Night Sky Photography Workshops, Tours, Talks

Other reviews: Maine Stargazing & Photography, Astromaster La Palma, California Nightscapes

2025 Tour Reviews

Margo, Washington (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) It is an honor to travel with Babak Tafreshi along with his Iceland team of Gisli, Sævar,and Kristján. Babak’s night sky knowledge and passion to share it is world class, and he shares it in such a humble yet engaging manner.

This tour is awesome – it attracts very interesting and simply enjoyable people worldwide who want to be adventurous discovering the night sky. Babak Tafreshi is passionate about how the night sky brings us all together under one universe and in these darker days of division. I have certainly found that to be true. Babak is a world-renowned expert in the night sky and yet is so humble and approachable, honoring and respecting every single person and wanting to help all learn. The Iceland team makes this tour so special. One learns about all aspects of Iceland from people who live there and love to show their country and how special it indeed is.

Prior to joining I was motivated to work on my aurora compositions and given the sun’s activity level I was hoping to be part of a geomagnetic storm or two! I wanted to create aurora compositions over natural elements like waterfalls and mountains. Additionally, this tour visited the Iceland Highlands which I had never seen. My favorite location for nighttime shooting was the waterfall by the horse farm because I love shooting the aurora with nature. My favorite daytime site visit was Sævar’s favorite park (I can’t remember the name) – I just LOVE all the amazing basalt formations and the brilliance of the fall colors in combination. Tough decisions because we saw so many cool locations during this trip!

I thought the hotel accommodations, breakfast, lunch, dinner choices, site visits and transportation were excellent. The daytime pace was perfectly balanced and the nightly shooting schedules were excellent. I had enough time to capture the images I wanted.

I didn’t find enough time to learn/practice shooting star trails, or create better Milky Way compositions. However, I was absolutely delighted to discover during editing that I captured the Andromeda Galaxy as well as at least one meteor :-). This was my personal choice – we were out shooting 9 out of 9 nights, so I concentrated on shooting the aurora, even when the KP was 0 or 1 – I really wanted to see what I could get.

As for suggestions: I would encourage participants to bring both a dew heater for lens (or a reminder to bring a rubber band to put a hand warmer on the lens) to help counteract the dew that forms particularly around the waterfalls. I would also recommend bringing and using lens wipes, as sometimes the waterfall spray gets on the lens.  If I were to join another workshop I would be interested to visit the Westfjords, Snæfellsnes Peninsula and the Eastfjords.

Thank you for a fantastic experience!

Photos © Margo

Gary Gleckner, Ohio (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) I was motivated to join this tour because of its expert guides and photography resources. I was most excited to visit areas of Iceland that I have never seen before and to learn more night photography skills and techniques from Babak Tafreshi. I love Babak’s kindness and willingness to help people at all skill levels.

The hotel accommodations, site visits and transportation during the tour were excellent. I would have appreciated a little more time at daytime site visits and lunch and could have used a bit more downtime after getting back to the hotel each afternoon. If I were to join a future tour I would be interested to explore the Westfjords. The cost of this tour was an excellent value for money.

Photos © Gary Gleckner

Rosanne Juergens, Colorado (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) I joined the tour because I had followed Babak for years on Instagram where I found his beautiful night sky photos. I had always wanted to see the northern lights, and when I saw that he led tours specifically to photograph them in Iceland, another place on my bucket list, I started making plans to go. Luckily, my adult son wanted to come too!

My only vague knowledge of Icelandic culture was through watching many Viking-inspired series, listening to Bjork, and from watching one of my favorite movies, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” I prepped by watching a geology show about the Island’s volcanic rock that’s everywhere – basalt! I thought I was prepared for all the sights I would see on this tour, but reading about the locations in advance, or seeing video clips couldn’t hold a candle to the actual experience!

How to explain this tour to someone who wants to join?  I hadn’t been to Iceland before, so I messaged the tour leaders – how was I to recognize them at the departure location where we were to meet up with our group? When I got the WhatsApp message back with a picture of two large trolls, saying “this is what we look like,” I knew this was going to be a fun trip! Others who had been on the tour before said yes, Gisli, our tour guide and Kristján, our driver, kind of resemble them, lol!

Babak is a warm, knowledgeable teacher who went around checking our cameras and giving instructions for how best to shoot the northern lights, the milky way, and landscapes that we encountered. We had auroras almost every night, even if we had to go out late in the evening after clouds had cleared.

Babak and Gisli made decisions based on reports of solar activity, and even when it seemed that the activity would be mild, we were treated to K5 flares, with three “crowns” overhead. I had learned to “read” gray streaks in the sky that would be colorful when my camera or even my cell phone took a long exposure. One night I actually did see green flashes across the sky. In those moments I was trying to just absorb the beauty and stopped taking pictures. I’m glad we had interesting foregrounds for the auroras: a turf roof church, a waterfall, and other landscapes. This tour was a thorough immersion into the culture and history of the island given by Gisli, our tour guide. He obviously is proud of Iceland, and has a fun way of describing the people, animals (the “sheeps”), and places.

Prior to joining the tour, I was familiar with manual settings and had some night photography experience. I brought my camera and cell phone for photography use. I significantly improved my photography skills by the end of this tour. I learned a bit too late that although I could capture the aurora with a one second exposure, my foreground and subject would suffer because of my high ISO. I’m using the notes I took at Babak’s lectures, but I need to hear them again.

It was only towards the end of the tour that I ventured to take sequences for timelapse, and experimented with stitching two images for vertical panoramas of the night sky. It makes me want to go on another tour so that I can use those new skills from the beginning. The many waterfalls were wonderful to try out daytime long exposures, with Gullfoss coming through with a rainbow in the mist. How lucky we were that it was sunny that day!

I felt the daytime pace and schedule were perfectly balanced. As for the nightly shooting schedules, It was adventurous to tour all day, have dinner & short rest, then out to see auroras! A couple of cold windy nights were a bit long for me, so I headed back to the bus to rest.

The many recommendations that were provided before the tour started were well heeded: travel tripod, warm layers, and waterproof everything. I used stick-on “arthritis” back patches that kept me warm for hours. I loved that some hotels left little Icelandic chocolates in the room, towel warmers (good for drying the swimsuit after the outdoor natural hot spring!), and I had Danish pastries every morning. I lost weight with all the hiking though!

As far as suggestions: I’m so glad I had rain covers for the camera that protected it from rain and waterfall spray. I would recommend bringing packets of lens cleaning wipes to get droplets off the lenses later. 

I thought the hotels, group breakfasts and dinner and lunch options were good.  The photography site visits and locations and the transportation were excellent!  This program is an excellent value for the cost of the program. I would be interested to tour the Westfjords on a future tour.

Photos © Rosanne Juergens and Rosanne Juergens

Wendy Ou, New York (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) There were many reasons I joined this tour: to learn and practice more night photography and develop new skills, to enjoy northern lights, to see and experience Iceland’s landscape, mountains/lakes/rivers, animals/birds. I was lucky to see three aurora crowns!

I feel I significantly improved my photography skills, techniques, and confidence for both day and night shooting by the end of this workshop. I thought the daytime program was perfectly balanced and the nightly shooting schedules was excellent! The timing was perfect. My favorite sites were those that were walking distance from the hotel to the photo site.  I would have liked more time to learn how to post process panoramic night photos, make video clips, and star trails.

I would come back to see anywhere in Iceland I have not covered such as the Eastfjords, Westfjords and Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Shireesh Vasupalli, London (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) This is my third trip with Babak to Iceland. I love coming back to this place with this team. I joined again because I wanted to take pictures of the aurora in its full bloom of the various fragments that spread out in different colors and to further develop my night photography and technical photography skills.

This is an amazing experience for anyone who would like to see aurora and practice taking pictures using either a camera or a mobile phone.

As for suggestions: I could do with a bit more downtime in the hotels!  I would be interested to come back again to see The Highlands Interior/F-Roads and the Westfjords.

Photo © Shireesh Vasupalli

Gwendolyn Mariano, California (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) First, I would like to say thank you Babak and the whole crew who made this experience a memorable one and for educating us about not only photography, but also the night sky, Icelandic culture and all the wonders of the world of which Iceland offers. So very grateful.

I attended a previous tour in March that covered southern Iceland, and this time I wanted to see northern Iceland. I was excited about capturing Iceland during a different season and landscape; plus, continuing to learn photography skills, such as composition, from Babak. Driving along the northern coast and being just a stone’s throw away from the Arctic Circle was thrilling and breathtaking. It’s an experience that is rare, just knowing how close you are to a place that seems so far away and unreachable.

I would describe this tour as a rare, extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience for a variety of reasons: (1) one gets to learn valuable photography skills from an exceptional, talented and empathetic instructor who is a widely-regarded and respected National Geographic astrophotographer; (2) the local guides are professional, have a great sense of humor and are knowledgeable about not only Icelandic culture, but also astronomy, auroras and photography; (3) the natural geothermal landscape with its active volcanos, vast glaciers, dramatic waterfalls, and other geological marvels are stunning and exceptionally unique unlike no other country; and (4) when you capture the aurora borealis with not just your camera, but with the naked eye, you really get a glimpse of one of the most spectacular wonders of the world. I feel that the pace and schedule of the workshop was perfectly balanced.

I used a camera and cell phone to take photos. I significantly improved my photography skills, techniques, and confidence by the end of this tour. I really appreciated the 1-1 time with Babak to learn specifically about composition and get feedback. Of course, I would like to continue learning more about composition as well as editing night photos, particularly understanding how to edit photos so they are more natural and not overdeveloped.

As far as suggestions for improvements: In addition to bringing cold/flu medications, it might be helpful to pack a Covid test, N95 masks and antibacterial wipes (particularly for those who may be physically vulnerable). I also thought the night shoots could have a slightly later start time or earlier finish time as it might have been beneficial for rest/preparation. I would be interested in future visits to smaller islands, especially where the puffins are.

Photos © Gwendolyn Mariano

Virginia Cheng, California (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) This tour is about experiencing the beautiful nature in both night and day that is uniquely Iceland. I previously attended an Iceland workshop and was interested in a different itinerary and season and seeing different parts of Iceland.  I also wanted to accompany my friend on the tour while further developing my night photography skills.

I felt the pace of the daytime site visits was a little fast. I felt slightly rushed at lunch and some sites, and could have used a bit more downtime/rest after getting back to the hotel. The nightly photo sessions were mostly fine, but a slightly later start or earlier finish might have been beneficial for rest/preparation. I would suggest a warning to participants ahead of time about how expensive everything is in Iceland!

I felt that I improved my photography skills on this tour. I would have liked more instruction and practice on timelapses. However, I didn’t plan to do to any with only one camera and wanted notes.

I think this program is a good value for money and if I were to take another tour I would be interested in seeing the Westfjords and Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Paul, Massachusetts (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) Magical tour. This is the perfect team to make your dreams come true. It does not matter what skill level you are at– you will succeed!

Several years ago, I came across Babak Tafreshi on Instagram and was inspired by his photographs of the night sky.  After visiting his website, I joined two of his workshops in Maine. I was just starting my journey in photographing the night sky. He made me feel welcome and was always available to help, teach and show me I could be successful.

My dream was to see the northern lights, and he offers 2 trips per year to Iceland. Everyone I met at the Maine workshops were friendly, kind and willing to help you succeed. Fantastic people. Some had gone on the Iceland tour and provided greet feedback.

This trip to Iceland surpassed my best dreams. Everything was taken care of: Hotels, meals, transportation, planning of night photography opportunities, daytime scenic photo opportunities. Being with a diverse, supportive, kind, fun loving, interesting, and various skill levels of participant’s photographic knowledge was perfect. The itinerary is full and ambitious, and I was concerned if I could keep up. I was pleasantly surprised that I did 99% of everything, especially since we had an unusual great spell of weather at night (10 straight nights of photographing) I will take credit for the good weather because I am lucky on that score.

Thank you, Team Babak: Babak–Great person, instructor, mentor and inspiration!

Linda—-Kind person, so helpful on any concern or question, talented photographer.

Gisli——Great local resource, always willing to assist, a talented photographer.

Kristján–Talented musician, professional driver, talented photographer, always there to help.

