1. Tim Vollmer’s passion for Iceland
Few professional photographers and tour hosts know Iceland as well as Tim Vollmer. He has lived in the country for more than 9 years, traveling and exploring not only the well-known locations, but also the seldom-visited places, so he can guide his photography guests to new and dramatic vistas and subject matter. Tim has also spent considerable time with travel professionals who have years of creating Icelandic tours; local people who know the legends and mysteries of the island; and geologists, volcanologists and environmentalists who understand the great forces that shaped and continue to shape the unique features of Iceland and influence its people and animals.
2. Internationally acclaimed photography co-hosts
As well as Tim knows Iceland, his photo tours are greatly enhanced with the world-famous photographers that join him as co-host, including Mike Hagen, Martin Bailey, Rick Sammon, Brenda Tharp and Jim Caldwell, among others.
Mike Hagen is the Managing Director of the Nikonians Academy and leads one of the most highly regarded photographic workshop series in the world. Since 1998, he has been a photographic entrepreneur, currently operating Visual Adventures with his wife, Stephanie Hagen. He has been contributing editor for The Wild Side of Photography and has written numerous books, including The Nikon Creative Lighting System (1st and 2nd editions).
Rick Sammon cemented his global photography reputation as an underwater photographer and an author of six underwater photography books. With almost 40 years as a professional, he has expanded his compositional palette to included travel, landscape, wildlife, cultural and nature photography. He has also written an additional 30 books, including the well-known Rick Sammon’s Exploring the Light and has been honored as an Arcanum Inception Master.
Brenda Tharp has dedicated more than 30 years to a successful photography career, as a workshop and tour leader and much sought-after inspirational speaker at major photography conferences, clubs and organizations. She has served many advertising and editorial clients as well as having her work purchased for private collections. She is the author of Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography and created the images for the award-winning books, Muir Woods: Redwood Refuge and Marin Headlands: Portals of Time.
3. The Freedom of a Photo Tour
Providing photographers with more freedom to explore and photograph the Icelandic environment is critical to Tim Vollmer’s philosophy of photo tours. There are many excellent workshops (including Tim’s) that provide detailed instruction in both photography and post-production, but Tim likes to give his guests more individual opportunities for discovery within a very flexible schedule. Many of his Iceland tours include sessions during the magic hours of sunrise and sunset as well as midnight to capture the night sky and the Northern Lights. Tim and his professional photography co-hosts guide tour guests to the best locations and are available for consultation when needed.
4. Photographers of every skill level
Tim has carefully developed his Iceland photo tours for photographers of every skill level, so they are able to experience success and have many opportunities to advance to the next level. This is why he limits his tours to small groups, providing more one-on-one guidance.
5. The importance of relaxation
As much as Tim wants his photo tour guests to improve and grow as photographers, he also thinks it is very important that it is a relaxing experience, with the right balance of serious work, rest and enjoying all that Iceland has to offer.
6. More tour choices
Tim’s Iceland photo tours are so popular that he schedules multiple tours throughout the year. This also provides his guests with opportunities to photograph Iceland during all seasons, with different lighting conditions, frozen and free-flowing waterfalls and a variety of indigenous and migratory animals, marine life and birds.
2014 Iceland Tours
· August 12–20, with Mike Hagen
· October 6–16, with Rick Sammon
· October 12–17, with Michael Chinnici
2015 Iceland Tours
· Each week of February, featuring co-hosts Chris Marquardt, Mike Hagen, Kevin Pepper and Brenda Tharp
· March 1–7, with Laurie Excell
· March 12–17, with Jim Caldwell
· March 18–25, Winter Photo Tour with Tim Vollmer
· August 2–9, with Kevin Pepper
7. Discover amazing Iceland
One of the reasons Tim schedules so many Iceland tours is that this small country offers so much to photograph that it can’t be accomplished during just one tour. They include Iceland’s three major national parks.
· At 5,200 square miles, Vatnajökull National Park is the largest park in Iceland and all of Europe, and features the Vatnajökull Glacier and Öræfajökull, the park’s central volcano.
· Thingvellir National Park is not only an UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also has an amazing underwater photography experience, diving into the clear, cold waters of the Silfra and Daviôsgjá rifts.
· Snæfellsjökull National Park is Iceland’s major wildlife habitat with a long list of birds and marine mammals just offshore for an astounding nature photography experience.
These are just the most well known places for Iceland photography. Tim Vollmer’s Iceland photo tours also include explorations of ice and basalt caves, historical and well preserved seaside villages, blue-water lagoons filled with icebergs and pristine birch woodlands.
8. All-inclusive tours
Except for international airfares, beverages, tips and other incidentals, Tim Vollmer’s Iceland photo tours offer all-inclusive pricing, with a choice of double- and single-occupancy, all meals, local transportation, park entrance fees, facilities for evening meetings and special guides.
To learn more about Tim Vollmer’s photo tours and workshops in Iceland and locations around the globe and Tim’s private tours, please visit www.timvollmer.de.