Fascination Iceland: The Best Locations for Filter Photographers?

What started as a hobby is now his profession. Photographer Michael Kuschei is active in many areas of photography. During his trip to Iceland, he captured the landscape in fascinating images. In his luggage, in addition to his Canon EOS 5D Mark III, he had the F:X Pro ND Filter Set and the C6i Carbon Travel Tripod. In this article, he tells everything about the trip, dreamlike photo spots, and his experiences from his own perspective. We hope you enjoy reading it!

The trip to Iceland in times of Corona!

The first time I was in Iceland was in September 2016. Back then I was there for almost 10 days, just like this time, and my fascination for this country never ceases. Since the volcano in Iceland erupted, the island has again been high on the planning list for upcoming trips. However, the coronavirus put many obstacles in the way of the trip. 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 recovery from the illness.

Since such a trip should never be done alone if you want to share the experiences, I gathered my team. Which also proved difficult due to the requirements. A fellow photographer had, in the meantime, received a vaccination against the virus, which only required one dose. Another colleague was also able to accompany us as a recovered person due to a positive antibody test.

So, the three of us started the journey, and on the first day, we absolutely wanted to marvel at the fiery natural wonder. Since we had a very long journey, we set off towards the volcano after a short break. Already at the parking lot, we could simply follow the pilgrim's path to the natural spectacle. After a few minutes on the way, we could see a plume of smoke, glowing red and orange. The closer we got, the greater the excitement. A wide valley then lay before us. Filled with black and red glowing lava. On the horizon, a huge fire-breathing mountain was visible. First, we explored the fresh lava that was pushed out of the lava field. An incomparable heat met us. It was even hotter and more intense than anything else I had experienced until now. What I didn't know until this moment was that solidified lava and also liquid lava constantly move. The sound that this kind of movement makes could be compared to glass shards being pushed back and forth.

After we had gathered first impressions at the lava field, we continued up the mountain to get a view of the volcano. Standing directly in front of the volcano, you feel tiny. The crater of the volcano itself must have been about the size of an entire football field. Every few minutes, a huge lava fountain shot out of the volcano. Although we were several hundred meters away, we could still feel the heat. The lava fireworks were always followed by a tidal wave of lava. I wanted to capture this with the F:X Pro Filter 82 mm ND64 in a long exposure. I thought of the silky water of a river in similar shots.

Because the volcano formed a cloud around itself, we were unable to watch the sunrise or sunset despite the time we spent there.

Silky Waterfalls and Crystal Clear Icebergs 

Our journey continued, past Seljalandsfoss, Gljúfrabúi and Gluggafoss to Skógafoss. The latter is one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland and impresses with its curtain of water. Along the river, small wind-protected pools could be found, in which the waterfall was reflected. If you could skillfully place the tripod, you could capture a beautiful long exposure with the F:X Pro Filter 82 mm ND1000 and the ND64.

Through an ever-changing landscape, past Fjaðrárgljúfur, a very beautiful gorge that glows in the green of the moss, we continued towards Skaftafell National Park. There we took a small hike to Svartifoss. This waterfall is characterized by the special rock structures through which it flows. These were created by slowly cooling lava.

Further along the N1, we came directly to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. There, we unpacked our inflatable Stand Up Paddleboards and paddled directly past the huge, floating icebergs. After we were completely soaked, we treated ourselves to a break on the adjacent black beach. At first glance, this seemed to be adorned with numerous diamonds. But the closer you got, the more you realized that they were countless small icebergs that the sea had washed ashore. These crystals, with the flowing water, also offered a great subject, which was particularly effective with a longer exposure and the F:X Pro Filter 82 mm ND1000. In the second image, the F:X Pro 82 mm ND8 was also used.

Clear view with F:X Pro ND and Polarization Filter F:X Pro CPL

After that, we drove on to Stokksnes, where the black sand beach met rugged mountains. We had actually aimed for a sunset there again, but were disappointed by clouds that remained in the mountains. Nevertheless, I was able to emphasize some contrasts even more strongly with the F:X Pro CPL.

There are many waterfalls in Iceland. Each one is worth seeing. Our route continued through numerous fjords, rocky mountain roads, and waterfalls. Through the volcanic landscape of Myvatn, we then arrived at Aldeyjarfoss. A waterfall that, due to its unique course, looks as if it flows into a lake. Time played no role on our trip, because the sun only disappeared for about 3-4 hours before rising again. So perfect conditions and an endlessly long blue hour for photography.

We took roughly the same route back where we had turned off the N1 ring road to Aldeyjarfoss, and there was Goðafoss. It was already 2:00 in the morning and the moon was slowly rising on the horizon. Goðafoss is characterized by its wide course, which makes it appear gigantic. I tried to experiment a little with the F:X Pro CPL circular filter and found that even in the middle of the night, reflections in the water can be eliminated with it.

After this waterfall, we continued our journey towards the northwest. Since we never really got to enjoy a dark night, two of us slept while one was at the wheel. During the drive, we experienced an endlessly long sunrise and discovered some motifs. Here, the polarization filter convinced again and showed its strength by making the colors appear much richer. Especially noticeable was the change in the sky due to the saturated blue tone. I am always particularly fascinated by this filter because it makes clouds in the sky appear more visible.

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

Panorama at Kirkjufellsfoss

After Kirkjufellsfoss, where I used the F:X Pro Filter 82 mm ND 1000, we had actually already circled the island and had 2 days left before we had to catch our flight home. Quite at the beginning of our trip, we wanted to observe and photograph the puffins on the island. Due to the bad weather and strong winds, we unfortunately didn't get to see the birds. Therefore, we made a new attempt on the remaining days. On the way to the puffins, we also passed Seljalandsfoss again, which we had visited at midday initially. I wanted to take the opportunity to photograph the waterfall again in better light. We were treated to a wonderful sunset that turned the waterfall golden yellow and finally red. We quickly set up the tripod and camera, so it was possible to shoot a panorama of six long-exposure images with the F:X Pro Filter 82 mm ND64.

The next day, we returned to the puffin spot and were able to capture all the shots we had planned. Towards evening, the weather turned again, becoming 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 concluded our last day with a small barbecue over the hot lava.

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