As far as suggestions: Follow the list of things to bring (I thought I had too much stuff–but I used 93% of what I brought–I would leave the 2lb camp chair next time because I was too excited to sit when the sky is dancing). I could have used more rest here and there but not when the weather is that great. Loved the pace we did. You did a great job planning and executing. Thank you

We saw and experienced so many wonderful night sky scenes (I have 8,799 pictures to process) and probably 700 in the day. I finished the tour tired, but it was magical, and I would do it again!!! In fact, a few of the participants on this tour had been on other Iceland tours 2 or 3 times before. A testament on how great it is. I was very fortunate to be able to attend. I highly recommend this tour. If I can do it, you can too!! Thanks for making my dream come true.

Photos © Paul

Ines Lai, Hong Kong (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) This is already the third time going for aurora photography with Babak’s group. In the previous two tours (once to the Highland in September and once on Glacier Explorer in March) I learned a lot and really enjoyed the experience so much that I decided to go again for more Aurora photography. I wanted to learn more night photography skills from Babak and further develop my night photography and technical photography skills, as well as see the Northern lights again. I was already familiar with manual settings and had some night photography experience and this time I packed two cameras: a DSLR and a mirrorless.

For people new to night photography, you would learn a lot with great support from Babak and his team who are always ready to stand in and provide assistance when needed in night imaging sessions. For those already with some experience, you would find yourself improving in existing skills with plenty of opportunities to also learn and try something new. Babak’s team is amazing when coming to hunting for auroras and clear night skies. Be prepared for long sessions of standing in cold windy conditions for night imaging, but definitely worthy for all the magical moments of seeing the night sky and it is truly memorable experience of a lifetime. I feel that the nightly shooting schedules were excellent: The timing was perfect; I felt energized and had enough time to capture the images I wanted. The daytime touring and photographing sites were perfectly Balanced: The schedule felt efficient, providing enough time at sites, a relaxing lunch, and ample downtime/rest upon returning to the hotel.

The turf church for night imaging was my favorite of all locations on the whole tour. The church is very beautiful and as a foreground for night imaging, it brings out a strong feeling of timelessness and a connection between past and present in the night skies. Also, the location itself is relatively easy to access for those unfamiliar with walking in almost complete darkness.

Two suggestions:  I would have like to learn about stitching night photos to create a panorama image and suggest that participants bring their own towel if you are considering going for a dip in natural geothermal hot springs, it is unlikely to be able to borrow/rent a towel in these natural hot springs. The hotels, group dinners and breakfasts, photography sites and transportation were all excellent.  Lunch options were good.  I feel this program is an excellent value for the cost paid and I look forward to going again if there are new routes for other regions of Iceland.

Photos © Ines Lai

Photo © Ines Lai

Debbie Reddick, Ohio (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) I joined to accompany my daughter and we both wanted to see the aurora.This program was absolutely incredible – way more than I could have ever imagined! It truly sparked an interest in photography for me, especially night photography! I was amazed at what I learned to do using only my cell phone and a tripod because I never took photos at night before.

I felt the schedule was efficient, providing enough time at sites, and ample downtime/rest upon returning to the hotel. The hotels, breakfasts and dinners, site visits and transportation were excellent. My favorite sites?  That is difficult to answer as they were all great sites and so unique! I did love Ásbyrgi Canyon during the day and the little church and Geysir night imaging sites. This program was an excellent value for the money I spent.

Photo © Debbie Reddick

Jen, New Hampshire (Highlands Explorer – September 2025) I joined the tour to accompany my husband, who wanted to see the aurora. I was excited to see an aurora and learn basic astrophotography from Babak. Before joining the tour, I was new to night photography and wanted to learn more techniques. I feel I significantly improved my photography skills, techniques, and confidence for both day and night shooting by the end of this workshop. The smart phone tips will be a huge help. Let’s face it, that’s the camera many of us will have to hand when something catches our eye at night.

It is an active, busy tour. Our group had the opportunity to scout night skies every single night but the last one. During the day we traveled and explored various sites in the Highlands of Iceland. We left the tour educated, happy and exhausted! I did feel that the itinerary and daily schedule was a little fast: I felt slightly rushed at the sites or during lunch, or I could have used a bit more downtime/rest after getting back to the hotel.

My favorite night shoots were the two sites that we could photograph from the hotel. The foregrounds are less interesting, but it was wonderful to go back to bed or into warm up when you needed to. I would be interested to come back again to see the Westfjords and I felt the program cost was a good value for money. We enjoyed the entire group including Babak and staff. Everyone put their best selves forward and it made for a joyfully memorable trip. Also, those hot baths are a wonder.

Photos © Jen

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Margo, Washington State (Glaciers Explorer March 25) This was my 3rd trip with Babak and team to Iceland and each trip has been awesome in its own way. For this trip, the weather was harsh (strong winds, rain, even a snowstorm) and it was these conditions where Babak, Sævar and Kristján’s skills, expertise and passionate commitment to ensure we all experienced the aurora shined brightly!

I loved seeing Iceland by day and by night, augmented so significantly through the interactions with Babak, Sævar and Kristján. It is an awesome country with awesome people! The daytime highlights were Glacier Bay and Diamond Beach, the glacier hike, and the lesser-known waterfalls that were so special.

We saw aurora on 3 nights – the first night we may have been the the only ones in Iceland that saw anything – Babak and Sævar figured out where the one “hole” in the clouds would be so we could experience the aurora – it was lovely! The winds were 25-40 mph but Kristján expertly got us to a great spot and expertly positioned the bus to shield us from the winds. One night the aurora didn’t show, so Babak set about teaching us (in the field) about constellations, photographing the Milky Way and creating star trails. I could site multiple examples like these during the tour.

What you’ll also experience is absolute world-class expertise across multiple disciplines: hunting aurora (and what it really takes to be successful), the wonders of the night sky, geology, meteorological forecasting, volcanos, photography techniques and how a composition tells a story. What’s most beautiful is the approachable and humble way they talk with you as a group and 1:1 – it feels like friends. Lastly, you’ll experience the joyFULL experience of people who love Iceland and ALL it has to offer. Babak’s 3 partners on the team are Icelanders, so during the day you see the best of what Iceland has to offer – prepare to have fun and learn a lot!

I achieved my goals and improved my photography skills on this tour. I learned about photographing the Milky Way and how to create timelapses of that and the aurora. I also applied what I learned about the story I wanted to tell through the images I was creating. Lastly, I learned about the differences between documentary photography and using photography to create art.

I was very satisfied with the amount of downtime and breaks – in my view when I’m in an amazing place like Iceland I want to see and experience as much as possible. The hotels and food were great. I have only ever had delicious dinners of fish and lamb. I like the smaller Iceland hotels – the breakfasts provide a wide variety of foods and the rooms, though sparse, are clean and comfortable.

I would like to see Kirkjufell Mountain and the Highlands. Additionally, I haven’t been out to the islands or to the Western Fjords.

Photos © Margo

Joyce, Singapore (Glaciers Explorer March 25) If you want to learn about astronomy, astrophotography and how to take better photos and edit them, I would highly recommend joining Babak’s tour. Babak is a very inspirational photo tour leader and educator who is always happy to share his vast knowledge and experience. I was impressed by his energy, passion and great wealth of knowledge and experience and how he patiently answered our questions.

It was fun learning about Iceland through the information and snippets shared by Babak, Sævar and Kristján. And I really enjoyed the lectures given by Sævar and Babak, and their passion, experience and knowledge about astronomy and the Northern Lights. I also enjoyed the editing sessions and tips that Babak and Amirreza shared with us.

I improved my photography skills and learned how to create a timelapse video and how to stack images to create a star trail. It’s always tricky trying to manually focus my camera especially in very dark skies environment but I feel more comfortable doing that now and taking photos at night on my own. One-on-one help from tour leaders and instructors was a valuable part of this tour experience.

The camaraderie of the group was also fantastic–I was initially a little concerned by the large group size but thankfully everyone gelled very well, and we had lots of laughs together. I enjoyed the night shoots too and only wish the weather had been more cooperative to have given us better Aurora shows, but Nature is something we cannot control. I think the trip overall was nicely paced and not too much time spent on the roads, compared to some photo tours I’ve participated in.

Our dinners and stay at Hotel Rangá stood out on this trip. The food was good in all the hotels, but I found most hotel rooms were rather small and the single beds at one hotel we stayed at were very narrow.

I would like to see the Highlands, Northern and Western parts of Iceland.

Photos © Joyce

Shawn Gordon, Seattle (Glaciers Explorer March 25) I already had experience with night photography and manually focusing my camera at night, but I joined the tour to experience Iceland and learn photography techniques from Babak Tafreshi. This tour is a wonderful experience for anyone at all interested in nighttime photography, aurora, and the rugged beauty of Iceland. It is not for someone uninterested in capturing the night sky, but for someone with a decent camera or even an iPhone, it is well worth the experience.

Babak and his team were dedicated to ensuring that all members of the tour had the opportunity to learn how best to photograph an aurora and how to edit the photographs afterwards. Despite the adverse weather conditions, Babak’s team ensured that this tour had the opportunity to fully experience as much as Iceland has to offer during the time we were there. Babak’s team was adaptable and went out of their way to guarantee the tour was a success. Babak, Sævar, and Kristján put in 110% effort to make this tour a wonderful experience despite the uncooperative weather. They were sociable and approachable and friendly. The places we saw during the day were incredibly beautiful and the nighttime photography shoots were an adventure.

I learned better lightroom editing skills, the potential of using Camera Raw, and how to make timelapses and star trails easily with Photoshop.  I really enjoyed learning about Icelandic culture and history and the camaraderie of the group.

We were lucky to stay at Hotel Rangá, which was top notch. The hotel near the glacier was certainly above average and the location was spectacular. I would have liked to spend more time there and experience more of the glacier area at day and night. One of the hotels we stayed was average and I could take it or leave it.

The food was quite good. To be honest, we were tired at the end of the day, but I wouldn’t want more downtime because I felt like there was so much to see and I didn’t want to miss any of it.

For next time I would leave behind about half the clothes I brought. I did not use the camp chairs I packed, so those would be left behind. The umbrella was very useful. Charging the Mac book was troublesome because the mac’s wall-wart is unwieldly when plugged into the wall, so I would bring a short extension cord to make charging easier.

I want to revisit the coast beyond Vik, which we were unable to see because of the weather, and would like to go on Babak’s fall tour to see the northern side of Iceland.

Photos © Shawn Gordon

Lisa, Edmonds, Washington (Glaciers Explorer March 25) I had been on a previous tour with Babak, and I joined this program to see other parts of Iceland and to learn more night photo skills. I would describe this program as a top-notch experience with true experts, both during the day tours and night photography. I loved the daytime photography shoots, but I would have liked to spend more time in each daytime location and perhaps visit fewer ones in the same day.

 I only use a cell phone for photography. As a result I now feel comfortable shooting night sky images with my cell phone, tripod and remote. And it was helpful to learn a bit about the Lightroom Mobile app. I reached a better understanding of options for editing images that are realistic and tasteful. My photography skills improved, and I achieved my workshop goals.

The food and hotels were very good, and I feel the price of the tour was good value for money. If I can make one change for next time I would have packed waterproof mittens with partial fingers and mitten covers.

I would like to see the southeast/east side of the island and spend more time in the National Park area.

Hui, Singapore (Glaciers Explorer March 25) During this tour I learned about the wonders of the night sky, and how auroras are formed. The combined knowledge of Babak and Sævar was mind-blowing.  I enjoyed the company of likeminded individuals and the dry comedic humor of Babak + Sævar. What a combination! Don’t be afraid to ask questions, Babak and Sævar are patient, kind and willing to help. It was also really good to have Amirreza as an instructor on this trip; he was readily available and helped me a lot !

The agility of the team (Babak, Sævar, Kristján) about changing plans in inclement weather and aurora sighting opportunities, was bar none. Thank you!

My photography skills improved during this tour. I’m more confident now and would love to get more practice. I learnt how to use a much lower ISO to achieve higher dynamic range, how to create a timelapse , how to focus on a distant object in order to manually focus at infinity at night. and I received tips how to get more exposure on the upper or lower part of the frame without overexposing the other. The nighttime learning sessions were fantastic and I learnt post production techniques to bring out the best in aurora images. (Although I would suggest that the 1st one could be a tad shorter as some people were jet lagged and tired).

My recommendation is to join this tour if you are:

• single minded about chasing the aurora – it will demand long nights in cold, windy weather, and is physically demanding. But it will be rewarding!
• wanting to learn about astrophotography, astronomy, and some geology, from true experts in their fields.
• want to improve your night photography and postproduction techniques.

