Icelandic Horses, Up Close

Since my first trip in 2018, I’ve traveled to Iceland several times and have photographed the iconic horses in several locations under varying light, weather, and backgrounds, most often with a telephoto lens. This year I decided to switch to a wide-angle and shoot from a lower perspective to capture some unique images to add to my catalog. Most of the time I wasn’t able to see through the viewfinder, so it was a matter of guessing how the photo would be framed and hoping for the best. In the end, I captured some of my favorite photos of Icelandic horses to date!

We’ll be returning to Iceland to lead a tour in June of 2026. Please email me if you are interested or visit our website: https://natexpotours.com/. We do have a few spots left in this year’s October Namibia tour, as well as New Zealand in November…

Thank you for following!

Colin

 


Arctic Terns in Black & White, Hofsós, Iceland

On the last full day of the Iceland tour, if weather allows, we drive around the Troll Peninsula from Akureyri back to Reykjavik. It adds a few hours to the drive and the road is narrow and winding with tunnels, tour busses, sheep, and cliffs that loom several hundred feet over the Norwegian Sea below. But the north coast is stunning, rugged, and beautiful, and is one of my favorite areas to photograph, so it’s worth the extra hours of (very focused) driving. We always stop in Hofsós to photograph Icelandic horses framed by the ocean and purple lupine flowers.

This year, after photographing horses, I trained my lens on the arctic terns flying overhead. The sky was moody, so I envisioned black & white images that would convey the sharp lines and detail in the terns, as well as the Icelandic weather. I hope you enjoy the images.

As always, thank you for following, and please message me if you are interested in joining one of our adventures. The next Iceland tour will be in June of 2026.

 

Colin

 


Skógafoss with Lupine

Beginning last year, we moved our Iceland tours from August to June to take advantage of the abundant birdlife and wildflowers, particularly the lupine. Lupine is not native to Iceland and in fact, the seeds were brought over from Alaska. In 1945, a botanist named Hákon Bjarnason visited Alaska to select plants he thought would thrive in Iceland’s harsh conditions to prevent erosion and dust storms. He returned with a collection of seeds, including lupine, and from there it thrived and can now be found over much of the country. Pictured here is Skógafoss, likely the most photographed waterfall in Iceland, with our guest Natasha capturing various angles of the scene.

Beginning last year, we moved our Iceland tours from August to June to take advantage of the abundant birdlife and wildflowers, particularly the lupine. Lupine is not native to Iceland and in fact, the seeds were brought over from Alaska. In 1945, a botanist named Hákon Bjarnason visited Alaska to select plants he thought would thrive in Iceland’s harsh conditions to prevent erosion and dust storms. He returned with a collection of seeds, including lupine, and from there it thrived and can now be found over much of the country.

Pictured here is Skógafoss, likely the most photographed waterfall in Iceland, with our guest @tascheski capturing various angles of the scene.

We’ll be leading our next Iceland tour in June of 2026. Please stay tuned for details and me if you are interested in joining one of our adventures. We still have spaces for Namibia this October, New Zealand in November, Arctic Norway in March 2025, and more…

Cheers!

Colin

#iceland #icelandtrip #icelandroadtrip #skogafoss #skogafosswaterfall #phototour #icelandtour #icelandphoto #waterfallsofinstagram🏞️ #waterfallsoficeland #waterfall #waterfallphotographyStay tuned for details or email me if you are interested.

Cheers!

Colin

 

Icelandic Horses, Akureyri

I returned to the US yesterday and have begun editing through my photos from Iceland. This is one of my favorite images of the iconic Icelandic horses, taken in the north near Akureyri. I used a wide angle lens to get a different perspective this time, something different than in previous years. Once again, we had a great tour and wonderful group of people to travel with!

As of now, we are planning to take next year off from Iceland and looking at June of 2026 for our next visit to that country. Please message me if you are interested.

As always, thank you for following along!

