The 2016 ANZANG Australia and New Zealand Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition is now open at the Australian Museum in Sydney. The competition received a record 2171 entries in 2015 from nine different countries. I was very pleased to have one of my photographs from Antarctica in the finals. The photograph is on display as part of the exhibition.
Presented for the first time in Sydney, the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2016 celebrates the extraordinary natural wonder of the Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea bioregions.
Featuring more than 100 inspiring images taken by professional, emerging and junior photographers from around the world, this annual competition documents the story of our region’s unique and ever-changing natural world.
The exhibition is being held at the Australian Museum – 1 William Street Sydney. Unfortunately I will be unable to attend this year due to my travel commitments in Iceland; but if you stop past be sure to drop me a note and let me know what you thought.
This photography workshop will last for 11 days (11 nights). We will be staying in good hotels and guest houses that are functional and clean. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all included and will generally be held at the hotels where we are staying. However, this workshop is all about photography and we will be putting in long hours in the field in order to ensure we get the best possible light for photography. We may take food and drink with us into the field to ensure we are in the right locations get the best possible light. 
Itinerary: We start in the morning of May 27th in Reykjavik City and drive out to the Snaefellsnes peninsula. We’ll photograph birds and landscapes out at the edge of Snaefellsnes at Hellnar and Arnarstapi and will visit the iconic Mt. Kirkjufell. We’ll then overnight in the town of Stykkisholmur.
In the morning of May 29th we’ll get back on the ferry and finish the crossing. From the ferry port at the northern side of Breidafjordur bay we have couple of hours journey to Breidavik, where we’ll be based for the next three nights. From there it’s a 12km drive out to the magnificent seabird cliff Latrabjarg. This westernmost point of Europe is the home of millions of seabirds. It rises 440m out of the sea and is 14km long. The best locations for photography are within walking distance from the car park and we’ll have Fulmars and Kittiwakes soaring through the air, Guillemots (Murres) and Razorbills sitting on the cliff but it’s for the Puffins that we have come to Latrabjarg. Nowhere else are Puffins as tame. They can be photographed at close range, even with a wide-angle lens, and the cliff faces in a perfect direction for the setting sun. The Puffins can therefore be photographed in beautiful golden light or against the setting sun, creating wonderful silhouettes. As we are fast approaching the longest day of the year we have many hours of low light in the evening and early morning.
Closer to our accommodation in Breidavik we can venture out and photograph the birds in the area, such as Common Eider, Ringed Plover and possibly Ptarmigan. Arctic Foxes are frequently also seen in this part of the country and with luck we might find some arctic foxes to photograph during our time in this area.
After our stay in the West Fjords we prepare for a long journey along the northern coast to the town of Dalvik. We’ll make a number of stops for photography on the way and will stay in Dalvik the night of June 1st so that we’ll be ready for the morning ferry to Grimsey Island on June 2nd. Grimsey is the northernmost inhabited Icelandic territory and the Arctic Circle runs through the island. The small island has about 85 inhabitants, is 5.3 square kilometres in size and has steep cliffs on almost every side, which makes it an ideal habitat for seabirds. During our three-day stay on the island we’ll continue to expand on our Puffin photography, now in a completely different environment that has a much larger population of Puffins than at Latrabjarg. Due to the remoteness of the island the accommodation is quite basic. The guesthouse offers comfortable full-board lodging but bathrooms are shared. Visiting Grimsey is a once in a lifetime adventure and its rich birdlife will keep us busy throughout the day and night.
On June 5th we’ll depart Grimsey for the main land and drive back west along the scenic northern coast. We’ll overnight in Skagafjordur in the north, where we’ll have good opportunities for coastal landscapes and more of Iceland’s common birds, such as Whooper Swans. The Skagafjordur area is also known for its horse breeding and there are Icelandic horses almost everywhere.
We will then ravel across the Sprengisandur route that crosses the interior of the island and and make our way to Lake Myvatn in the north, where we’ll spend the next three nights. Once there we’ll photograph the waterfalls of Skjalfandi river (Godafoss and Aldeyjarfoss), plus the Dettifoss and Selfoss waterfalls in Jokulsa river. We’ll also explore the geothermal areas close to Myvatn and if the weather allows, make an excursion to Askja, in the northen highlands, where we’ll be able to see and photograph Iceland’s latest lava field at Holurhraun, plus the Askja caldera itself.
Once we have concluded our stay at Myvatn we’ll travel west along the northern coast and overnight near the Vatnsnes Peninsula. Hvitserkur sea stack will be one of our main subjects at Vatnsnes, along with other coastal features.
From Snaefellsnes there is a three hour journey back to the Keflavik international airport where we will conclude our trip on the 23rd of August. For now though its time to grab our gear and head out into the Highlands…
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