By the same token:

• This tour is focused on the night shooting sessions. Bear in mind this means you won’t get early starts in the morning. So, it means getting to popular locations when it is more crowded or when the best morning light may have passed.
• The group is fairly large (~25 participants). This means there are not many chances to stop opportunistically to take photographs, and it also means some locations may feel a bit rushed. There was one waterfall where we only had 30 mins). For example: when you see a beautiful landscape and want to stop, it isn’t very convenient to stop as it could delay the rest of the scheduled site visits.

Having said this, we still did have a couple of opportunistic moments. One with a local couple at Eyjafjallajökull who invited us into their amazing home museum and shared their incredible story of the 2010 eruption which they lived through. And a second time to admire and play with Icelandic horses. I guess it’s all about balancing time and quality!

I recommend bringing a cellphone. It can do wonders if you already know what you’re after in terms of the image you want to capture, and how to use the phone camera functions.

A few techniques I would have liked to learn, on hindsight: how to achieve ‘moody’ images, given that the weather was not great, and everything looked flat in the daytime….although this in itself also presents other opportunities for creative imaging and postproduction.

There was one item I wish I had packed: a cap to wear under my hood, to keep the rain and water off my face. And I wish it was allowed to pack a red headlamp which I feel is better as it is handsfree. (rather than a red torch with a strap that is on the required packing list).

I was generally satisfied with the number of breaks during the tour, and especially enjoyed the downtime at Hotel Rangá to soak in the hot tub. The food was of very good quality in all locations. Hotel accommodations were also generally good. The hotel location near the glacier was amazing, though rooms were a bit small (heated floor made up for it though!). The Hella hotel room was also a bit small. Overall, I feel the cost of the tour is a good value for money.

I hear the West and Highlands are beautiful. I’d be interested to know more about these regions.

Photos © Hui

Ying Zhang, Canada (Glaciers Explorer March 25) Join the tour with Babak. You will see the aurora dancing in the dark night and your photographs will enter a new level.  There were two reasons I joined: a). I was on a previous tour with Babak and wanted to see different parts of Iceland and b). I wanted to further advance my photography skills and learn more from Babak. My photography skills improved 100% and I learned many techniques and have the confidence to manually focus my camera at night. I learned how to do long exposures with filters and tried some panoramas. I would like to try to learn interval shooting if I have the chance.

I was glad we had extraordinary team leaders who could always think out of the box to find the perfect times/locations for night photo sessions under such unpredictable weather conditions. I understood that the team leaders were under pressure due to the bad weather we had, and overall, I was satisfied with the arrangements. I think the program cost was a good value for money and the hotels and food were good as usual.

I would like to see the Höfn  area, and the Westjords.

Achint, McKinney, Texas (Glaciers Explorer March 25) I had an incredible time on this photo tour through Iceland. The tour leaders were outstanding—especially in their ability to track and find the perfect spots to view the northern lights, even with unpredictable weather. Their deep knowledge of Iceland’s landscapes, history, and culture truly enriched the experience. We explored breathtaking locations—from stunning waterfalls to majestic glaciers—and every stop felt thoughtfully chosen. One moment that stood out was learning about the resilience of the Icelandic people after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption. It added such depth and context to the beautiful terrain we were photographing. The accommodations and food were excellent on most days and still good on others—no complaints there! A special shoutout to **Babak Tafreshi**, whose expertise and passion for night sky photography were both inspiring and educational. While I wished for a few more clear nights (something no one can control), it was impressive how the team made the absolute most of the ones we had. Highly recommend this tour to anyone passionate about photography, nature, and adventure. I came back with stunning shots and even better memories.

I achieved my workshop objectives, improved my photography skills and I consider the following to be the most valuable part of the tour experience: the development of technical photography skills, night photography shoots and shooting locations, quality, knowledge, and experience of tour leaders, food and accommodations.

Hotel Rangá was the best obviously with accommodation and food and the other hotels were great with decent accommodations, but the hotel in Hella had rooms that were too small. I had everything I needed with me thanks to the detailed pre-trip instruction guide.

I would like to see Northern Iceland.

Photos © Achint

Sheri Steele, Bainbridge Island, Washington (Glaciers Explorer March 25) This was a great tour with many interesting and diverse places to visit. There were varied sites and subjects to see and photography sessions with a master photographer from which to learn as much as possible. I liked that photo opportunities were well thought out and planned with information about how best to use your camera or cell phone. My favorite parts of the tour were the night photography shoots and shooting locations, the quality, knowledge, and experience of tour leaders, and learning about Icelandic culture and history. 

I accompanied my spouse on this tour because I wanted to learn how to take photos at night with my cell phone. I improved my photography skills and learned how to manually focus my cell phone, how to better frame my photos and how to use a tripod. Babak was hands on and very approachable and I really appreciated the and one-on-one help from tour leaders and instructors.  

I loved the food and hotel accommodations. The food was so much better than I had expected. I was very satisfied with the downtime and breaks during this tour, although if the tour had been longer, I would have needed more down time.

I would like to see the north and east side of Iceland.

Photos © Sheri Steele

Heather, Singapore (Glaciers Explorer March 25) I joined this tour because I wanted to advance my photography skills and learn from Babak. Plus, Iceland has been on my bucket list, and I wanted to see the northern lights. I would describe this tour as a one-of-a-kind experience where you get to learn from the best in night photography and tour with Iceland’s expert scientist. The most valuable part of my experience was seeing the glaciers and aurora, the quality, knowledge, and experience of tour leaders, learning about Icelandic culture and history, and learning how to edit my photos.  

I used both a cell phone and camera to take photos. This tour 100% improved my photography skills.  I learned how to manually focus my camera at night, and which lenses and settings to use in different locations. I would have loved to learn about photo composition.

I thought the food was fantastic! And the first two hotels were comfortable. Hotel Rangá was quite special. I like how the tour was action packed but wish we had a bit of time allocated to photo editing at the end of every day so we know how we could improve at the next shoot. To be honest, it was a bit disappointing to not have had better weather for the aurora (not the tour’s fault of course). If we did, I would say yes, it’s good value for money.

Madhav Krishna, Chicago  (Glaciers Explorer March 25) How would I describe this tour to others? It’s got everything. I remember telling all my friends and family after the very first day that even sitting on the bus and listening to Babak and Sævar talk is like being a part of a live Nat Geo podcast. Being with a group of photographers, I never felt alone in what I was doing or what I wanted to do. Never felt rushed or confused with Babak’s incredible expertise right next to me. The trip was the most perfect balance of learning, exploring, absorbing, and photographing. The group started off with around 25 people, but never did it once feel any bigger than even 10 people. Babak always had time for me and kept everyone amused and engaged. Before this trip, a few of my friends who’d been to Iceland told me the food was average. I, however, loved every single meal. Hotels were clean, comfortable and in amazing locations. We had absolutely amazing food and to stay at Hotel Rangá was absolutely incredible – food, stay, location. hospitality.

I improved my photography skills 100% and I learned to manually focus my lens at night, I feel a lot more comfortable going forward on my own. I also learned some old school techniques to increase brightness of reflections of the night and learned for the first time how to use ND filters for long exposure day photography. I learned about the small nuances between taking a set of photos for star trails vs Timelapses, how to get more ‘color’ out of the sky for star trails. I also learned how to play with the balance between ISO and exposure time, and the ability to recover information in post processing.

I was completely satisfied with the downtime and breaks during the tour. At no point did anything ever feel forced in the slightest. I was very much at liberty to make my own decisions about downtime. I was very comfortable to participate in every activity and had enough rest.

Photos © Madhav Krishna

Debbie, Texas (Glaciers Explorer March 25) This was my second tour of Iceland with Babak. I can say that his tours are more than photographing the Aurora and night sky. The day tours are wonderful, showcasing many of the natural sites of Iceland. The tour guides are phenomenal in their knowledge of Iceland’s history and formation and in the ability to change agendas as needed due to weather challenges.

Participants need to understand the tour can be quite demanding. The days are full of sightseeing, followed by likely long nights of Aurora photography. Participants should be prepared for weather, which may prohibit experiencing the Aurora, as well as certain site visits. However, if one is open to experiencing all Iceland offers, sometime even in less-than-ideal weather, participation in the trip is a fabulous and worthwhile experience.

I used my cell phone for photography and I improved my skills. However, I also know that unless I continue to practice night photography, I will likely forget some of the tips and processes I learned, which included how to manage exposure with a settings adjustment on my phone and that on a tripod my phone automatically sets to 30 sec exposure, which washes out the Aurora. The things I found most valuable on this tour were the quality, knowledge, and experience of tour leaders, learning about Icelandic culture and history and the one-on-one help from tour leaders and instructors.

I enjoyed all the meals and accommodations. The dinners at Hotel Rangá were of course a highlight as the atmosphere, ambiance and hotel is top notch! But the other hotels also had comfortable accommodations and excellent food for both breakfast and dinners. I feel the program cost is a good value for money.

I would like to see the Highlands.

Photos © Debbie

Doug Fechter , Connecticut (Glaciers Explorer March 25) I joined this tour because Iceland has been on my bucket list, and I wanted to see the northern lights. This tour is an outstanding opportunity to learn photography skills from a world-class master while getting up close to the rugged beauty of Iceland. You’ll learn about Icelandic history and geology; see amazing glaciers, waterfalls and coastlines; thrill to the Northern Lights and learn why they occur; and take and process memorable photos.

I only used a camera to take photos, and I greatly improved my skills. I now feel comfortable focusing my camera lenses at night, creating time lapses, photographing waterfalls and processing my images.

The food and accommodations were excellent, the tour leaders were knowledgeable and experienced, and I feel the program cost is a good value.

My favorite part of the tour was the excellent organization and flexibility to adapt to changing conditions; the camaraderie of the group; the beauty of Iceland; learning about Babak’s other activities (TWAN, light pollution); and improving my photography skills.

I would like to see the north and inland.

2024 Tour Reviews

David Fanning, Colorado (Highlands Explorer September 24) I was most excited to join because I had never seen an aurora before and I wanted to learn how to shoot a timelapse.  I already had a little bit of experience taking photos at night.

My only experience with the aurora was via other photographer’s pictures. I wasn’t prepared for the pulsating, living thing the aurora turned out to be! There were any number of times when photography was the least of my concerns and I was totally focused on just soaking the experience into my mind and body.

The first time we saw the aurora I was preoccupied with the technical details of working my camera in the cold and dark. Then I simply became overwhelmed by the show and I had no idea where to point my camera for the best results. Wonderful, spectacular sights were everywhere! It was terribly confusing for me.

But later, after seeing what others in the group were doing, I realized “Hey, this is just photography and I am a photographer (sorta).” So the next time we saw an aurora I relaxed a bit and spent more time thinking about composition and exposure and slightly less time being just completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the aurora.

With every chance to practice I felt like I got better and more comfortable at both photography and controlling my emotions and my camera so I could take better pictures. By the end of the workshop I felt like although I needed a lot more practice, I had a decent grasp on what I was trying to do with my camera.

RE: Daytime photography: This was my first time coming to Iceland, and I felt like my daytime photography was more about taking tourist snapshots than doing anything terribly creative. If I returned to Iceland I would certainly try to do something more along the lines of the kinds of pictures I ordinarily make, but I wasn’t unhappy just seeing the magnificent sights!

As far as the food and accommodations: I could do with less lamb, and the hotel rooms had barely enough room for two people. I found it almost impossible to edit photos sitting on a bed.  A chair or a desk would have been wonderful!

I thought the schedule was pretty much perfect. I did very much enjoy the enforced day off in the highlands! I thought the highlands hotel was great. Wonderful food and the outdoor thermal pool was terrific.

Photos © David Fanning

Dan Friedman, New York (Highlands Explorer September 24) I could not say more about how wonderful an experience this was. Babak is a gem – his knowledge and passion about the night sky and the technical skills are matched by his patience, accessibility and grace as a teacher. Gisli and Kristján went above and beyond sharing their beautiful country. The whole team gave enormously of their time day and night and were an absolute pleasure to spend time with. They also attract a great group of fellow like-minded tour participants, many of whom have traveled repeatedly with Babak and everyone got along famously. A trip of a lifetime, except I can’t wait to go back again.

I was excited to see the Northern Lights and learn how to document them. I learned a lot of artistic and technical skills about composing, taking and editing images, how to manually focus (clearly, I need practice), timelapse, editing for night and aurora, and composition – these were among the many skills I learned during the program.

