Fascination Iceland:The best locations for filter photographers?

What started out as a hobby is now his job. Photographer Michael Kuschei is active in many areas of photography. at his Trip to Iceland he stopped the landscape fascinating images firmly. In his luggage he had next to his Canon EOS 5D Mark III the F:X Pro round filter set as well as that C6i carbon travel tripod. In this article he tells everything about the trip from his own point of view, fantastic photo spots and his experiences. We hope you enjoy reading!

The trip to Iceland in times of Corona!

The first time I was in Iceland was in September 2016. At that time I was there for almost 10 days, as it was this time, and the fascination for this country does not break for me. Since the volcano erupted in Iceland, the island has once again been on the planning list for upcoming trips. However, there were many obstacles in the way of the journey due to the corona virus. A five-day quarantine in a hotel would simply have been too great a cost and time factor. This quarantine period could only be avoided by vaccination or by recovering from an illness.

Since such a journey should never be made alone if you want to share the experiences, I put my team together. Which also turned out to be rather difficult due to the requirements. In the meantime, a photographer colleague had received a vaccination against the virus, which only required one dose. Another colleague was also able to accompany us as a convalescent due to a positive antibody test.

So the three of us started the journey and on the first day we really wanted to marvel at the fiery natural wonder. Since we had a very long journey, we started after a short break towards the volcano. Arriving at the parking lot, we could simply follow the pilgrimage route to the natural spectacle. After a few minutes along the way, we could see a column of smoke that was lit up in glowing red and orange. The closer we got, the greater the tension. A wide valley lay before us. Filled with black and red glowing lava. On the horizon was a huge one fire-breathing mountain to see. First we explored the fresh lava pushed out of the lava field. An incomparable heat came towards us. It was even hotter and more intense than anything I've experienced so far. What I didn't know until that moment was that solidified lava and also liquid lava are constantly moving. The sound made by this type of movement could be likened to shards of glass being pushed back and forth.

After getting our first impressions of the lava field, we continued up the mountain to get to the view of the volcano. When you stand directly in front of the volcano, you feel tiny. The volcano's crater itself may have been about the size of an entire soccer field. Every few minutes one shot out of the volcano huge lava fountain. Even though we were a few hundred meters away, we could still feel the heat. The lava fireworks were always followed by a tidal wave of lava. I wanted this with the F:X Pro Filter 82mm ND64 in one Capture long exposure. I thought of the silky water of a river in similar shots.

Because the volcano formed a cloud around itself, despite the length of time we stayed there, we were unable to see the sunrise or sunset.

Silky waterfalls and crystal clear icebergs 

Our journey then continued past Seljalandsfoss, Gljúfrabúi and Gluggafoss to Skógafoss. The latter is one of largest waterfalls in Iceland and impresses with its water curtain. Along the river small sheltered ponds were found, in which the waterfall was reflected. If you could place the tripod cleverly, you can do one nice long exposure with the F:X Pro Filter 82mm ND1000 and the ND64 capture.

Through an ever-changing landscape, past Fjaðrárgljúfur, a very beautiful canyon, which shines in the green of the moss, we drove on in the direction of Skaftafell National Park. There we made a short hike to Svartifoss. This waterfall is characterized by the special rock structures from which it flows. This was created by slowly cooling lava.

Continuing on the N1 we came straight to the one Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon over. There we unpacked our inflatable stand up paddling boards and paddled right past the huge, floating icebergs. After we were completely soaked, we allowed ourselves a break on the adjacent black beach. At first glance, it appeared to be adorned with numerous diamonds. But the closer you got, you noticed that it was lots of little icebergs were drifting the sea in front of them on the beach. These crystals also offered a great motif with the flowing water, especially with a longer exposure and the F:X Pro Filter 82mm ND1000 came into play. In the second picture, the F:X Pro 82mm ND8 used.

Clear vision with the F:X Pro ND and F:X Pro CPL polarizing filters

After that we drove on Stokksnes, where black sand beach meets rugged mountains. Actually we would have one there again sunset aimed for, but were disappointed with clouds that lingered in the mountains. Still I could with that F:X Per CPL a couple Contrasts even stronger lift out.

There are many waterfalls in Iceland. Every single one is worth a look. Our route continued through numerous fjords, rocky mountain roads and waterfalls. through the volcanic landscape from Myvaten we then arrived at Aldeyjarfoss. A waterfall that looks like it is flowing into a lake due to its special flow. Time didn't matter on our trip as the sun only disappeared for about 3-4 hours before rising again. So perfect conditions and an eternally long blue hour for taking pictures.

About the same way back where we turned off the N1 ring road to Aldeyjarfoss was Goðafoss. It was already 02:00 in the morning and the moon was slowly rising on the horizon. The Godafoss is characterized by its wide course and looks gigantic. I tried a little with that F:X Pro CPL round filter to experiment and found that even in the middle of the night still reflections in the water can thus be eliminated.

After this waterfall we continued on our way northwest. Never really enjoying a dark night, two of us slept while one drove. While driving we could have a forever long sunrise experience and discover some motifs. Here the polarization filter convinced again and showed its strength by Colors much richer let work. Above all, you noticed them change in heaven through the saturated shade of blue. I am particularly fascinated by this filter again and again because it Clouds more visible in the sky lets appear.

In the evening we continued west to Kirkjufellsfoss. There we were finally once with a wonderful sunset rewarded.

Panorama am Kirkjufellsfoss

After Kirkjufellsfoss, where I F:X Pro Filter 82mm ND 1000 used, we had actually already circumnavigated the island and still had 2 days before we had to take our return flight. Pretty early on in our trip we wanted to observe and photograph the puffins on the island. Unfortunately, due to bad weather and strong winds, we didn't get to see the birds. Therefore we started a new attempt on the remaining days. On the way to the puffins we drove past Seljalandsfoss again, which we initially visited in the midday sun. I wanted to take the chance and see the waterfall again take better light photos. We had a wonderful sunset that turned the waterfall golden yellow and finally red. Quickly set up a tripod and camera so that we managed to get one Panorama of six images with long exposure and the F:X Pro Filter 82mm ND64 to shoot.

The next day we also returned to the location of the puffins and were able to capture all the motifs we had planned. Towards evening the weather changed again and it became rainy and stormy.

We decided to visit the volcano again under the most adverse conditions. This time without a camera, but with rain gear. We ended our last day with a small barbecue over the hot lava.

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