My tours utilize an 18 passenger 4x4 Mercedes bus. This vehicle gives us ample interior space for our camera equipment, and extra seats for the group of 9. Additionally, it has a sizeable trunk so we can carry our bigger bags inside the van instead of in a trailer.

You’ve probably heard of the Ring Road of Iceland somewhere. This paved and maintained road does a full loop through Iceland’s most populous regions. It’s kept open all year round, and has access to some stunning natural features. It’s the most popular route, a simple 7-10 day drive around the ring road. You’ll definitely accomplish some great things, but also compete with the majority of Iceland’s visitors.

With that said, the best of Iceland is often just off the Ring Road and requires a little bit more than a typical two-wheel drive city / highway car. I recommend something with 4x4 capabilities and decent clearance, especially if you’re wanting to explore the notorious F-roads into the highlands.

We can have long days, with lots of travel, scenic stops, walks, or other excursions and I find the best way to keep energy up is to stay in good hotels. When selecting the hotels for this trip, I based our accommodation on quick access to amazing places. For example, when we visit the Glacier Lagoons & Diamond Beach on the south coast, our hotel is only 10 minutes away from the lagoons. This makes it easy for us to check-in, grab some dinner, and then head back out for golden hour among ice bergs and mountains.

And so, the accommodation is well-appointed and well-located hotels.

Our main vehicle will be a 4x4 ~18 passenger Mercedes bus with tires that enable our access to F-roads. These buses are well maintained, reliable, and spacious. A bus this size also means we can keep our luggage in the trunk. Some smaller buses require a trailer for luggage, and this can lead to road / terrain access issues.

The maximum group size is 9 guests, 1 local Iceland guide & driver, and myself.

One of my major considerations when planning this trip was the group size. This adventure requires flexibility, "stealthiness", and room for gear. Being photographers, we often have larger day-packs, or several packs, that come with us inside our vehicle. We need room for gear. We also need to be able to come and go from our excursions with relative ease, allowing us to speed up this process and get to more places in a day.

The Weather. A serious topic when traveling to Iceland.

Iceland is an island situated in the North Atlantic. It is no doubt open to some interesting weather coming straight off the ocean. Even in July, we can expect cool to cold weather, especially if paired with wind and rain. Wind speeds I've experienced have ranged anywhere from light to over 100kmph (60mph). And, there are not so many trees to cut the wind down.

So, on any given tour, I'd expect to experience the following:

• High winds
• Blowing sand / dust
• Rain of vary amounts
• Fog
• Overcast
• Sunny warm weather
• And, rarely, snowfall up in the highlands

The weather of Iceland also makes it quite a dynamic and dramatic place for photography. The weather can add a lot to landscapes.

Iceland has a lot of animals, but not so many terrestrial mammals. In fact, the only native terrestrial mammal is the Arctic Fox. In no certain order, here is a list of some of the more common wildlife we could see on this tour:

• Arctic Fox
• Reindeer (introduced and living wild since late 1700's)
• Humpback Whale
• Harbour Seal
• Grey Seal
• Atlantic Puffin
• Northern Fulmar
• Red Throated Loon
• Common Loon
• Great Skua
• Arctic Skua
• Northern Gannet
• Arctic Tern
• Whooper Swan
• Barnacle Goose
• Pink-footed Goose
• Greylag Goose
• Eurasian Shag
• Great Cormorant
• Common Eider
• Black Guillemot
• Harlequin Duck
• Gulls

There are many more bird species we'll encounter on a summer trip but the above list are species we're likely to see without much effort at all.

A summer Iceland photo tour is a great combination of landscape photography and wildlife photography. I like to bring a good selection of lenses and accessories that will serve me well during the course of this 12 day adventure.

What's in my kit:

• Nikon Z8
• Viltrox 16mm f1.8
• Nikon 24-120 f4
• Nikon 100-400 f4.5-5.6
• Camera Backpack with waterproof cover
• Light yet sturdy tripod ~ 60-72 inches tall extended
• Circular polarizer
• Neutral density filters (8, 64, 1000)
• Waterproof camera cover
• Chest harness / camera carrier
• 2ft x 3ft microfiber towel (drying gear in the field)

Overall, I recommend you prepare for all sorts of opportunities. Big waterfalls, canyons, and cliffs might require and ultrawide lens. General landscape and scenery calls for a mid-range telephoto lens (24-120). And wildlife like puffins and foxes will need a super telephoto lens (100-400). As well, I'm fortunate my Circular Polarizer and Neutral Density filters fit both my 16mm and my 24-120mm. I would recommend having these filters for each of those lenses at a minimum.