Most workshops in Iceland concentrate on the southern coast and its tourist packed sights and photo opportunities.

For this adventure focused photo tour, we like to take you off this beaten path to instead visit one of the most beautiful and diverse, but also very hard to reach areas of the country: The incredible Highlands.

We'll hike over painted cliffs, experience moon-like landscapes, travel through black desserts, visit remote crater lakes, volcanos and rarely seen waterfalls.

We'll travel by way of specially modified 4x4 super trucks, which allows us to access even the most remote, rugged and difficult to reach areas with ease and in comfort.

On first glance, your instructors Alexander Otto and Marc Koegel have very different photographic styles. Alex works predominately in colour, loves blue hour light, and is an expert in meticulously planning most every photograph. Marc, on the other hand, prefers minimalistic black and white, enjoys working in virtually any lighting condition, and is more of a reactor rather than a planner. What they both have in common is their excitement for art and science of photography and a deep appreciation for the area (and Iceland in general), as well as their desire and enjoyment of teaching and inspiring others.

You won't find either off on their own photographing. Instead, they will be by your side, helping you to achieve your vision every step of the way. Their combined expertise will be an asset to every participant.

Alex and Marc like to run their photography-adventures in a friendly, intimate group setting. Therefore, this trip will have a maximum group size of nine.

Unlike a lot of other workshops and tours with up to 12 or 16 people on them, running with a smaller number allows everyone to have more space in which to photograph. And it also means more quality time for Alex and Marc with each participant. 

This is the perfect photo tour for those who have visited Iceland before (and want to come back for more), as well as those interested in exploring more remote areas that are harded to reach and therefore often neglected by most photographers.

Arrival and Departure:

The workshop group will meet in Iceland on August 30, 2021. Please plan to arrive no later than 4pm, so you can be in Reykjavik in time for our welcome group dinner at 7pm.

We will be back in the Keflavik area for our last night together on Thursday, September 9. You can fly home anytime on September 10th, 2021.

Once you register for this tour, please contact Marc and let us know your detailed travel plans.

Feel free to contact Marc anytime with your questions / comments.

Please click below for more information about this workshop.

What's included in this Workshop:

• 12 days/ 11 nights photo tour
• 9 night upscale hotel accomodations double occupancy
• 2 nights hut accomodations in the highlands (best available option)
• Single occupancy available for extra fee of $985
• Travel in comfortable vehicles with extra seats and extra room for luggage
• Small group tour with max of only 9 partcipants and 2 instructors - lots of personal instruction and guidance
• Breakfast each day
• Expert guidance and inspiration
• All Photography instruction in the field, image reviews in Iceland as well as an additional 1 month extended 1 to 1 online image reviews and post-processing guidance

What's NOT included in this Workshop:

• Flight to and from Iceland (we meet and say goodbye at the airport in Reykjavik)
• Meals other than included breakfasts
• Travel insurance (this is highly recommended) and personal expenses
• Anything not mentioned above as included

Group Size:

• A minimum of 5 and a maximum of only 9 participants

Physical Level: 3 / 5

• For this tour, our vehicles will be able to get close to the great majority of our shooting locations. Hikes will range from 5 to a maximum of 60 minutes with mild to moderate elevation gain. There will be opportunities to venture further for those who'd like to, but it is not required.

Extend your Trip:

For those interested in staying longer after the workshop (or arriving a few days early), Marc will provide you with guidance and suggestions. Just contact Marc directly for more information and to start a conversation.

Tour Fee and Deposit:

To book your seat in this workshop, we require a (non-refundable) deposit of $2000, with the balance payment due by May 1st, 2021. You can choose to pay in full when registering (so no need to leave a deposit) and this would entitle you a $150 discount off regular tuition. You can choose your preferred payment option during online registration.

Meeting Spot:

The workshop group will meet in Iceland on August 30, 2021. Please plan to arrive no later than 4pm, so you can be in Reykjavik in time for our welcome group dinner at 7pm.

On the final day of our tour, September 10th, you can book a flight at anytime. We will have you back in the Keflavik area by the evening of Seoptember 9th, and conclude the triup with a farewell group dinner.

Once you register for this tour, please contact Marc and let us know your detailed travel plans.

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ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTORS:

Nicolas Alexander Otto

Nicolas Alexander Otto has been a freelance landscape photographer since 2015. He prefers to dedicate his time photograph early in the morning somewhere far from home
during the twilight of the dawning day. Landscape photography is his artistic form of escapism and antidote to his constant wanderlust.

He leads photo tours for various private and public clients, sells prints, writes for various international magazines and hosts German language the "Landschaftsfotografie Podcast. For his works - including his black and white images taken on the Faroe Islands - he has been awarded with the first place in the Professional Landscapes category at Photoplus Expo 2017.

http://nicolasalexanderotto.net/

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MARC KOEGEL

Marc Koegel is a Vancouver, B.C. based fine art photographer, educator, writer and director of Vancouver Photo Workshops. His black and white long exposure landscapes, nudes and architecture photographs have been widely exhibited in Vancouver as we as internationally in the US and Europe.

Born in Germany, Marc first came to Canada in 1996 to earn an Economics degree. He has been seriously involved with photography ever since he was given his father's camera and darkroom setup at the age of 12.

