Chasing the Northern Lights in Iceland

Viewing the Aurora is one of the top things that visitors to Iceland hope to experience. Of course this is only possible for the half of the year from September through March, and always weather permitting. Of the several tours that I wanted to take in Iceland in October 2017, photographing the northern lights was high on my short list, and I wanted to maximize my chances by enlisting the expertise of a professional landscape photographer and photo guide. The wonderful Páll Jökull was just the guy for this. His tour company is called Landscape Photography Iceland, and he offers northern lights photo excursions which go late into the night, and deep into the darkness of Iceland, far away from any city lights.

The first night or two the tour was cancelled due to low cloud cover. But on the last and final night that I had available, Páll made the call that we were good to go! He never knows in advance exactly where we will go, but he uses Aurora and weather apps combined with his vast knowledge of the area to determine where our best chances of seeing the Northern Lights will be.

That brisk October night he took us to Thingvellir National Park, which is normally bustling with tourists during the day. Late at night, it is pitch black with only car headlights occasionally to remind you of where you are.