Reykjavik Photoshoots

Locations

Where to shoot in Reykjavik

Hallgrimskirkja is the landmark — the concrete facade stepping up like basalt columns, and Skolavordustigur, the painted rainbow street, running straight down from it. That street is the most photographed stretch in the city.

The Sun Voyager sits on the waterfront path with Mount Esja across the bay behind it. It is a steel skeleton of a ship, it faces north, and it works at almost any hour because the background does the work.

Harpa is the glass concert hall on the harbour. The honeycomb facade throws colour and reflection, and the inside is as good as the outside when the weather turns.

The old harbour and the coloured corrugated houses of the centre give you the domestic Reykjavik — small, bright, and unlike anywhere else.

Grotta lighthouse, on the spit at Seltjarnarnes, is where people go for sunset and for the northern lights. It is fifteen minutes from the centre and feels like the edge of the country.

Timing

The light here is unlike anywhere else

In June the sun hardly sets. Golden hour stretches across most of the evening and into the small hours, which means a shoot can run late and stay beautiful. It is the easiest light Iceland offers.

December is the opposite and better than it sounds. There are only a few hours of daylight, but the sun stays low the whole time, so the entire short day behaves like golden hour.

Northern lights are possible from roughly September through April, on clear nights, away from the city glow. They cannot be promised and nobody honest will promise them, but Grotta is the usual place to try.

The weather changes hour to hour in every season. Icelanders plan around that rather than against it, and so do we.

What to wear

Wind is the thing to dress for

It is rarely as cold as people expect and almost always windier. Wool, layers and something windproof will serve better than anything heavy.

Strong colour works against black rock, grey sea and white sky — reds and deep blues especially. Pale neutrals tend to vanish into an Icelandic background.

If the plan includes the coast at Grotta, waterproof footwear is not optional. The spit is wet, exposed and often covered in spray.

Before you go

Grotta has two rules that catch people out

Grotta is a nature reserve and it closes to visitors each year for the Arctic tern nesting season, roughly from 1 May to 15 July. The exact dates are announced annually by the local authority, so they need checking close to any date in that window. The lighthouse is still photographable from the mainland side while the reserve is shut.

The causeway out to the lighthouse is only passable at low tide, for a window of a few hours each cycle. People do get stranded out there waiting for the water to drop. We work the shoot around the tide table rather than hoping.

Everything else in the city is open public space and straightforward.

Arranging it

How a Reykjavik shoot gets booked

Reykjavik shoots are arranged directly with our team rather than booked online. Tell us your dates, how many of you there are and whether you want the city, the coast or both, and we will confirm what can be arranged and what it will cost.

If Grotta or the northern lights matter to you, say so first. Both depend on timing we need to plan around rather than add on the day.