The top 3 things I enjoyed most about this tour were: development of technical photography skills, shooting locations, and knowledge gained of the night sky and astronomy.

As for suggestions to improve the tour itinerary: I know it’s hard to feed a large group, but I would have preferred less time at meals, and I think it would have been good to suggest bringing a 24-70 lens.  I thought the hotels and food had some better than others, all good enough. I felt like the singles may have gotten the worst rooms (but that could just be my paranoia). I would have loved the Highlands if the weather was better and if I came back again, I would want to spend more time in the Highlands (but without 50+mph winds and snow).  I feel the program was a good value for money spent.

Photos © Dan Friedman

John Jr., Australia (Highlands Explorer September 24) I never took photos at night before joining. I was excited for it to be all about Iceland! And was also looking to learn some technical and composition tips for night and day time photography. I took photos with a DLSR and a cell phone. 

Did I broaden or learned new photography skills? Goodness yes. So much. Unfortunately the first thing I learned is that it’s not a cheap hobby! Babak and team were incredibly helpful in improving my technical knowledge, composition, manual focusing, editing, etc. I really had never done landscape / long exposure, so that was fascinating.

The experience was a good mix of daytime activity, night activity, food etc. Not a ton of “downtime” but there’s a lot of time on the bus. Only trouble is the views are so good you won’t want to nap (and some of the roads add complications there anyway). My favorite sites were Hotel Rangá, obviously. Basecamp was incredible. Although we didn’t get the otherworldly colours for which the highlands are so famous, the vistas in a flash snowstorm were incredible anyway! I thought the food and accommodations were brilliant. Good mix of cheap and cheerful (and well-located) and luxe. Obviously it would great to have more time at Rangá, not just because it’s fancy but the viewing area is right next to the hotel at night! For a less “sexy” site, the crater we did on the first morning was really great. Not as “wow” as some others, but because it was almost entirely void of other people, really enjoyed it.

As suggestions for improvement: One thing that was a bit too bad was that most of the sites we went to in the day were stunning, but also firmly on the map. I would love to have a few more visits to places “off-the-beaten-path.” Appreciate the difficulty in that, given how popular Iceland is as a destination (and, again, I know it was definitely tried!) Lots of tourists made for some interesting photos, but also sometimes got in the way. I would have appreciated a few stops / sessions with more wide-open vistas and instruction. Appreciate that’s not the tour specialty, but if one of the coaches were more versed in landscape / daytime, that would be awesome! (Especially if the nights are all cloudy and day time is the main photo-taking opportunity for the tour!)

More gas station lunches / take-away options for eating on the bus would be all right as well, can never have too many hot dogs!   I think we were pretty well prepared, maybe a bit of information on potential “Plan B’s” for if there’s bad weather / low visibility?  10 full days with 20 people is a lot. Loading and unloading the bus a big process, etc. So I think that’s probably either too big a group or too long a tour, maybe both.

If I were to come back on a future tour with Babak, I would like to see the Westfjords / East fjords!  Again, Highlands in better visibility would be amazing.

Was the program cost good value for money? Honestly, a bit too good. Although I get it’s important to have lots of nights to insure Aurora / Night Sky in a cloudy country, I think you could do 8 nights with an extra at Rangá for the same cost and it be just as good of value.

Photos © John Jr.

Ying, Canada (Highlands Explorer September 24) I joined because I wanted to see the aurora with Icelandic extraordinary landscapes. I had never taken photos at night before. I absolutely broadened my skills and learned new techniques. I learned how to make panoramas, time lapses and also started Photoshop editing. I have learned how to prepare for night photography, many camera settings during night activities and photo editing skills afterwards . It would be wonderful if I can learn composition skills in daytime/landscape photography.

It was a fun, exciting and knowledgeable tour. Don’t miss anytime to seek advice from Babak for your photos. What I enjoyed most about this tour was development of technical photography skills, learning about Iceland through Gisli’s tour commentary and constructive critiques of my photos. Dettifoss was my favorite site visit. I felt the food and hotels were mostly good. I will come back to see the South part of Iceland.

Photos © Ying

Ariel Bedell, California (Highlands Explorer September 24) This is an opportunity to see the beauty of Iceland from people who truly love the land while coupled with opportunity to photograph the night sky and learn from the best there is! The participants quickly felt like family and everyone was so supportive of each other’s personal and photography journey.

Prior to joining the tour I was excited to see Iceland and the more remote areas of Iceland, but in particular was very excited about seeing Aurora and learning how to photograph Aurora. My nighttime photography could only improve as I had no experience prior to this trip. But from the first night to our last, I noticed great improvement with my comfort in taking photographs and using the camera and lenses, knowing what to look for and being able to frame the photo that I was looking for. The assistance from Babak, Gisli and Kristján were invaluable. 

Teaching and guiding every skill level, Babak, Gisli and Kristján brought a sense of joy and genuine appreciation for the subject. I didn’t realize that Gisli and Kristján are also skilled photographers and can provide assistance. I originally thought Kristján was mainly there as a driver, and Gisli as a local tour guide but was so pleased to learn that they were so much more than that! Their photography skills and guidance were also immensely helpful on this trip and I appreciate their willingness, as well as Babak’s, to educate and guide along the process.

I felt pretty comfortable with my daytime photography skills, but was so grateful for the education, pointers, tips and set up assistance from Babak. I learned better how to photograph waterfalls, frame the shot and unique viewpoints. The 3 things I liked most about this journey was the one on one help, the knowledge gained of the night sky and astronomy and Gisli’s tour commentary.

Overall I felt the timeline and itinerary were pretty well scheduled. The last two days did feel like there was stops that could have been made to keep the day more interesting. The smaller lunch places where food could have been ordered ahead of time would have made for a smoother/faster day.  The stops with larger areas to potentially explore maybe needed another 15-30 minutes, especially when lunch was tied into the stop. I felt like sometimes we had to rush to get to a photo site, set up, photo, rush to the next and then still try to eat and use the restroom all in a quick period of time. As one who didn’t need a lot of photo set up, I was generally ok with it, but it was hard at times. The stops that had good shopping options would have been nice to have maybe another 15-20 minutes at and to let people know ahead of time to better plan their walks/site seeing and potential shopping.

I felt the welcome packet gave all the recommendations and suggested packing list I needed during the trip. Maybe remind people though that they will be carrying their own bags – while everyone seemed capable, many packed very heavy bags and getting bags in and out of the bus, in and out of hotels seemed to be a chore for some.  

I did the northern route this trip, I would love to do the southern route next time. I would love to see a glacier and was disappointed that we did not end up even stopping for a quick view of one. I genuinely enjoyed some of the more off-the-beaten past stops we did. My only dislike was how cold it was on the bus rides back home after aurora shooting. I was under the impression that the bus would be heated so we could warm up while shooting, but it never was and even when we headed back to the hotel, the bus was still very cold making it really difficult to be comfortable on those rides back (typically requiring a hot shower to warm up). 

Couple of suggestions on this item: either have people bring a travel mug or provide one as a keepsake item, have canteens of hot water or hot chocolate on the bus to help people warm up . Blankets on the bus – Advise people to bring a travel blanket for this purpose).

Hotels and all food were fabulous. Many of the dinners were very rich though so by the last few days the dinners began to feel heavy. Quality wise though, I was very impressed.

Brian Fanning, Oregon (Highlands Explorer September 24) I am a night photographer, and this workshop was incredibly helpful in refining my aurora photography techniques.  Prior to joining the tour, I was most excited about the opportunity to work with Babak again and photograph a night sky unlike any I’d seen before. This tour has some of everything! Exploring a completely unique landscape, learning from incredible instructors and guides, and seeing a night sky that takes your breath away. There is a lot of travel in this workshop, and it would be great if it could be a bit less. But I also didn’t mind driving around a bunch if it meant seeing many different parts of the island. In general, I thought the itinerary felt quite balanced.

The daytime photography in Iceland presented an interesting challenge. Many of the sites were crowded with other tourists and I enjoyed trying to find unique perspectives of the sites. ND filters were very helpful. The food included a bit too much lamb for my tastes, but when in Rome! Hotel rooms tended to be quite tight for two people and often lacked a desk to work at, but we spent so little time in our hotels that I wasn’t particularly bothered.

My top 3 favorite things about this program were learning about Iceland through Gisli’s tour commentary, Babak’s editing class and constructive critiques of my photos. My favorite sites included the Highlands (being snowed in at the hotel and enjoying the thermal pools all day was a delight!) and Hotel Ranga, which provided a delightful and photogenic conclusion to the trip. The Welcome Packet was a very helpful resource. I feel the program was a good value for money spent.

I’m eager to explore more of the south and west of Iceland on a future tour!

Photos © Brian Fanning

Mike Druar, Massachusetts (Highlands Explorer September 24) I was most excited about seeing northern Iceland and the Highlands. Before this tour I had a little bit of experience taking photos at night. I used a camera and a cell phone. With the guidance and patience of Babak I was able to set up two cameras and learn how to take multiple images of various types of Auroras for building time lapses. I also learned how to use ND filters to shoot long exposures of waterfalls, on both the iPhone and my Nikon DSLR. I really enjoyed learning about Iceland through Gisli’s tour commentary and I thought the itinerary was great. There was good communication on when and where we would stop. It was a good mix of bus travel and stops, which made the journeys pass quickly. The Highlands and Hotel Rangá were my favorite sites we visited. Rangá is just magical.. I really would have liked clear skies at the highlands base camp.. ah well.. maybe next time. I’d like to go back to Highlands when it is clear weather.

Hand held iPhone photo of a crown © Mike Druar

Bernard, Belgium (Highlands Explorer September 24) I was excited to see more auroras than the first time I came in 2019. I really enjoyed spending time around the hotel we stayed at in the Highlands and I was positively surprised about the food in Iceland.

I am a night photographer and had lots of experience. I used a DSLR and mirrorless camera and a cell phone to take photos. I always learn something new, this time I learned how to build stories in my work. Combining an Iceland tour with astrophotography experts is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I enjoyed the camaraderie, shooting locations, and constructive criticism of my photos. As a suggestion, to improve on the time table: It’s hard to combine “evening dinner” with “day-to-night” time lapsing. I would love to come back on another tour through the Highlands.

Katrina H., Australia (Highland Explorer Tour – September 24) I was a raw beginner when I took my first tour with Babak and his team. Since then I have upgraded to a mirrorless camera, and honestly I have been overwhelmed by the complexity of it. The beauty and uniqueness of this tour is that Babak and his team have so much experience with all types of cameras and make time on the bus and/or in the field to assist everyone, individually, who is having an issue or who wants to extend their skills. I have learned that photography is not a “set and forget” skill (especially with the aurora!) but a dynamic process requiring confidence to experiment with settings. I am pleased I have achieved this goal!

I felt the tour was a perfect combination of Astro, day trips, rest stops and dinner. I think the primary purpose of this trip is astrophotography, and as such it has a perfect balance within the constraints of the length of the tour itself. This tour is capable of being extraordinarily demanding or a relaxing as you wish. Plenty of low effort options are available, however a typical day begins with breakfast and a daytime hike or excursion, returning (or progressing) to our hotel for dinner, and then (depending on the aurora forecast) departing for a night of aurora photography. These nights are often very late if the conditions are great, and this is perfect because not many people want to go to bed if the aurora is exploding overhead!! It can be exhausting, but Babak and the team are conscious of this (it’s exhausting for them too!!) so often we had a later breakfast and departure the following day.

A few suggestions: If all of the seats on the bus were taken up by a person I don’t know how everyone’s equipment would have fit. The food and accommodation were good, but some of the single rooms (eg Keflavik) were extremely small. I noticed the small difference in quality of some hotels, and not having dessert with main meals. (These are not overly important to me but would be for some).

All in all I couldn’t fault this program. There is so much to learn about photography, astronomy, geography and history, that I wish there was a farewell pack of our itinerary, names and significance of places etc. Finally, the weather is beyond anyone’s control and the team went to extraordinary efforts to make sure we got safely to our destinations with their local knowledge and https://icelandatnight.is/  

Left photo of Katrina © wideapimages Right photo © Katrina

Mengyi Yao, Canada (Highlands Explorer September 24) I think for anyone who is serious about learning photography skills fits the tour. Before the tour I had never taken photos at night before, and I used a camera and cell phone to do so. I will say it’s giant leap for me from almost no experience to start thinking about what and how to shoot before taking shots. Also, the photo editing session, including the 1 on 1 tutoring is highly valuable.

