F-stop Tours is pleased to invite Lewis Kemper and his pro associate Marv Miller back to Iceland, to lead this unique workshop and share their photographic skill and keen sense of natural beauty. Iceland's high latitude makes summer an ever-changing kaleidoscope of light, shadows and color. Iceland is known as 'The Land of Ice and Fire' because volcanoes and hot springs regularly erupt alongside, or even under Europe's largest glaciers. Contrasts are indeed endless...a nature photographer's dream. Pure, beautiful sub-Arctic light glances through natural filters of mist and fog, turning earthy hues of rhyolitic mountains into a magic tapestry of color. Mosses grow iridescent green, jeweled in dew and mist, while black beaches are shaped by the powerful North Atlantic. Rugged lunar landscapes are laced alternately with either clear salmon streams or milky glacial rivers. Delicate wildflowers grow tenaciously in the watery veils of Europe's most powerful waterfalls, proving there is indeed gold at the end of the rainbow. In the evenings, darkness is more a figure of speech than a reality, as the Midnight Sun seamlessly blends dusk into dawn, giving us golden light for hours on end. It comes as no surprise that Arctic terns migrate thousands of miles to nest and raise their young, or that from the earliest Vikings, Icelanders have chosen to live here for over 1,100 years.

Lewis and Marv, both longtime NANPA members, will inspire participants in this remarkable workshop to take truly beautiful nature photographs and learn how to tastefully use the magic of Photoshop to enhance the already amazing Icelandic images of scenery and wildlife. Lewis is a renowned and successful workshop leader, and a Canon Explorer of Light, who has taught at the Lepp Institute, the Santa Fe Workshops and Palm Beach Photographic Center, among many others. His work has appeared in many works, including publications of the Sierra Club, the National Geographic Society, the Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife and countless others. As a contributing editor for Outdoor Photographer and PC Photo, he has added a wealth of photographic knowledge to the field. For more on Lewis and his gorgeous images of Iceland visit his website.

Lewis is joined by Marv Miller, whose photography began in the Air Force and continued into nature photography and master printing in Cibachrome and other formats. He is himself a mentor and photo workshop leader whose images are internationally shown and in many private and corporate collections. Like Lewis, Marv says Yosemite and experiences in workshops with Ansel Adams marked a turning point in his career. Click here to visit Marv's impressive website.

This exclusive photography workshop circles Iceland, visiting its most impressive attractions and includes all ground travel, room and meals (except alcoholic beverages), instruction in photography and in the use of Photoshop, plus constructive critiques by Lewis Kemper and Marv Miller. Local guiding is by Mike Kissane, (a dual, US-Icelandic citizen and expert, certified guide, who has lived in Iceland more than 25 years, and a is Charter Member of NANPA).

Two months  prior to the workshop Lewis and Marv will be sending each participant a photo guide outlining suggested photographic equipment, and clothing to maximize your experience.

NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO VISIT ICELAND--THE DOLLAR HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER VS THE KRONA!

