Dates:

Monday, October 14 - Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Cost: 

$8,395 - Double occupancy lodging (Single room available for $1000)

Size:

Limited to 8 attendees

Included in the cost of the trip:

• Double occupancy lodging (Single room available for $1000)
• All meals and beverages except alcohol and snacks
  
• Ground transportation in modified 4x4 vehicle
  
• All fees for park access
• Gratuities for local guide and driver
• In the field photography instruction
  
• 1-on-1 Adobe Lightroom and critique sessions
• Loaner Leica equipment (*limited availability)
  
  

Not included:

• Airfare
• Airport transfers
• Alcoholic beverages and snacks
  
• Medical Travel Insurance (required)
• Visas (if necessary)
  

Signing Up

To sign up for the photo adventure, just pay the deposit, and single room supplement if you so choose, here on our website, email us (workshops@leicastoremiami.com) or call 305-921-4433. We are happy to answer any questions you may have. 

We look forward to seeing you in Iceland!

ITINERARY

Monday, October 14th: Arrival

After arriving at Iceland's Keflavik International Airport (KEF), you can take the Flybus or a taxi to our hotel in the center of Reykjavík. At 6:00pm, we'll have a meet and greet in the hotel lobby and then enjoy a welcome dinner. We’ll spend the evening getting to know each other, and we'll take a closer look at the itinerary and adventure to come. We will spend the night in Reykjavik and rest well for our morning departure.  

Accommodation: Fosshotel Reykjavík

October 15-16: Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Our bus will pick us up from the hotel in the early morning, and we will start our journey to the beautiful Snæfellsnes peninsula where we will spend the next two nights. On our way to Snæfellsnes, we will travel pass majestic mountains and the farmlands of West Iceland. Once at the peninsula, the towering Snæfellsjökull glacier volcano will greet you. We’ll spend our day shooting some of the stunning scenery found in this region including charming fishing villages, beautiful coastlines, and iconic mountains. At night, we will seek out the Northern Lights.

Accommodation: Fosshotel Stykkishólmur



On the third day, we’ll have the chance to explore the Snæfellsnes peninsula in depth. We’ll photograph the cone-shaped mountain Kirkjufell and the nearby waterfall. Fans of the HBO series Game of Thrones might recognize this iconic feature as it was used as a backdrop in the show. We will also see some of the area’s dramatic coastlines and photograph the pounding waves of the Atlantic Ocean as it hits the peninsula’s cliffs. If the conditions are favorable in the evening, we will hunt and photograph the Northern Lights as they dance across the evening sky.

Accommodation: Fosshotel Stykkishólmur

October 17th: South Coast of Iceland


You will leave the Snæfellsnes Peninsula on the fourth day. Your memory cards, packed with diverse images, will no doubt reassure you that you’ve made the most of your journey so far. Your trip will now lead you away from West Iceland to the wonders of the South Coast. This is one of Iceland’s most popular tourist routes due to the wealth of landmarks that line it, all within sight of the main road to the east. The region is magnificent in fall when the verdant landscape becomes crisp and stained with oranges and reds.  As the golden hour rolls into nighttime, you will try to capture the sites beneath the aurora borealis.

On your fifth day, you will leave Vík and finish journeying along the South Coast as you head to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Vatnajökull National Park. You will stop before reaching the lagoon, however, diverting to the Skaftafell Nature Reserve. The reserve is a paradise for photographers; like at Snæfellsnes, there are a wealth of diverse sites all contained within a relatively small area.  You will thus spend the majority of the day finding unique subjects to shoot, including glacial tongues, lakes, waterfalls, forests and lava landscapes.  After making the very most of this spectacular place, you will head over to Jökulsárlón, to catch it as the sun sets and hopefully have a chance to shoot it beneath the Northern Lights. Jökulsárlón is often considered to be Iceland’s most beautiful location, and you will have no doubts as to why it is held in such high esteem when you begin your shoot.  Here, vast icebergs break from a glacial tongue, then sail across an enormous lagoon towards the ocean. Their colouration is vivid, scale mesmerising, and the fact you can practice your wildlife photography on the seals who live in the area only adds to the magical experience. You will retire for the night in the south-east of Iceland.

Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

October 19th: Diamond Beach


You will return to Jökulsárlón for a sunrise shoot on your sixth morning; under the many different lighting conditions you get throughout Iceland’s autumn days, its appearance, colour and beauty are forever changing. You will remain in this area for most of the day. You will not only be shooting Jökulsárlón, however. You will also head to the adjacent Diamond Beach, where the icebergs are washed upon the shore and glitter in the surf and sun; this is one of the best places in the country for photographers to practice with exposure and light effects. Your photo guides will also take you to a much lesser-known glacier lagoon, Fjallsárlón. Here, you will be able to make more time with your shots, as there will be far fewer crowds. Though not as vast as Jökulsárlón, Fjallsárlón is still a spectacular site, and you will get a better few of the glacial tongue leading into the lake. If the aurora borealis did not show last night, you and your guides will keep an extra keen eye out for them tonight; capturing them above the lagoon or beach is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

October 20th: Vestrahorn Mountain & Vatnajokull National Park


We'll spend this day exploring more of the majestic Mývatn region including the colorful geothermal area by Námaskarð mountain, also known as Hverarönd or Hverir. There we can photograph the many solfataras and boiling mud pots, which are themselves surrounded by sulphur crystals. As the area gives off a lot of hot steam, caution is advised. Afterwards if you wish you will get to climb Hverfjall, one of the world‘s largest explosion craters, and have a great view of the wild snow-clad landscape. Altogether, this is a perfect day to explore and photograph stunning evidence of earth‘s inner powers.

Accommodation: Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

October 21st: Return to Reykjavík


Today, we'll head out to photograph Goðafoss waterfall at sunrise before returning to Reykjavík. If time permits we'll make some photography stops along the way. After checking in at our hotel, we'll meet for a farewell dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Tuesday, October 22nd: Departure

On our final day in Iceland, we will wake in Reykjavik, have breakfast and say our goodbyes. You can take the FlyBus or a taxi to Keflavik International Airport, full of memories and photographs from an unforgettable adventure. 

Payment

A $2495 deposit, along with the single supplement room fee if you choose it, is due at the time of registration. The balance will be due on July 14, 2024.

Withdrawal and Refund Policy

Enrollment is limited to 8 participants, and once you sign up, we are counting on your attendance. If you need to withdraw from this workshop, please notify us in writing (email is acceptable) as soon as possible. This is our refund policy:

If you cancel and we find someone to fill your seat, we will refund you the full amount you have paid towards the tuition, minus a $250 service charge. If you cancel and we cannot find someone to fill your seat, then you will be refunded according to the following schedule:

At least 90 days before the start of the workshop: Full refund minus $250 service fee.
Between 89 and 60 days before the start of the workshop: 75% refund
Between 59 and 45 days before the start of the workshop: 50% refund
Less than 45 days from the start of the workshop: No refund

Course Cancellation and Other Terms

Leica Store Miami reserves the right to cancel a reservation if full payment has not been received by 90 days prior to the start of the workshop.

In the event that this workshop must be canceled due to inadequate enrollment, all fees and deposits will be refunded in full or may be transferred to another workshop within 24 months.

In the unlikely event of illness, accident or injury to one of the instructors, Leica Store Miami reserves the right to replace that instructor with a comparable instructor.

In the event of a natural disaster or severe weather event, Leica Store Miami reserves the right to postpone or cancel the workshop.

Medical Insurance (required)

Emergency medical insurance through a provider like Allianz or similar is required to participate in any of Leica Store Miami's international workshop.

Travel Insurance (STRONGLY recommended)

Leica Store Miami is not responsible for cancellations due to medical or personal emergencies so we highly recommend purchasing travel Insurance. Companies like Travelex and Allianz Global Assistance are reputable but you can choose any vendor you like. Just make sure that they have an A+ rating from the BBB. Leica Store Miami is not responsible for reimbursement of non-refundable airline tickets in the event of a workshop cancellation.

Camera Gear Insurance (STRONGLY recommended)

We advise all of our workshop attendees to insure their camera gear against damage, theft, loss, etc. If your gear is not already insured, check with your home owner's insurance to see if they offer coverage. There are several photo specific insurance policies out there as well.

Communicable Illness Protocols

Our main goal on all of our tours is to keep everyone safe. To that end, we ask that everyone do their best to avoid exposure to communicable diseases like Covid-19, influenza, RSV, etc before and during our trip. If someone in our group becomes ill on the trip and we deem it to be harmful to the group, we reserve the right to remove them from group activities where social distancing is not possible.

Single Room Policy
If you sign-up for double occupancy room sharing and there are no other attendees to pair you with, you will be responsible for paying the single room supplement.

Transfers
If for any reason you wish to transfer your deposit or workshop fee, please notify us by email. You must register and complete a new workshop within 24 months of the withdrawal. We reserve the right to accept or deny any transfer.

There are no exceptions to our Cancellation and Transfer Policy.