## 🇮🇸 First time in Iceland
- Went to Iceland during thanksgiving for an 11 days photo trip! Finally, get to see this legendary country, and it truly did not disappoint. 11 days was just too short! 😆
- We get stuck in the snow trying to pull over to shot northern light. And immediately, a couple of passing cars stopped to help us get out. Those friendly Icelanders! 😍
- I had a pretty low expectation for photographing Kirkjufell because it has been photographed by so many people. But it turns out to be one of the most enjoyable sessions! There are lots of different foreground opportunities, especially under different temperatures and the river shore frozen in different ways. And we are lucky that there are only a handful of people around.
- We drove in a whiteout situation briefly one day and then drove in an extremely windy situation (wind gusts at 70+ mph!) the other day. We are lucky that they didn't happen at the same time cause both times are stressful. 😅
- I've been practicing not bringing too much expectation during these photo trips so that I have a better time enjoying nature and finding connections. And I'm glad I did that cause otherwise, I think I would've come back feeling quite disappointed comparing all the epic shots I saw from the Internet and the light we got during our trip.

## 📝 Traveling Tips
- Consider bringing an extra glove, just in case you are about to go out and realize you lost one.
- Handwarmers are quite handy and surprisingly not that easy to find in the local grocery store.
- Winter driving around ring road was not as hard as it seemed from the Internet. If you are unsure, try to keep the itinerary flexible and level your way up. (we only booked a hotel for our first 4 nights, then we improvised every day). As you gain more experience each day and prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario, it should be easy to break through your comfort zone.
- Iceland's real-time road status website was super helpful that we check every day: http://www.road.is/travel-info/road-conditions-and-weather/entire-iceland-road-conditions-map/ . We were mostly on the green, orange, light blue, and white line during the trip, and our 4WD SUV with studded tires handled them smoothly. 
- The food in Iceland greatly exceeds our expectations! At least compared to those in the rural area of the USA. 😅
- Landscape photography during winter in Iceland is so comfortable. There's no need to get up early for sunrise anymore, and I get to have dinner by 5pm!
- Compared to Canada, Central America, or Alaska, the temperature was much milder. I'm guessing that's because it's close proximity to the ocean. It doesn't get lower than -20 ℃ too often.


## 📸 Photography Tips
- Waterproof socks are super handy. Especially when the snow gets into the boots and starts melting.
- Water boots are still a must-have when shooting seascapes.
- Electric Air Duster (https://amzn.to/307eGq7) was extremely handy! Not only did it help me blow the snow/water out instantly when shooting the waterfalls, but it also helped me clean up my drone after flying through rain and snow.
![](https://ik.imagekit.io/1alhfoypqsx/Screenshot_2021-12-08_18-22-59.png)
- A lot of popular spots have now banned drones. It'll probably become more and more restrictive. 😞
- I don't recommend going on Ice cave tour with a large group. We had 13 people in our group, and I found it quite hard to get into the mindset of taking good photos.
- It seems like it's after mid-November did the snow started to accumulate. I thought it'd be much earlier. So if you want to shoot winter landscape, probably the later, the better.

## 🇮🇸 第一次去冰島
- 趁著感恩節假期來了個十一天的冰島攝影之旅，終於見到了這個風景攝影的聖地！真的是名不虛傳又潛力無窮，短短十一天根本拍不滿足啊 😆
- 為了拍極光不小心路邊停車的時候停到鬆雪裡卡住，馬上就有好幾組路過的冰島人停下來幫我們把車拉出來 😍
- 教堂山名不虛傳，雖然是個超級熱門的拍照點，但還是可以找出有趣的構圖，尤其在河岸邊每天結冰的程度不一樣，會有不同樣子的前景
- 最近在練習不要抱持過度的期待進入大自然，以免期望越高失望越大。如果讓那個失望感影響到旅行的情緒、或是導致錯過一些沒人會發現的獨特美景，那就真的是太可惜了。這一趟幸好有這樣設定好心態，否則我猜我應該會對於這次遇到的光線感到失望吧。

## 📝 旅程心得
- 手套可以多帶一雙備用，以免不見了還得找地方買
- 暖暖包很好用
- 冬季自駕環島沒有網路上說的那麼困難。如果不確定的話，保持行程的彈性 (我們第四晚之後都是前一晚才決定隔天晚上的住宿點)，透過旅程的前幾天熟悉環境獲取經驗值，然後抱持著大不了就開到不敢再開然後回頭，或是任何一個點都可以多住一晚休息等等想法，就可以突破舒適圈，然後獲取新的經驗。
- 冰島的即時路況資訊真的很方便，每天都在看：http://www.road.is/travel-info/road-conditions-and-weather/entire-iceland-road-conditions-map/ 。這趟都開在綠、橘、淺藍、白色線上面，我們租的小 SUV 四輪驅動加鑲釘輪胎，輕鬆開過。
- 食物真的是遠比想像中好吃，至少跟在美國拍風景照吃速食店比起來。
- 冬天冰島拍照好開心，早上可以睡飽吃完早餐，十點在開始準備拍日出。然後下午五點就拍完日落開始吃晚餐了，超級人性化的行程。😆
- 跟加拿大、美國中部、阿拉斯加比起來，好像沒有想像中的冷。島國感覺靠海的的調節，氣溫可能還是比較不常掉到 -20 ℃ 的痛苦區間。

## 📸 攝影心得
- 防水襪很好用，當雪不小心跑進鞋子裡面的時候融化成水的時候，還是有最後一道保護。
- 拍海的話長筒雨鞋一樣是必備神器
- 電動吹球 (https://amzn.to/307eGq7) 是這趟最新發現的神器，除了拍瀑布可以瞬間把鏡頭上的霧吹乾之外，空拍機在雲霧中飛完回來也可以快速把他清乾淨，在寒冷的環境一直壓吹球很痛苦啊。
![](https://ik.imagekit.io/1alhfoypqsx/Screenshot_2021-12-08_18-22-59.png)
- 熱門的景點很多都不能飛空拍機了，感覺只會越來越嚴格 😞
- 藍冰洞不推薦跟大團的 tour，我們那團有十三個人，覺得很難進入拍攝狀態。
- 今年十一月中以後好像才剛開始積雪，本來以為這個時候早就是被大雪覆蓋了，要拍雪景的話可能更晚一點會更保險。

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