ITINERARY

Gullfoss	Day 1--Participants arrive in Iceland June 10th from any of the IcelandAir links--Boston, Minneapolis, NY, Toronto, etc. and are met by Mike at the Keflavík International Airport. After the group is complete, we set off along the Reykjanes Peninsula and breakfast. Afterwards, we head to the farm country of the south and the famous hot spring area of Geysir, that gives its name to all spouting hot springs. We arrive well before noon and our first night is here. The hot springs area is just across the road, with eerie plumes of steam and pools of blue and green. While the original Geysir has been as bashful as Greta Garbo, nearby Strokkur erupts every 3-10 minutes, with spray sometimes nearing 100 ft. Iceland's most famous waterfalls, Gullfoss, is 10 minutes down the road. After checking in, those who wish, may take a siesta, or otherwise get their bearings. We will have ample chance to shoot the waterfalls and hot springs in enchanting Arctic light.
Hraunfossar	Day 2--We leave the Geysir area and double back towards Reykjavík, and then north along the west side of the island. We enter the area of Borgarfjörður and inland we reach the mysterious waterfalls Hraunfossar, where countless springs cascade from nowhere.This is a waterfall like none you ever seen!  Water flows in hundreds of streaming cascades from the middle of a lava flow into the river.  The most difficult decision here is deciding which lens to choose first! Neighboring Barnafoss is a tumultuous cascade on the Hvítá river. From Hraunfossar, we proceed west onto the south side of Snæfellsnes Peninsula, crossing salmon rivers and skirting rhyolite mountains, to the land of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. We arrive at renowned Hotel Búðir, where we stay 2 nights.
Snæfellsjökull	Day 3--From Hotel Búðir we go to the charming port village of Stykkishólmur, with its many classic buildings near the harbor. We board a Sea Tours vessel for a tour of Breiðafjörður fjord, with its countless islets, puffins, cormorants and cliff birds, as well as ties to Eric the Red, and not least, having nesting sites of the White-tailed Sea Eagle. With luck, there should be plenty of memorable photo opportunities. We can either decide to have a lunch of fresh seafood soup on board, or eat at cafe right off the harbor. After lunch, we return to the coastline near Búðir, for more bird and rock formation photography.That longer lens will really come in handy today! Weather-permitting, Mt. Snæfellsjökull (according to Jules Verne, the entrance to the center of the earth), may give us impressive views. If so, there is an optional extra of taking a snowcat ride, nearly to the summit. We stay a 2nd night at Hotel Búðir.
Hraun, Öxnadalur valley	Day 4--We depart Snæfellsnes Peninsula and head inland and northward to Akuryeri, Iceland's capital of the north. This mixture of farmland and mountain valleys is an area steeped in the history of Eric the Red and Iceland's beloved nature poet, Jónas Hallgrímsson, Akureyri has many classic, quaint houses offering unique architectural details and its bustling harbor is located at the mouth of a broad fjord, lately frequented by whales and dolphins. Once again, we stay at the area's best hotel.
Námaskarð, near Mývatn	Day 5--We leave Akureyri, heading eastward for the magical area of Lake Mývatn. This lake is bordered by bizarre lava formations, including pseudo-craters, and is home to an incredible variety of bird life, including the Harlequin Duck and Barrow's Goldeneye. These birds are rarely seen elsewhere in Europe. This area is a birders paradise and will give many exciting photo opportunities, so have your long lens handy. We photograph the interplay of light and shadows on the mysterious formations at Dimmuborg and geothermal pools and clay at Námaskarð hot springs. We will have 2 days in this incredible area.
Harlequin ducks, Mývatn	Day 6--We continue our stay in and around Lake Mývatn. This area attracts more bird photographers than any other region of Iceland.  As we tour around the lake we have many  opportunities for glorious scenery as well as being more selective in our bird photography.  We may choose to rest our weary bodies from lugging our photo gear and enjoy this area's own marvelous geothermal swimming pool as an extra option.
Jökulsárlón	Day 7--Leave Lake Mývatn, heading first eastward and then south along a gorgeous pastoral valley. Waterfalls, cascades and mountain scenery highlight the trip towards lunch at Djúpivogur, another small, picturesque port village. From Djúpivogur, we go 'around the horn' to the town of Höfn í Hornafjörður, where we begin to see Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajökull. We take a breather to stock up for supper and head to the glacier lagoon, Jökulsárlón for several hours of spectacular photography during the prime evening light at our leisure. This stunning sculpture garden of ice formations and mountains has been featured in 2 James Bond films, one Batman movie and in Tomb Raider. Our evening's destination and base for 2 nights is Hotel Skaftafell, at the foot of Iceland's highest summit, Hvannadalshnúkur (2110 m, 6,500 ft.).
Puffins greeting	Day 8--Today we visit Skaftafell National Park, a sub-unit of Europe's largest national park, Vatnajökull National Park. Sweeping vistas of majestic glacier scenery, and waterfalls, like Svartifoss with its polygonal lava columns, make dramatic subjects for wide angle shooting. There is the possibility of encountering grouse-like Ptarmigan birds or the Arctic fox. The park's biomes range from glacial alluvial plains, to birch forests, tundra and Arctic mountains. Later, we get up close and personal with a visit to the puffin colony on the cape, Ingólfshöfði.
Skogarfoss	Day 9--From Skaftafell we head west along Iceland's south coast, bordered alternately with high bluffs or vast glacial sands. Along our way, we have ample opportunity to photograph these. Depending on timing, we may be treated to wide fields of blooming Alaskan lupine providing a contrast to the black sands, which they are intended to anchor with their roots. Towards the end of our day we photograph another pair of spectacular waterfalls: Skogarfoss and Seljalandsfoss. We stay at the 4-star Hotel Rangá on the banks of one of Iceland's most productive salmon rivers (fishing not included).
Thingvellir	Day 10--From Hotel Rangá we continue west along the south coast and divert inland to visit Thingvellir National Park, Iceland's first of 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It was here the Vikings established the Althing parliament in 930 AD. As if the culture were not enough, this site shows dramatic evidence of plate tectonics, with Lake Thingvallavatn accenting a rift valley between the North American and Eurasian Plates. After a visit, we return to Reykjavík for lunch before going to the airport to meet afternoon departure flights.

CONTACT MIKE TO SIGN UP FOR THIS UNIQUE WORKSHOP OR FOR ANSWERS TO ANY QUESTIONS!

Price: $6,450, REDUCED!!!-- NOW ONLY $5,950 with $850 deposit due upon sign-up, full payment by April 20, 2009.
Cancellation refunds: full before Apr.20, less $150 processing fee; 50% to May 1st. Sorry, no refunds after May 15, unless workshop is cancelled.
Included: Overnight accommodations (private bath) dbl occupancy, all meals and ground transportation. Instruction in nature photography and Photoshop. Certified, English-speaking guide.
Duration: 9 nights-10 days
Not included: international airfare or alcoholic beverages. Prices subject to change due to currency and fuel cost fluctuations