Colin

 

Arctic Fox near Vik, Iceland

Greetings from Iceland - 🇮🇸

Today we explored a glacial ice cave near the town of Vik on the south coast, famous for its black sand beaches, and after the guided tour we were treated to a wonderful encounter with an arctic fox! This is my sixth trip to Iceland, and previously I'd only caught a brief glimpse of an arctic fox, so this was a rare opportunity. Our guests were thrilled, as were Mike and I. Tomorrow we will make our way to Vatnajökull (Europe's largest glacier), then to the east fjords and eventually across the highlands to the north.

Cheers!

Colin

 



Icelandic Horse in Lupine and Angelica Flowers

Icelandic horse in a field of lupine and angelica flowers with the Greenland Sea in the background. This day was the most inspired I'd been on the tour. I could have spent all afternoon photographing these beautiful horses surrounded by wildflowers along the coast. We will be back in Iceland next June with Nat Expo Tours. Stay tuned for tour details and please message me if you are interested!

Colin

Icelandic Horse in the North Coast Village of Hofsós (pronounced 'Hoof-shush').

When I arrived in Iceland and saw all the blooming lupine, I was hoping I'd get a chance to photograph the beautiful horses in the purple flowers. That opportunity finally came yesterday when we took the scenic route around the Troll Peninsula from Akureyri back to Reykjavik. I've visited Hofsós several times and knew exactly where to take the group to find horses along the coast.

We just wrapped up our fourth Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours. We are planning to return next June and have added new excursions to the itinerary, including a glacial ice cave tour, fly fishing, and horseback riding. Please message me if you are interested in joining us.

Cheers!

Colin

Lupine in Bloom, Westman Islands

The lupine was blooming all over Iceland. What I love about these images from the Westman Islands is the juxtaposition with the volcanic rock. We were standing on a lava flow from an eruption in the early 1970's. The town was mostly spared, no lives were lost (everyone was evacuated to the mainland), and someone came up with the brilliant idea of spraying cold seawater on the lava to stop the flow, thus saving their harbor from being closed off...

We will be leading another Iceland tour next June. Please message me if you are interested or visit our site: www.natexpotours.com

Colin

 
 
 

Redwing in Lupine, Iceland

Redwing near Skogafoss, Iceland.

The blooming lupine is abundant in Iceland in early summer. When I saw a redwing land on this fencepost, I decided to go back later to try capture the image I had visualized. I was zoomed out to 400 mm and stopped down to f/16 to get ample detail in the lupine.

We will be back in Iceland next June to lead a tour with Nat Expo Tours. In addition to the wildflowers, the birdlife is prolific this time of year...

Happy Independence Day!

Colin

 

Atlantic Puffins, Iceland

The Westman Islands in southern Iceland are home to the world's largest Atlantic puffin colony. We always ferry out to Vestmannæyjar for a night and visit the cliffs where they burrow and raise their young. This year we moved the tour to June - a great time for wildflowers, which add a splash of color to the landscape...

I just got back from Iceland last week and am finally getting around to posting some images to my news page. I have a lot more to share in the coming days/weeks. We'll be leading another Iceland tour next June, please message me if you are interested.

Cheers!

Colin

 

Thanksgiving 2022

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I have much to be grateful for this year, including many new experiences in premiere destinations around the world, and 2023 is shaping up to be another banner year for travel and tours as well!

Finally, thank you all for following along and supporting my adventures. You are the reason I am able to continue this journey. I will have a couple big announcements in the coming weeks, so please stay tuned for those...

All the best,

Colin


Polar Bear on the icepack, 82˚ North, Svalbard


Zebras in Etosha National Park, Namibia


Humpback whale, northern Iceland

Humpback Whale Video, Iceland

When the whales are too close to fit in the frame, sometimes it's easier to put the telephoto down and just shoot with your phone. Taken in Iceland's longest fjord, Eyjafjordur, with Whale Watching Hauganes. Shot an iPhone 13 Pro Max in cinematic mode...