I absolutely learned new skills and techniques. After the workshop, I went to Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the Westfjords region. I used different combinations of aperture and shutter speed as well as ISO to shoot under different weather conditions. I shot waterfalls handheld using 1/3s -1/4s +f22 on cloudy days and the results are quite good. On my next trip in March 2025, I would like to learn to use ND filters. Besides this, composition is one of the areas I definitely seek to improve.

The 3 things I found most enjoyable about the tour were Babak’s editing class, knowledge I gained of the night sky and astronomy, and development of my technical photography skills.

My favorite site visits were Gullfoss, Godafoss and Hotel Rangá. I thought the food and accommodations were very good! The program cost was worth every penny and the next time I come back I hope to visit the south part of Iceland and I also wish to see the giant volcano craters and glaciers in Highlands.

Deb D., Massachusetts (Highlands Explorer September 24) This was our THIRD experience with Babak and his team. The first one was at the Maine Stargazing and Photography Retreat at Camp Medomak, Maine for the Milky Way, then a March Iceland trip (coldest, windiest, March on record in 30 years), and then this trip. On that first program my Nikon D850 was brand new, (meaning I had no idea how to use it) and I only had clear vision out of one eye. Due to tremendous patience and commitment from the travel guides/staff I managed to capture some beautiful shots. Fast forward to this trip, and I am now often in manual mode during the day, and creating time lapses at night, again, due to the generous learning environment created by Babak, his guides and multiple other participants.

Iceland landscapes, in my opinion, are like nothing you will see all on one “island” or anywhere else in the world. Babak and his team are highly experienced and knowledgeable, and you will have the opportunity to shoot at locations that most people have no idea even exist. The excitement was palpable every night as we headed out to multiple gorgeous dark sky, star filled, locations. In Maine, we shot and saw the Milky Way 8 out of 8 nights; in Iceland in March we shot the Aurora, 8 out of 8 nights; on this trip we shot 5 out of 8 nights and on every one of those 5 nights the aurora crowned. Luck? Divine intervention? Nope. Skill, commitment, and determination to provide all participants with an experience they will never forget, and an almost instant desire to return again and again for all the positive reasons I have mentioned.

I practiced taking photos in manual mode during the day which was new for me. I have been reading about composition and creating a story, part of my personal next step (among many others) in learning and improving my skills. I took more daytime “composed” practice shots than night and should have simply asked more questions about it to get better. I really appreciated when Babak would inform us overall what the location had to offer and how far to explore and why it might be worth it!

I improved and broadened my technical skill and feel even more comfortable using my DSLR at night and during the day in manual mode. Babak and every member of the team as well as other participants were always open and willing to share, which created a very generous learning environment. Multiple participants shared their images from this trip, and other vacations, etc. and it was truly amazing to see so much amazing first time, novice, and professional talent. Lots of “WOW! How did you capture that!”

I cannot even imagine the difficulty in trying to herd so many people (including myself) to do so many things, in any given day! Like herding kittens. I appreciated not leaving for the day trips until 10/11 am, especially after being up until the wee hours of the morning (!) The “walk in the woods” and the botanical garden were different and right up my alley of interest. Some of the stops felt quick. In a few locations it was hard to know where to spend the time to balance taking pictures and with just being a tourist and exploring! One small suggestion for future, send a lunch menu to the WhatsApp group in the morning on days when we stop at specific restaurants for a sit-down lunch so we could pre-order for the sit-down lunch stop to save time.

Another suggestion is adding to the itinerary stops for any grocery, and/or “souvenir” stores (and by that, I mean handcrafted gifts that we could bring home) but I realize not everybody would be interested in stops for shopping.

Every night stop was different but the waterfall we shot at one night had a different foreground, and new perspectives to shoot the crowning aurora. Hotel Rangá was definitely a favorite stop, I wish we could have stayed there for 3 nights, instead of 2 nights. It was so disappointing that the weather kept us confined at the highland base hotel and that the snowstorm closed the roads and area for touring in a 4-wheel drive vehicle, which was not in use during this tour. Part of our decision to return to Iceland again was the prospect of touring those remote areas of the highlands. Of course, you can’t control the weather.

I thought all the hotels were great! You know what I missed though? Those gas station lunches on our March 2023 trip, (particularly the French fries!) Pertaining to this trip… Why do restaurants use powdered eggs… it escapes me. Not in your control but it seemed like we had the exact same breakfast items/menu at every hotel breakfast, some with fewer items than others except Hotel Rangá (of course) where we could also order from the menu, and it was delicious.

I hope to visit on a future tour the West Fjords and the highlands by 4-wheel drive vehicle, the more remote, less traveled, less photographed areas.

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Rachel Qing Pang, New York (Glaciers Explorer March 24) I chose to participate in this tour because I am a big fan of Babak and have always been fascinated by night sky photography. I wanted to further my skills with some professional guidance, and also be around like-minded travelers. Also, I really wanted to go to Iceland! I would describe this tour as adventurous and authentic. We were brought to see many sights in Iceland that were more under the radar and I think most other tour agencies would not have included them. The group was extremely outdoorsy and everyone was passionate about exploring and photography. We had a local Icelandic guide and bus driver, both were extremely knowledgeable and friendly, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing their stories and learning about Icelandic culture from them. I felt so at home on this trip that on hindsight, I think I can say that I almost felt like I was being shown around beautiful, hidden spots in Iceland with and by a group of friends!

The workshop activities 100% improved my photography skills! Before this workshop, I had tried night photography on my own but the images came out pretty neutral, just some stars and etc.. On this trip, I learnt so quickly how to adjust my camera settings to get the best technical captures, that was with thanks to Babak, Gisli, Kristjan, and Amir’s advice. Once that was achieved and put out of the way, I had more space to play around with composition, lighting, interesting features to include, and it made the process so much more fulfilling and enjoyable. I think being around experts also gave me confidence to experiment, knowing that they could advise me with tips and tricks. Beyond the professional photographers on the trip, the other workshop participants were also such a wonderful source of support. We would help each other with setting up our cameras, packing up, scouting out good angles, and also with photography advice. Since the trip, I have been picking up my camera more often and with more confidence, due to the skills acquired from the workshop.

I used a camera and cell phone on this tour, but next time I would just bring a camera. I learnt about the best camera settings for night photography, how to identify constellations, and also the ethics of photo editing. I thought it was so cool to learn how to photograph star trails, and some of these experiences are best learnt in person with a teacher as opposed to just watching an online tutorial.

The most valuable part of my tour experience was the people, for sure. While I absolutely loved the landscapes and scenery we were seeing in Iceland, I was surprised to find that it was the people who made the trip great. There is something about standing next to the same group of people for multiple nights in a row, braving the cold and the wind, and sometimes the sand in your eyes, in pitch darkness and running on a few hours of sleep. Passing hot hands between us, sharing photography tips and optimal angles, and taking turns to go back to the bus for warmth. These experiences helped to bond our group of already lovely and adventurous people, I felt a strong sense of connection to the people on this trip and enjoyed learning about them and their experiences. I think we also have the tour guides and trip organizers to thank for ensuring such a positive and welcoming group environment.

I loved getting to see the aurora on 3 nights. While I do wish we saw a dramatic one, we saw a very mysterious aurora peering through clouds by a beautiful mountain, that gave a very otherworldly halo effect. We were also extremely timely on this trip, we happened to be in a nearby location during the March eruption of the volcano in the Reykjanes peninsula. The team went out of their way to let us view it safely from a nearby hill. That was a very solemn and surreal experience. As for downtime and breaks: I think it is hard to say that the consecutive late nights were comfortable, but that being said I don’t think anyone would have wanted it any other way. We already came all this way to photograph the aurora and we were going to stay as long as we could!

Photos © Rachel Qing Pang

Gary Gleckner, Ohio (Glaciers Explorer March 24) The most valuable part of this experience was spending time with Babak and Amir learning how to evaluate/edit photos, as well as learning ideal settings for taking night images. My favorite parts of the tour were development of my technical photography skills, the quality, knowledge and experience of the tour leaders, learning about Icelandic culture and history, one-on-one help I received, and the constructive critiques of my photos.

The shooting locations were great and my favorites were the Westman Islands, Hofn Beach near the station, and shooting around the glacier behind our hotel. I thought the food and hotels were very good, no complaints at all.

I was pleased to learn that tools I already have (Lightroom and Photoshop) are what Babak is using himself and the star trail software was very easy and fun to learn. Through this program I broadened my editing, composition, and night photography skills, as well as learned how to create time lapses. I would have liked to spend more time on image composition while in the field, and I wish there were more breaks during the program. The pace the first 1-2 days while recovering from jet lag was a little tough. I achieved my workshop objectives and would recommend this program to others.

Photos © Gary Gleckner

Gwen Mariano, California (Glaciers Explorer March 24) Witnessing the phenomenal natural wonders of this world — from the crystal blue glaciers to the magnificent auroras — all through the lens of Babak’s expertise and guidance as well as through the knowledgeable local guides was my favorite part of the program. Babak surely teaches the art of seeing, especially our world at night. I used both a cell phone and camera to take photos on this tour. The first night of the tour I really appreciated the hotel’s location and shooting just outside the hotel for our first imaging session. It really provided a comfortable place for a novice like me in astrophotography to learn the techniques (even though I’ve had years of experience in photography). Also it was my first time to witness the auroras. The workshop activities inspired me and made me more comfortable and knowledgeable about taking astrophotography, which I had found intimidating and out of reach prior to the workshops.

Regarding the amount of downtime and breaks: It was a good balance. They also provided us the freedom to be able to do other things when most participants took part in an extra photo editing class.

I broadened my photography skills and I learned how to photograph at night, which used to be beyond my reach. I’d like to learn more about time lapses and star trails. I just wish we had more time. Just when I got into the rhythm and understanding of how to photograph at night, the trip ended. Maybe also it’d be nice if we can learn more about where to find specific stars, galaxies etc. while on location at night. Perhaps a short overview while on the bus before heading out, especially since at night it’s hard to hear when the wind is blowing fiercely?

I loved the food and accommodations, except for the hotel in Keflavík. The room we stayed in had issues. I feel the program cost was good value for money and I would recommend this program to others.

Photos © Gwen Mariano

Cindy Bendat, California (Glaciers Explorer March 24) I joined this tour because I wanted to see the aurora and I did! Be prepared to travel with a night sky expert in a search to find the magic of the aurora in the cold beauty of Iceland. I cannot imagine a better teacher for night photography than Babak Tafreshi. I highly recommend this tour.

The most valuable part of the tour experience was learning how to shoot the stars at night with the follow up photo editing sessions. Star trails! I knew very little about night photography, and it was fun to learn what I did. The local Icelandic guide was also excellent, and we saw many iconic waterfalls, glaciers and beaches during the day.

My top 5 favorite parts of the tour were the development of technical photography skills, night photography shoots and shooting locations, the quality, knowledge and experience of the tour leaders, food and accommodations, and the one-on-one help from tour leaders and instructors. My favorite locations were the waterfall at night, Diamond Beach, Gullfoss and Skógafoss waterfall with its rainbows, creating my first star trail at the Ranga, and seeing the volcanic explosion from the hill in Keflavik.

I definitely added to my technical photography skills. I learned how to take photographs of the sky at night with my wide angle lens, both as individual exposures and as 30 minute time periods of multiple exposures. The pacing of the trip was good but this workshop is not for everyone. You need to be prepared to stay up late (one night until 4:15 am), and it is cold!

Photos © Cindy Bendat

David Goldenburg, California (Glaciers Explorer March 24) I learned how to operate my camera in the dark by feel and consider the nighttime photo taking the most valuable part of my tour experience. I developed technical photography skills, and the nighttime waterfall shoot locations (and daytime photography shoots) were my favorite parts of the tour. I appreciated the one-on-one help and the quality of knowledge and experience of the tour leaders.

Were my workshop objectives achieved: I still want a fantastic aurora experience. Our aurora was only so so and I wanted more aurora. The food and hotels exceeded my expectations and the downtime and breaks were satisfying, except for the morning we stayed out to 4am. I am very satisfied with the experience and would recommend this program to others.