Marc has worked and studied with many internationally acclaimed photographers, including Joe McNally, Greg Gorman, Jay Maisel, Arthur Meyerson, Mary Ellen Mark, Ralph Gibson, David Hume Kennerly and Jon Cone from Cone Editions Press.

www.marckoegel.com

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Early-Bird Discount:

Most of our courses and workshops offer a 10% discount is applied automatically if you register before the Early-Bird Discount deadline date listed in the registration table below.

Some courses and workshops offer a discount if you're among the first 3 people who register. This discount will replace the 'standard' Early Bird Discount mentioned above, and will be applied automatically during the online registration process (as long as it is available). Check the course/workshop listing page for more details.

Group Discount:

A 5% discount will be appplied if 3 or more people register at the same time for the same workshop. (All 3 tuitions must be paid for by one credit card to be considered a group registration.) Please follow the instructions on the online registration page.

In order to provide the best learning environment possible VPW keeps class and tour sizes limited to 10-15 people (depending on the workshop). This is but one reason that we count on you to attend your chosen class or tour, once you have registered for it.

If you must withdraw for any reason please be aware of our refund policy as follows:

For our Local Lectures, Seminars, and Workshops valued at or under $100, VPW is unable to provide a cash refund. Transfers are limited to one transfer to either the same event at a later date, or a different event of equal value. VPW requires 48 hours written notice in order to make such a transfer (email notice is acceptable). The event you are transferring to must occur within 6 months of the original event you registered for. A $15 fee will be applied to all transfers.

For our Local Workshops, 1 to 5 days in length and our Local 4 to 10 Week Courses, VPW requires 30 days written notice (before the event start date) of your withdrawal in order to provide a refund. (Email notice is acceptable.)

For our Master Photographer Series workshops, 1 to 5 days in length, VPW requires 60 days written notice (before the workshop start date) of your withdrawal in order to provide a refund. VPW may retain 15% of fees paid or $150 minimum in processing your refund. If the tuition is less than $500 the minimum fee drops to $75.

Within 45 days of the Master Photographer Series workshop date all fees paid are non-refundable.

For our Photo Tours (national and international), the following charges will apply:

• If you cancel up to 3 months before the tour start date and we can fill your space, your reservation (or deposit) fee will be refunded
• There is no additional cancellation fee up to 8 weeks before the start of your tour
• From 8 weeks to 4 weeks before the tour: 25% of your balance
• From 4 weeks to 1 week before the tour: 50% of your balance
• From 1 week to 72 hours before the tour: 75% of your balance
• If you cancel within 72 hours of the start of the trip, no refund can be paid
• Transaction charges incurred on accepting and refunding payments will be deducted from the refund amount
• In the (unlikely) event that we cancel the Photo Tour, all monies paid will be refunded in full

We highly recommend that you take out travel insurance to guard yourself against monies lost due to unavoidable cancellation by either party.

Transfers (for all events over $100): If you wish to transfer to a different workshop date, VPW requires a minimum of 30 days written (email) notice. All transfers are based on availaibility, and subject to approval by VPW staff. For courses/workshops with tuition above $101, the transfer fee is $35.

Transfer Fees as based on event pricing:
Tuition of $100 and below, the transfer fee is $15
Tuition of $101 and above, the transfer fee is $35

VPW can give no refunds:

If you registered for any event valued at or under $100
If you do not show up for your registered course.
If you register for a course beyond or below your skill or ability level.

Refunds for all events valued at $101 and above (excluding Master Series Workshops):
If a student wishes to cancel their registration for any of VPW's events, and has provided written notice within the appropriate timeframe, a refund less a $50 administration fee will be provided.

Course Cancellation:

Occasionally, we may have to cancel a course due to low enrollment. In this case, we will issue a full refund of all monies paid to VPW up to that time.

Instructor Replacement:

In the event that a listed instructor is unable to participate because of a change in his or her professional schedule, we will replace the instructor with someone of equal or similar credentials. If we cannot find a replacement in due time before the course is about to start, a particular class may have to be rescheduled.

Liability

In the event that we cancel your course, for any reason, the extent of VPW's liability is limited to the return of all monies paid. We will do everything we can to register you in another equivalent course. VPW will not be responsible for reimbursement of travel expenses of any kind.

Please note: An administration charge of $50 applies to all refunds

Read complete refund and liability policy

What's included in this Workshop:

• 12 days / 11 nights photo tour
• 9 night upscale hotel accomodations double occupancy
• 2 nights hut accomodations in the highlands (best available option)
• Single occupancy available for extra fee of $985
• Travel in comfortable vehicles with extra seats and extra room for luggage
• Small group tour with max of only 9 partcipants and 2 instructors - lots of personal instruction and guidance
• Breakfast each day
• Expert guidance and inspiration
• All Photography instruction in the field, image reviews in Iceland as well as an additional 1 month extended 1 to 1 online image reviews and post-processing guidance

What's NOT included in this Workshop:

• Flight to and from Iceland
• Meals other than breakfast each day
• Travel insurance (this is highly recommended) and personal expenses
• Anything not mentioned above as included

Please feel free to contact Marc directly anytime with your questions.