We have already scheduled next year's Iceland Tour with Nat Expo Tours! Dates are June 19-28, 2023. More info and a detailed itinerary on our site: June 2023 Iceland Tour

Please message me if you have any questions about Iceland or any of our 2023 tours, including Cuba in February, an aurora adventure to arctic Norway in March, and Namibia in October, or visit our website: www.natexpotours.com

Cheers!

Colin


Atlantic Puffins, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland

The Westman Islands in Iceland are home to the world's largest Atlantic puffin colony. We were lucky to have great weather on the islands as we observed & photographed the puffins collecting food for their young, which will soon emerge from their burrows and plunge into the ocean below. Take a look at the third image and you'll see what I mean when I say these little sh*ts are challenging to capture in flight...

We have already scheduled next year's Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours. Dates are June 19-28, 2023. Cost is $4,695. More details on our website: www.natexpotours.com

Please message me if you have any questions. Thank you and feel free to share!

Colin




Icelandic Horse Hairstyles

What else to do on a windy day in Akureyri but photograph Icelandic horses? The seas were too rough for our scheduled whale watch, so we took our group to local farms & equestrian centers to appreciate the beautiful breed of horses only found in Iceland. The light and wind were perfect in nature’s studio for creating these portraits…

Stay tuned for details on our 2023 Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours, LLC. We are looking to add new activities next year, possibilities include a horseback ride and a guided expedition to a glacier cave.

Cheers!

Colin





Humpback whale in Iceland's longest fjord, Ejyafjördur

After 2 days of strong winds, we were able to take our group out with Whale Watching Hauganes on Sunday morning before driving back to Reykjavik for the final night of the tour. It definitely was one of the best whale experiences I've had in Iceland, with several moments like this right next to our boat.

I'm home and getting settled in, with a bit of editing here & there. I have much more to share from both Svalbard and Iceland in the coming days. We will be posting details of our 2023 Iceland Tour with Nat Expo Tours, LLC in the near future as well, and we are looking at June of next year...

As always, thank you for following along,

Colin


Kirkjufell Rainbow

Kirkjufell, Iceland's most famous/photographed mountain, under a heavy wind & rainstorm last summer...

Great news - Iceland recently lifted its Covid travel restrictions! Visitors are no longer required to test prior entry or show proof of vaccination. We are optimistic that things will continue trending in the right direction and we now have 6 people confirmed for the August 2022 Iceland tour with Nat Expo Tours, LLC. If you or anyone you know is interested in visiting Iceland this summer, visit our website for more details or message us if you have any questions. Dates are Aug. 13-22 and we are still offering early-booking discounts: www.natexpotours.com

Takk 🇮🇸!

Colin

 

Fagradalsfjall Volcano Mini-Documentary

Hello and Happy Monday, everyone! Between editing material from Iceland and preparing for Namibia (next week), there is a lot happening but I wanted to share this video we recently put together on Fagradalsfjall Volcano. We trekked up there 4 separate times when we were in Iceland and I am quite proud of this documentary we created. Click the image below to view the video…

We also have a new YouTube channel for Nat Expo Tours, which we will be adding more content to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd668DnX0HVJkSH2wW-pLjw and I have created my own YouTube channel as well: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyk_1tMJRT-LwV166he5H7gPlease have a look at the video when you get a chance and let me know what you think.

Thank you and have a great day out there!

Colin

Eye of the Storm

I returned from Iceland early yesterday and have a lot of images & videos to edit, so there will be much to share in the coming days/weeks. I'm happy we were able to fill two tours to near 100% capacity despite the challenges of international travel right now, and even more satisfied that our guests all had a fun and exciting tour. We had extremes in weather, from high wind & horizontal rain to some of the nicest days I have ever experienced in Iceland, where temps surpassed 70˚F and the fjords were like glass, and I was reminded that you often find the best light during inclement weather, if you're on the edge of the storm or standing in the eye.

As always, thank you for following along.

Takk!

Colin

Rainbow on the beach near Grundarfjörður, West Iceland

Rainbow on the beach near Grundarfjörður, West Iceland