Angela Brockelsby, North Carolina (Glaciers Explorer March 24) I participated in this tour because I also went to the September tour and wanted to see Iceland in the colder months where we visited other parts of Iceland. I attended a few workshops with Babak in the past, including the September Aurora Highlands Photo Tour. Both times in Iceland were magical and I was in awe of the beautiful sights and scenery I was able to witness during my time there. Babak and the guides take you to some places off the beaten path which was wonderful to see as it allowed us to get away from the crowds while also giving us a chance to photograph the wonders of Iceland. I would highly recommend this and other tours that Babak hosts as it is a wonderful time with great people and knowledge from both the guides and Babak are unsurpassed. And even though some of the information is repeated between tours, I still appreciate being reinforced with this knowledge as I don’t have a chance to practice it all the time. I like trying out different techniques and was also able to focus on video this time as well so it was a different type of experience for me.

The most valuable part of the tour was connecting with people from all over the world that share the same hobbies and passion which was nice to learn from. The people and places make the tour extra special. I used a cell phone and a camera to take photos. My favorite place was Vestrahorn near Höfn, it was wonderful. Hotel Ranga was also a great location because we were able to see some aurora activity. I also enjoyed Skaftafell Nature preserve and seeing the glaciers up close. The food and accommodations were great and I believe I broadened and improved some of my technical and creative skills. I still need to practice them, but Iceland is definitely a wonderful place to do that.The entire tour was great!

Photos © Angela Brockelsby

Sarah Saksouk, New York (Glaciers Explorer March 24) This is a very thoughtful and educational tour group that explores the beauty of Iceland. I joined for a second time to see and photograph the northern lights again. I hadn’t used my camera in a couple years and really enjoyed learning how to use it again. I was more patient with my timelapses this trip. The value of this tour is that the team is very nice and really thoughtful about the places they take us to. My favorite parts of the tour were the night photography shoots and shooting locations, learning about Icelandic culture and history, the daytime shoots, the one-on-one help from tour leaders and their knowledge and experience. I really enjoyed the shooting locations at Höfn, diamond beach, and the glacier.

I thought the hotels were good, could have used a little more downtime during the tour, but that’s ok. I achieved my goals and would recommend this tour to others.

Photos © Sarah Saksouk

Kristen Silberman, New York (Glaciers Explorer March 24) I solely used my cell phone to take photos and the photography instruction and information provided by both Babak and the local tour guides was my favorite part of the tour. I’d bring a camera next time.

The workshop activities helped me really understand the mechanics and tools necessary to capture the beauty of our surroundings. I improved, broadened and added to my creative photography skills. I was a complete novice and feel like I gained some technical skill as well of a more enhanced enjoyment and appreciation for the art form. I was very happy with the program itinerary, and the hotels and food were a treat. I wish they had covered more on lighting and reflection in the daytime shoots.

Photos © Kristen Silberman

Ines Lai, Hong Kong (Glaciers Explorer March 24) This was an adventure of a life time in the most amazing Icelandic landscape with like minded photography enthusiasts in search of aurora, and have lots of fun. I wanted to join this tour because I had a great time in the aurora photo tour in September 2023, and want to see Iceland again in its wintry scenery. I consider the most valuable part of this tour being able to meet other photographers and learn from each other in the breathtaking Icelandic scenery.

My favorite experiences were trying out techniques I learnt before, such as doing star trails by photo sequence and long exposures . My favourite shooting location in this trip is the black sand beach with Vestrahorn Mountain in the backdrop, both for daytime and night imaging.

For me the workshop stimulated by learning of photography; it was not the first time (I’ve been on another aurora photo tour before, as well as that I’ve watched Babak’s webinars before the tours), however it takes plenty of practice to get familiar with the steps in editing, and there are always new tricks to learn, particularly in using PTGUI / HUGIN in stitching photos to create panorama photo, so the workshop was a good informative refresher class for me.

The workshop added to my photography skills and I gained confidence in handling the gears in the dark during night imaging sessions; got more familiar with doing time lapse, sequence and bulb mode exposure, since aurora activity was not strong this time, I found that doing star trail images to be a good alternative to making just still images and so had plenty of practices. I would have wished that I have more knowledge on stars, right now it’s still a bit “point and shoot” and see what is captured, insufficient knowledge for making good planning in creating image.

The hotels were comfy and nice, really enjoy hot tubs when available – they are great after a day’s activity to relax and enjoy the nice surrounding views. Food is delicious and nutritious too, just the right portion. I would definitely recommend this program to others and feel it is a good value for money.

Photos © Ines Lai

Mira Zimet, California (Glaciers Explorer March 24) The Aurora Photo Tour was an amazing experience. I wanted to join this tour to see the aurora and also learn how to take better nighttime photographs. If you are the kind of person who has to stop and take a photo when you see something beautiful, this trip is for you. There wasn’t a ton of downtime or breaks, but I didn’t really come on the trip for relaxation! I’m happy with the various activities and searching for clear night skies when available.

There were so many great experiences that it is hard to say what the most valuable part of the experience was, but the knowledge of both Babak and the guides were extremely valuable. They knew all of the great places to take us and not only did we capture the northern lights, but saw glaciers, black sand beaches, rainbows, all sorts of gorgeous scenery. They even stopped for some horses that were by the side of the road. Being there the night of the volcano eruption was also another highlight!

Favorite parts of the tour? The aurora at Hotel Ranga was one and the beautiful waterfall at night was a second. Help on how to focus in the night sky and understanding (and using!) best settings were a huge plus. There were some things that I already knew that were reinforced and others that I didn’t know and was able to learn. Just watching how Babak would take a photo and improve it was a great learning experience.

I definitely broadened my technical skills. You can watch a YouTube video and learn what settings to use, but then when you are out in the dark and it’s cold and windy, all those lessons kind of go out the door, so to have Babak and his team there to help and walk you through things in real time was so amazing. I tried star trails for the first time and a long exposure shot with a daytime waterfall. My confidence in using manual settings increased 10 fold. To be able to shoot such beautiful settings was such a huge inspiration.

As far as food and hotel accommodations: The hotel accommodations were great, with one four star hotel being a highlight! Also loved the hotel in front of the glacier, with such gorgeous scenery out our back door. I’m not the best person to comment on the food, but I know that everyone loved it! If you are a picky eater, it’s a bit of a challenge, but always had good breakfasts and lunches. They were absolutely able to accommodate me wherever possible – and it was only my own issues that were a problem 🙂

Photos © Mira Zimet

2023 Tour Reviews

Will Tsai, Washington (Northern Explorer September 23) The Aurora photography tour and workshop is ideal for beginners as well as intermediate photographers (or even for those who simply wish to see the Aurora). I used a camera and a cell phone for night photography.

Babak and his partner guides take on the work (and stress) of Aurora sky hunting, allowing you to focus on sharpening your night photography or simply relaxing and enjoying the views. It’s a lot of challenging work to chase the Aurora even in Iceland — for reference we had friends who visited Iceland on their own during the exact same time we were there on Babak’s tour and they did not catch a single glimpse of the Aurora while we were treated to four magnificent nights of the spectacular light show, all thanks to Babak’s and Saevar’s efforts!

I absolutely broadened my skills during the workshop! I learned how to better adjust focus on the stars for night photography as well as new tricks in editing, such as de-fringing and optical correction based on lens model. I learned how to better challenge myself to find more unique compositions and also the “finger tricks” for determining what focal length lenses to use. Babak has some amazing daytime photographs as well (e.g. I remember one of an insanely creative fragmented building reflection) – would be great to hear more stories and learn more about what he looks for when creating pictures like that!

This tour was a great balance between learning about photography, astronomy, and local Icelandic culture. It helped that our local guides were so knowledgeable! The food and hotels were wonderful and certainly exceeded my expectations, especially given how remote some of these locations were. As for suggestions for improvements: More down time between dinner and night excursions as well as later starts on days that don’t have a strict driving schedule (e.g. during the 3-night stretch of same hotel). It was also nice to spend longer times at a single hotel so we could avoid having to lug baggage into each hotel when we only stayed for one night. Slight exhaustion from sleepless nights is to be expected!

Photo © Will Tsai

Binazir Karimzadeh, Georgia (Northern Explorer September 23) I am passionate about night sky and followed Babak’s work for a long time and always wanted to participate in his workshops. I recently had the privilege of participating in Babak’s aurora photography tour in Iceland, and it was nothing short of extraordinary.

I had never taken photos at night before. I learned about composition and techniques for night photography, like how to set up my camera and the golden numbers for the northern light photography. This program was a great value for money and I absolutely recommend it.

This experience not only provided me with invaluable knowledge about night sky and aurora photography but also offered me a deeper understanding of the captivating beauty of Iceland itself. Babak’s expertise in the field of aurora photography is truly remarkable. His passion for this celestial art form is evident in the way he imparts his knowledge, patiently guiding each participant through the intricacies of capturing the elusive dance of the Northern Lights. From setting up the perfect shot to understanding the nuances of long exposure, every aspect was covered with precision and enthusiasm.

One of the highlights of this tour was the opportunity to learn about the unique geographical and astronomical factors that make Iceland a great destination for aurora enthusiasts. Babak’s explanations were not only informative but also delivered in an engaging manner, making complex concepts easily accessible to all participants. Aside from the enriching photography lessons, the sightseeing aspect of the tour was equally outstanding. Exploring the breathtaking landscapes of northern part of Iceland, from waterfalls to dramatic volcanic formations, added an extra layer of magic to an already enchanting adventure.

Participating in Babak’s aurora photography tour was a transformative experience. I walked away not only with a newfound proficiency in night sky photography but also with a deeper appreciation for the natural wonders of Iceland. We were so lucky to see a fireball and three clear night skies with K5-6 aurora activity. If you’re seeking an unforgettable journey that combines education, awe-inspiring sights, and the chance to capture the Northern Lights in all their glory, this tour is an absolute must. I can’t recommend it highly enough and look forward to the opportunity to join another one of Babak’s tours in the future.

The food and hotels were great, except the hotel at the Arctic Henge, which was very old with a very small shower and bathroom.

Photos © Binazir Karimzadeh

Stephen Powers, Massachusetts (Northern Explorer, September 23) I joined the tour to see the northern lights and tour Iceland and would absolutely recommend this program. It was great viewing the aurora and a lot of Iceland’s attractions. I picked up composition tips and learned a lot just by listening. We did get commentary on the natural history and Icelandic history which I appreciated very much. I think the scheduling was just right. My favorite places were: Arctic Henge, Dimmuborgir lava fields, and Þingvallavatn.

Kate, Texas (Northern Explorer, September 23) This tour is for folks looking for an insider’s tour of picturesque Iceland, by day and night. During the day, Babak and Saevar take the group to a number of striking sights and explain the country’s history and geology on the way. Babak and the team have a deep knowledge of Iceland, which allows them to pivot in reaction to weather or other unpredictables. By night, Babak guides the team out to off-the-map locations where we can spread out and each set up for stellar aurora shots. You’re in expert hands, regardless of your photography experience. And whatever your skill level before the trip, you will come away from it a better photographer.

Before arriving I had some experience with taking photos at night. I brought a DSLR and a mirrorless camera to the workshop. I learned how to be more precise with my focus on the stars, and that I should be much more restrained in my exposure length to better capture the color of stars. I also became more skilled with timelapse. Regarding daytime photography, I appreciated Babak’s breakdown of what makes a good photo, in particular determining what is the story that your photo aims to tell.

My only feedback is on the final full day, which was quite long on the bus. I would have preferred that we stayed our final evening at the hotel where we had dinner, rather than have to relocate late to an airport hotel. This way, those who were eager to see more auroras could have stayed out as late as they liked, and those who wished to retire to a nicer room could have done so. I was worried about food before the trip but found the food to be just fine. The hotels were clean and the staff was always friendly and accommodating.

Photos © Kate

Margo Day, Washington (Northern Explorer September 23) The aurora borealis is dynamic and unpredictable. Babak taught us the correct camera settings to help us capture the essence of the display. He explained the dynamics between ISO and shutter speed and their effects on the dynamic range in a way that made it easier to make decisions real time as the aurora was strengthening or waning. He built on that knowledge and helped us grow as photographers by encouraging us to think about the story we wanted to tell with our photos and augmenting by teaching photo composition.

Before arriving I had a bit of experience taking photos at night. I brought along a DSLR and a cell phone. I learned a lot about night photography with an iPhone and appreciated hearing that Babak was involved with Apple to give them feedback in order to make the iPhone camera even better for night photography. I learned a new daytime photography skill: The iPhone Live Photo long exposure mode – fantastic for waterfalls!

I appreciated the personal critique of my early photos and coaching why certain ones stood out. I learned how to create time lapses which, for dynamic night photography is very helpful and cool.

