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Arctic Exposure's 10 day winter photo tour of Iceland Pro: Reason for choosing AE: The tour was focused on landscape photography during winter rather than general sightseeing. Always wanted to visit Iceland especially at a time when there were relatively few tourists. Reviews in Trip Advisor and other similar sites were quite positive. No personal acquaintances had been on an AE tour, nonetheless, I submitted my deposit and now pleased I took the chance. Accommodations: The hotels were very nice. The rooms were clean and adequately furnished with clothing cupboards and private baths. The beds were comfortable and welcomed after full days of shooting. All had free WiFi. One caveat is the increasingly common use of doonas (AKA duvets). Unless you are anemic, you are likely to find them too warm. The only way I achieved a comfortable sleeping temperature was to sleep uncovered in flannel pajamas. Meals: The meals were very good. Some were menu ordered and other buffet with plenty of selections. Except for alcohol, all food was included in the cost of the tour. Transportation: Our group of eight was ushered around in a Mercedes van equipped with special tires. They resembled tires seen at monster truck rallies. The tire pressure could be controlled by an internal compressor blue-toothed to an app; lowered when traversing snow or ice, and inflated on open road. The van’s seats were comfortable. The ride was smooth and quiet. There was plenty of room for us and our gear. I almost forgot, the van was equipped with WiFi: nice touch. Guide: Dui took very good care of us during our 10 days. He is friendly, knowledgable, accommodating, patient, and an excellent monster wheeled Mercedes van driver. He knows the terrain and the locations meeting the expectations of photographers. He also knows the schedule of other tour providers and made sure were arrived at sites before the masses or the selfie snappers. Con: Although the tour is described as a photographic workshop, we only met to critiqued our photos once and that was towards the end of the tour. While it was an opportunity to review some of our shots, I don’t think it rises to the level of a workshop. If possible, I would have given AE 4.5 stars rather than 5. That being said, if funds were available, I would go on another Arctic Exposure trip. Suggestion: Before traveling to Iceland, take time to acquaint yourself with its history and culture. Icelanders in the Viking Age: The People of the Sagas by William Short provides chapters on settlement, government and law, social structure, food production, and religion to name a few. The book is well written and an easy read. Another recommendation is Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. This is a piece of historical fiction based on the 1830s case of Agnes Magnusdottir, a servant in northern Iceland accused of murdering her employer. The book describes the living conditions of Icelanders and the judicial system leading to her execution. Agnus was the last person to be executed in Iceland. Your guide will know the story and the location of the execution. It is a riveting story written by an Australian who lived in the area for a few years.…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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Responded Mar 13, 2020
Thank you for taking the time to write this detailed review of our workshop. We are very happy to hear you liked it and we will be glad to welcome you back if the opportunity arises for you. We are always looking at ways to improve our workshops and it's good to hear your feedback we'll look into it and see if we can make our workshops even better.
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We booked two private day trips with Arctic Exposure and had a fantastic experience. Our guide, Pall Jokull, is a landscape photographer and native of the area and he drove us to the best locations at the best time of day for magnificent photographs. If your group includes folks who can spent hours with a tripod, this is the company you want to choose. Pall was always on time but never in a rush, really understood what we wanted to do, and took some great pictures of us while we were taking pictures of Iceland! I can't say enough good things about our experience. It was really perfect.…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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Responded Mar 10, 2020
We are really glad you like the tours and you and your family had a great time Julia. Thank you for your kind words and taking the time to share this, we really appreciate it and hope to see you again in the future.
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If you want good photos, go to Lofoten. But if you want incredible photos, go with Arctic Exposure. Not only are the guides spectacular photographers and instructors, they are extremely familiar with the area (Cody resides there!). They may care about you getting THE shot even more than you do! When weather disrupts the schedule - which it inevitably does - they have backup plans and more backup plans. They even accommodate (within reason) special photography requests from guests. If you're going to Lofoten, go with Arctic Exposure, Skarpi and Cody. You won't be sorry.…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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Responded Mar 19, 2020
Thank you Leah for your review we are glad to hear you liked it and we really appreciate you taking the time to share. Looking forward to seeing you again!
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Arctic Exposure’s Photo Workshop of Northern Lights, Ice Caves, and diamonds on the black beach was a fabulous week of capturing beautiful photos. Our guide Aron was so knowledgeable, showing our small group all of his special spots and knowing when to be there depending on the weather plus avoiding the many tourists. I am so glad I chose Arctic Exposure’s trip around the southern part of Iceland. It was Awesome....!…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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Responded Mar 2, 2020
Thank you for your review, Peggy, we are very happy to hear you liked the workshop and your guide Aron. We hope to see you again in the future
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Arctic Exposure's winter photo tour in Iceland is a great experience for both beginner and advanced photographers. Well organized with full days at different locations, conditions and photo ops. The big "bus" took us to locations most vehicles could not reach in winter conditions. The guide, Dui, was himself an accomplished videographer/photographer and provided advice on settings and locations for best shots. Accommodations were all adequate to very good as were food options. Windy conditions made photographing difficult at times, but our group encouraged each other on and Dui provided support and assistance as required. All in all, it was a great trip with VERY little downtime. Excellent value for money. We had been to Iceland in summer and this trip was a nice compliment to our previous trip,.…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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Responded Mar 2, 2020
Thank you for sharing your experience, we are very glad to hear you liked the workshop so much. We'll also pass this on to Dúi. We hope to see you again in the future.
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