocking the road before stepping out to photograph the scene.
Bear in mind that seeing photographs is a skill that improves with practice.
As you can see in my pictures, between popular locations there are vast landscapes. Moss fields, glacial rivers, volcanic plains. I found that these landscapes often hold unique photographic opportunities.
Many photographers treat Iceland like a checklist of locations, but slowing down creates better opportunities. Photography becomes about observation rather than destinations.
CONCLUSION
Iceland will always be known for its famous waterfalls, mountains and black sand beaches, and there is a good reason for that. They are remarkable places and they deserve their reputation.
But over the years I realised that my photography trips to Iceland are no longer only about reaching those locations. Some of the images I value the most happened while I was simply travelling across the island.
Driving through Iceland teaches you to pay attention. The landscape keeps changing, the weather moves quickly and the light rarely stays the same for long. When you stop thinking only about the next destination, you begin to notice how many photographic opportunities exist along the way.
Sunrise over the moss-covered lava fields of Iceland. Quiet moments like this often appear when you slow down and pay attention to the landscape.
Those moments rarely appear on a map and they are not marked as viewpoints. They happen while you are moving through the landscape and taking the time to observe what is around you.
For me this approach changed the way I photograph Iceland. It made the experience less about chasing specific places and more about being present during the journey itself.
If you have travelled through Iceland with a camera, I would love to hear about the moments that made you stop the car.
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