For those who may want to take this workshop: This is an opportunity to experientially learn from a world-renowned night photographer in a welcoming and open environment, where each participant is respectfully taught and curiosity and asking questions is super encouraged. The tour is in spectacular Iceland where during the day, you’ll visit incredible natural wonders during the day and have opportunity to learn further about daytime photography and at night go out and photograph the aurora borealis is amazing settings …. all underscoring the concept of using photography for visual storytelling. Babak and team do a fantastic job of ensuring you’re comfortable with your knowledge so you can take the best photos possible to tell your narrative. It’s truly an immersive experience that builds on itself each day. The camaraderie that results makes this tour truly special. 3 things I enjoyed were the development of my technical photography skills, learning about Iceland through Saevar’ s tour commentary and one-on-one photography help.

Regarding the itinerary: I loved being on the ‘go’ during the day and then photographing at night. Given the weather and trying to find the most favorable location to shoot the aurora, I don’t know how you could have done anything differently.

What could have been done better?

1. Remind people they have to bring hand and feet warmers.

2. I wanted to learn a bit more about photo editing and get Babak’s POV on the different editing tools and why he chooses certain combinations (e.g. Highlights and Shadows vis-a-vis increasing the white or black range) …

3. Maybe a few more shortcuts to edit photos in post processing at scale.

4. I would have preferred to have the last day workshop be focused on the aurora – photo editing, time lapse creation, critique of your ‘best’ photo during the week for each person in the class.

5. It would have been nice to photograph the aurora with natural backgrounds a time or 2 (e.g. waterfalls, rock formations). All the places we went to photograph featured man made objects, which presented editing issues in post processing (Lights on buildings, car headlights on roadways).

Overall I thought the food and hotels were both terrific and that this tour is a good value for money. I highly recommend it.

Photos © Margo Day

Yvaine Jiang, Washington (Northern Explorer September 23) I had a bit of experience taking photos at night before and I used a mirrorless camera. I learned settings for nighttime photography and gained knowledge about the night sky. I thought the nighttime photo shoot experience was great, daytime tours are pretty standard travel tours. I wish this tour was a bit shorter, and that there were more critique/teaching sessions and less day time tours. Given the distance we traveled on this tour the itinerary is planned pretty well.

Jennifer Franklin, California (Northern Explorer September 23) I had a little bit of experience taking photos at night before this program. I came with a camera and a Samsung Galaxy 22 Ultra. I would say that I improved my night photography somewhat. I did upgrade to a faster lens specifically for this trip, so that will likely lead me to want to do night photography more often. I felt that I am comfortable enough with daytime photography that I didn’t really need to build my skills noticeably in that area.

The experience was incredible. I appreciated that it was a small group and consisted of people who were educated, well-traveled, and had serious interest in science, geology, astronomy, conservation, and photography. Saevar and Babak make an incredible team. They have so much knowledge, share it generously, and were incredibly helpful and patient. They are delightful human beings with a great sense of humor. Kristján is a fantastic bus driver and I liked that he has also taken on photography and is willing to ferry us to locations late at night. I love the sweater I bought from him.

I wish we had more hours in the day to stop at each place longer. But I understood that we had many miles to cover, and it’s a tricky balance between sight-seeing stops, lunch breaks, and covering those miles, making it for dinner at pre-arranged times, etc. I just need to come back to Iceland again and see more of it! I am a slow walker, and I accepted that I will just see what I am able to see, and enjoy the photos from those who covered more steps than me.

Was I given enough information to prepare for this tour? I think it had everything covered. I ended up bringing things I did not need, but it is better to be prepared than not. You never know what will happen with weather or an individual’s abilities and comfort. I ended up not using my walking stick, the rain cover for my camera, or the stone bag for my tripod.

The food was good and accommodations comfortable. Personally I would have liked more egg options at breakfast (scrambled, not boiled), but I understand that’s more of a me/what they do in Europe/what’s easiest for the hotel sort of thing. I did like having vegetable and fruit options at breakfast. I am not a big fish eater usually, but the cod dishes were all delicious. I was very thankful that we had three nights in the same place during the mid-point of the trip. It felt like a special treat to get to pick our own dinners for the last night at that hotel.

Photo © Jennifer Franklin

Esi Seraj, Michigan (Northern Explorer September 23) I came with an iPhone 13 Pro Max and had never taken night photos before. I definitely learned a lot more about night sky photography, specially using an iPhone! Babak’s knowledge and experience on the subject is impressive and he’s such a good instructor that he made understanding everything so easy!

I loved our itinerary! Everything was perfectly managed and organized. We saw and visited more than we even thought we would do, but without making us tired with too much driving. Perfect planning!

What was my favorite site? Iceland is such a beautiful country that it’s hard to pick a favorite, but if I have to choose, I loved the Northern light photography at the Arctic Henge, as well as the most powerful waterfall in Iceland and the hot springs.

This, without a doubt, was one of the best travels I’ve ever been to. This is a must-try experience! Aside from visiting Iceland and sightseeing, the night-sky photography skills that you will learn are hard to find elsewhere. Aside from the life-time experience of seeing northern lights and glaciers, and ice caves, etc., this team, including Babak, Saever, and Linda are incredibly professional, knowledgeable, friendly, flexible, and fun and they will improve your experience 1000%. All I want to say is that, we had so much fun that we already are planning for the next time we join this tour!!

Photos taken on iPhone 13 Pro Max – Photos © Esi Seraj

Guadalupe Bogantes, Costa Rica (Northern Explorer September 23) I would absolutely recommend this tour.  Before joining I had I had a little bit of experience taking photos at night, I used a camera and cell phone to take night photos. It was my first time with the aurora borealis and I learned a lot. My favorite parts of the tour were the developing technical skills, learning about Iceland through Saevar’s tour commentary, camaraderie, one-on-one help, constructive critiques of my photos, Babak’s editing class and knowledge gained of the night sky and astronomy. My favorite site visited was the 66.5 north side

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Janae Dacut, California (Highland Explorer September 23) The experience was incredible. The Iceland guide (Gisli) was extremely knowledgeable about the land and his enthusiasm when describing the sights we visited was contagious. Babak was quick to point out good spots to photograph in the daytime sights and I received very much needed guidance from Gisli and Babak during the nighttime shoots. The food was amazing and the majority of the places that we visited were not too heavily populated with tourists. Visiting the highlands area of Iceland is something I’d never visit on my own, so I was glad to have an expert driver. Overall, I’d highly recommend this workshop and it’s a very good value for what you pay.

In general, I enjoyed every meal I had, the dinner buffet at one hotel was excellent. I did not like one of the hotels: it was small and there was barely enough room to open a suitcase; at another hotel we were placed in a large family suite, which made me like this hotel the best.

I had never taken photos at night before, but knew how to operate my camera in manual mode. I’d say that I definitely improved and learned skills that I can take with me to other night photography shoots. I learned how to shoot the aurora and manually focus at night. I also learned how to use a filter when shooting water falls. I would’ve liked one more opportunity to shoot Timelapse but that was dependent on weather.

What can be improved imo? I personally thought the time spent at each location was adequate and every meal was planned well. Other people attending the workshop didn’t seem to adhere to the time spent that well, but I liked that the tour in itself is flexible to accommodate. I would recommend maybe more frequent bathroom breaks, when available. I would also add motion sickness medication for those that do whale watching or who get car sick.

My top 3 favorite things about the tour were: learning about Iceland through Gisli’s tour commentary, camaraderie and the one-on-one help.

Ines Lai, Hong Kong (Highland Explorer September 23) The tour is a good combination of photography workshop and sightseeing. It is also a good chance to explore own potential. Among the group we had experienced photographers and several beginners who just bought their cameras, but Babak is always patient to give one-to-one help to beginners. For those of us with some photography experience, he would give valuable advice on how to improve the image, what better angle may be used and how to create story telling with a picture. I am especially impressed that he can always convey his assistance in a friendly and calm reassuring manner that is very helpful when we are panicking about what to do during night imaging, since even experienced photographers may not be experienced in night photography. The fact that we had night imaging in cold windy condition makes it even more challenging. But Babak, Gisli and Kristján are always ready to assist which somehow give us more and more confidence as we went through the night imaging sessions. For myself, I come from a city where stargazing is next to impossible because of light pollution, so seeing a starry night with the Milky Way while we wait for aurora activity was additional highlight for me. We had been lucky enough to have a few clear nights with good aurora light activity, the difficulty is probably which angle to shoot from because it’s just too spectacular. We also saw a less seen part of Iceland so beautiful with autumn colors which somehow is very different from the normal perception of Iceland being green or white. The landscape with the geothermal areas in steam, the amazing colors and rock formation in the canyons and countless waterfalls, there is definitely no other place like Iceland.

Both food and accommodations arrangement were excellent and I think the itinerary is fine, since we have been reminded it’s always weather dependent and being flexible is essential.

I brought a DSLR and a mirrorless camera, along with a cell phone to the program. RE: NIGHT photography: I had a small bit of night photography experience and already knew how to operate my camera in manual mode. During the workshop I learned how to obtain a clear focus in the dark, how to make a time lapse video and how to create a star trail image (in theory, but did not have the chance to try making a sequence). RE: DAYTIME photography: I gained more knowledge about the function of my camera buttons and was given valuable advice on how to create a better image to achieve story telling.

Photos © Ines Lai

Alyssa Dacut, California (Highlands Explorer September 23) I joined this tour with a camera and a cell phone for photos. I had never taken photos at night before but I knew how to operate my camera in manual mode and was familiar with my camera buttons. I’m so proud of the pictures I took! Although they aren’t professional standard, they look amazing to me and I was able to photograph a lot of the Aurora! I didn’t learn too much about daytime photography except that it’s good to have a filter when photographing waterfalls.

For those who are thinking of joining: This trip is great for beginners and experienced photographers. We got to see a lot of Iceland, while also getting to photograph the Aurora 3 times! Traveling through the highlands was a treat. I loved going off the beaten path and seeing areas not a lot of tourists get to see. Babak’s instruction was thorough and he was very patient the entire trip. His knowledge on photographing the night sky is unmatched.

I most enjoyed learning about Iceland through Gisli’s tour commentary, the camaraderie and shooting locations. My favorite site visit was Landmannalaugar. The only part of the trip I didn’t like was the last hotel in the highlands, it was small and had staff problems. I feel this tour was a good value for money and I highly recommend it.

Kim Zajac, Michigan (Highland Explorer September 23) I came with a camera and a cell phone and had a little bit of night photography experience. My skills were broadened regarding use of both cell phone and camera. Every aspect of taking night photography was addressed formally from: focus, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, to composition. Tips for daytime photography were addressed during transit between locations with ideal 1:1 session w/ Babak and instruction on site. Additionally, simple useful techniques on the cell phone were addressed on an informal basis.

Babak and Gisli were available throughout locations. As a novice to photography, it is necessary for my to return home, “digest” the information presented, apply in practice and return again to advance my skills. All instruction was helpful and appreciated.

How would I describe the experience? I feel comfortable with using the word “epic”… as an accurate description! The reason I continue to follow Babak and return for repeat excursions is the following… Babak is a man of character who is genius in his skill set and never makes one feel embarrassed to ask a question, no matter how basic. The experience/tours are designed to embrace and explore the geographic area and culture of the country with an emphasis on capturing it through photography. Days are a combination of formal and informal instruction, travel, physical activity, and ventures into the dark of night in search of the aurora. Babak is skilled, not only at photography and interpersonal relations but effortlessly interjects humor throughout the trip…his enthusiasm is infectious, his fund of knowledge is endless.

Bus travel can be uncomfortable but I believe there were ample breaks to stretch legs and use the WC. Overall, the schedule was reasonable. I appreciate the amount of geographic area covered and recognized the need to maintain a time schedule. I absolutely would recommend this tour.

Sue Erickson, South Carolina (Highland Explorer September 23) The tour is a wonderful combination of learning and seeing the beauty in Iceland. Babak is an excellent teacher of technical and creative techniques. Babak encouraged thoughtful compositions and coached me on seeing the better shot, not just taking snap shots. Before joining this workshop I had very little night photography experience and during the program I learned how to set my white balance, learned proper editing techniques, how to create a time lapse, how to stack photos in photoshop and how to “smooth out” the water in waterfalls. My husband, also a participant, learned how to operate his drone and take night photos with an iPhone. My favorite parts were the editing class at the end of the program and Gisli’s commentary on the history and culture of Iceland. We really appreciated the efforts to stay away from the crowds during our photography shoots.

I thought the food was good and hotel accommodations were reasonable considering the size of our group. The van was very tight for the amount of people. I think the Welcome Packet could have used an additional highlight concerning the need to be flexible in order to maximize aurora viewing. I feel the program cost was good value for money.

Photos © Sue Erickson

Marta Evry, California (Highland Explorer, September 23) You may come to one of Babak’s Iceland photo workshops for the Aurora Borealis, but you’ll keep coming back for the community and deep friendships. I was already a night photographer before I joined this workshop and knew how to operate my camera in manual mode. I improved my technical and creative photography skills during the tour and I learned a few post processing skills (like photo stacking to create water movement) that I didn’t know before.

I loved how many hot springs we got to go to this trip! I’d do Landmannalaugar again in a heartbeat. The Fall colors in a lot of these locations (Asbyrgi) was an unexpected treat. I enjoyed learning about Iceland through Gisli’s tour commentary, the camaraderie and the shooting locations.

As far as suggestions to improve the tour: We spent too much time on the bus with not enough breaks. If there were a way to build a few non-photo 10 minute leg stretching breaks – especially on the first long highlands crossing day, that would be so helpful. It just takes a toll on your body and stamina…More rest stops please (there were times I thought my bladder would explode😂). I also would have appreciated more time to shoot during day at some of the more spectacular sites. I felt Landmannalaugar was one of the few daytime locations we spent sufficient time in to really appreciate and absorb.

Photos © Marta Evry

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Felipe Percastegui, Malaysia (Southern Iceland March 23) This trip is fully recommended!  It was a very well-organized trip, excellent explanations from Babak about how to take Aurora pictures. Additionally, he gave me valuable and constructive feedback about my photos. We were very lucky having many days with clear skies. This tour had unforgettable memories; it is difficult to describe the amazing nature. It was a good balance of site visits, not really long journeys, but also visiting interesting spots. For sure I have learned new things about night photography. The recommendation I would make is to extend the editing classes, for me was slightly short.

Photos © Felipe Percastegui

Alexis Bechtel, California (Southern Iceland March 23) I whole heartedly recommend Babak’s Icelandic aurora photo tour. Not only is Babak extremely knowledgeable and talented, but he is sincere, patient, and has an unwavering dedication to teach others about photographing the beauty of the night sky. Once in Iceland, all details of your journey will be carefully planned by Babak and his Icelandic team – Gisli, Kristján, and Sævar – along with Bruce. If there’s any chance of finding the aurora in Iceland, Babak and his team will find it! Regardless of your skill level, Babak will work with you to help you reach your full potential as a photographer. You will undoubtedly leave the tour with new friends, exceptional memories, and images of your experience that you will treasure forever.

The bus was kind of a germ tube. I recognize that with so many people, it is difficult to control the environment.

The accommodations and food in general were very nice. Food-wise, I know it is nearly impossible to accommodate all food preferences & requests.

Babak and his team did an excellent job of taking the group to as many of the island’s highlights as possible. There is always something to learn from Babak.

Photos © Alexis Bechtel

John O’Toole, Massachusetts (Southern Iceland March 23) The tour experience is like joining a large family for 9 days, with unbelievable photography expertise and assistance provided in settings so beautiful that they defy description. The food is great everywhere in Iceland, even at gas stations! I don’t think anything could have been done better, things only go maybe 90% smoothly and that makes the whole experience even better. The program itinerary is fantastic and needs to be flexible. Again, it makes the experience better.

Photos © John O’Toole

Amy Vella, Malta (Southern Iceland March 23) This experience is made for those people who seek adventure, particularly those who are in love with nature and untouched land. The experience is incredible because local guides from Iceland, who are all involved in science one way or another, go through this journey with us, providing information on the beauty of Iceland, its science, and its skies. Last but not least, the tour is led by Babak Tafreshi, a renowned photographer who is responsible for the “World at Night” project. He offers tremendous help on both daytime and nighttime photography, especially in photographing auroras, which is the ultimate scope of this tour. Babak and his team in Iceland know exactly where to go to chase auroras, how to spot them and document this detail in a photograph/video. I recommend this tour to anyone, from a beginner in photography to amateur/professional, as Babak and his team will adapt to all levels. They are very helpful and make sure to provide the best experience to everyone. I think the itinerary was very well planned out. In fact, this was my second time returning to Babak’s tour as I had enjoyed it so much the first time. We managed to go lots of places, did a lot of activities and it was well-balanced out.

Personally what I did not like is that I was not informed of the bumpy jeep ride towards the ice cave. I suffer from motion sickness and no one told me that we are going to spend some time in a bumpy road in a jeep, otherwise, I would have prepared myself by taking medications. What I personally found uncomfortable is that some people who were not feeling well (showing signs of cold symptoms) did not wear a mask when close to other people. I have noted some people who were feeling like they have a cough who wore a mask in respect of other people, but others who chose not to. Maybe it would have been better if the leaders suggested for anyone who feels sick to keep a distance from other people or else wear masks.

I feel that I did improve my skills and I am happy about it. What could have been done better was having a formal lecture inside the hotel regarding camera settings etc. rather than explaining these things on a bus when there is noise or people sleeping. I think the food and hotel accommodations were really nice. I love the Icelandic cuisine and the hotels were comfortable. The last night’s hotel was very noisy and I could not sleep.

Photo © Amy Vella

Bud Gundersen, California (Southern Iceland March 23) Babak is a wonderful tour guide as well as a very knowledgeable photographer, I think you have a well thought program that has been refined and overall is excellent. The wind was uncomfortable – but that is part of outdoor adventure. No complaints. I learned a lot about time lapse video and night-time photography. Babak and Bruce were always there to help and make sure we were on track. Nicer hotels would be appreciated – however I realize that they may not be available in remote locations. We did have great locations and being in the right location is more important than a nice hotel, so I’ll quit whining, The program itinerary was excellent – Days were filled with exploring great scenic spots and the nights with photography.

Danielle Muir, Massachusetts (Southern Iceland March 23) This tour is great value for money. It will show you Iceland by day, and Aurora by night. You’ll get to know so many things about why Iceland is such an incredible country. You’ll also be challenged to develop your photography skills and think on the fly. For me, I was more attracted to the night shoots rather than the sightseeing during the day, especially since I’ve been to those sites before. However, this is a “tour,” so there is an expectation that you will see things other than what you’re just shooting at night. I know it’s difficult to squeeze in all the travel, shoots, meals, and tours, but a little more down time to rest would have been good. Those were some long days! Also, a little too much sightseeing and stopping packed into the days, especially with travel.

Photos © Danielle Muir

Katrina Hopkins, Australia, (Southern Iceland March 23) This tour is full on. I was impressed by the incredible amount of planning that went into the day excursions. We went to waterfalls, icebergs, seals, ice caving (optional), and, for those who wanted to be super-active, some challenging hikes over frozen streams. This on its own would make the trip worthwhile, however, coupled with the expertise of Babak and his team and the awe-inspiring display of Aurora borealis it was a once in a lifetime experience. The accommodation ranged from comfortable to luxurious!  I thought the food, the accommodations and the itinerary were excellent and a good value for money.

I underestimated the need for hand-warmers! I would suggest make these an essential item for the March trips. There was also so much information imparted on the trip that I could not take in, that I would have liked an Information Pack with room for notes on the trip.

I would have appreciated it if some of the guests with colds had been asked to wear masks (although this is difficult if you’re blowing your nose all the time). Maybe in the information and preparation guide a request could be made for people feeling unwell and coughing and sneezing to have to wear a mask on the bus?? Yes, I improved my technical and creative photography skills, but because it was one-on-one instruction on the bus, I quickly forgot sequences of instructions.

Photo © Katrina Hopkins

Susan Swigor, Massachusetts (Southern Iceland March 23) The tour was truly extraordinary. From the various locations to the photography assistance and support, every aspect was expertly addressed. The planning was excellent, everything was fantastic.  I improved my photography skills, and I loved every day and evening. Thank you to Babak, Bruce, Gisli, Kristján, Sævar. This was a trip of a lifetime, and I am grateful to have participated.

Roger Dillon, Texas (Southern Iceland March 23) This aurora photography related tour is led by very talented and helpful individuals, and also includes stops at many scenic locations that expose attendees to the natural beauty of Iceland.

Hotel accommodations were generally very good. But a couple had very small rooms. Food was varied, always well prepared and enjoyable. Motel accommodations overall were good. The itinerary was excellent.

I immensely improved my technical photography skills.

Photos © Roger Dillon

Vaneh Petrossian, California (Southern Iceland March 23) This tour was professionally organized and well managed, being led and guided by highly knowledgeable, humble and loyal people. Starting with preparation emails, itinerary, daily schedules, accommodation, ending to shooting locations and photo editing session, all in all was first rate. If you love nature and photography there is no doubt, take it! You ask what could have been done better?  You could ask the wind to stop. LOL Everything was all right. It couldn’t be done better than this. I was disappointed by the Ice cave tour, Not That I disliked it. It was really good, but I was expecting it to be bigger/deeper and see more of the ice and snow. I definitely improved my technical and creative photography skills and learned a lot and I was fully satisfied with the food and hotel accommodations. As far as the itinerary: I’d only like to have a half a day rest day in between.

Photos © Vaneh Petrossian

Shireesh Vasupalli, U.K. (Southern Iceland March 23) This tour is a unique way of experiencing the spectacle of Northern Lights with an experienced Icelandic crew, Babak – who is one of the world’s most premier nightscape photographers along with a group of people having a passion for photography. What I most enjoyed were the night shoots, the knowledge of tour guides and tour leaders, food and accommodations, the group camaraderie, and one-on-one help. Everything was perfect! I would love to chat with Babak more on photography and his experiences. I did appreciate Babak walking around to provide help in the bus. The wind and cold was unbearable. But the aurora made up for it. I was positively surprised how good the vegetarian food was, especially compared to the last trip (Sept 21).

Photos © Shireesh Vasupalli

Maggie Elliott, California. (Southern Iceland March 23) I would absolutely recommend this tour to others. The food and hotel accommodations were awesome.  I learned new skills, and that I need to upgrade my equipment if I am going to do anything of consequence!

Anita Maghdouri, Washington, D.C. (Southern Iceland March 23)  This workshop tour was a one-of-a-kind experience because it provides travelers with a multitude of different experiences from day time sightseeing in different natural beauties of Iceland, providing so much data and information about Iceland, having professional photographers giving you photography tips day and night, high-end accommodation followed by very good meals, chasing auroras and night sky photography, astronomy and night sky exploration. I mean there is not a minute of your time that would pass unfulfilled. All of this is followed by one common shared interest amongst every participant, and that is the love for photography, nature and the magic of night sky which automatically creates a friendly and authentic environment amongst the travelers. So, I highly recommend this tour for people at all age level and photography background. The Iceland northern light photography workshop was one of the best experiences I could ever ask for.

Everything from the accommodation to hotel were high quality. We stayed at 5 different hotels during the trip, it would have been slightly easier to only split the stay in 3 hotels max. The packing and unpacking were slightly uncomfortable. I truly enjoyed that itinerary, it was very wholesome and felt that we covered so much. I originally thought it could be a day shorter but when I look back, I don’t know if there was a location or a day that could be cut out to make it a day shorter.

100% I broadened my technical and creative photography skills.

Photo © Anita Maghdouri

Shelley Carlisle, California. (Southern Iceland March 23) This tour was a fantastic, in-depth photo tour of the auroras/night sky and several daytime locations in Southern Iceland. Babak and his team will guide you on how to photograph the breathtaking wow of the the auroras and night sky and offer ideas for shooting waterfalls and daytime settings. Be prepared for intensely cold weather but with awesome views and geological features such as frozen waterfalls, massive glaciers, active volcanoes, ice caves and cute & furry Iceland ponies, all guided by local, friendly tour guides. In addition, there will be some shopping, lots of walking/hiking and great socializing and post processing instruction. I felt the program cost was good value for money spent.

The vegetarian food was average (but filling). I was surprised there were not more noodles served for vegetarians – pasta is great – as long as it’s not cold for dinner like it was one night. And one-night vegetarians were served chick peas with peanut sauce as the entrée (and no it was not Thai flavored). Very weird. Breakfasts were sufficient and sometimes wonderful. Hotels were fine and I did not expect to have a room at one hotel with a bathtub and outdoor hot tubs, this definitely helped with the cold and exhaustion. The program itinerary kept us very busy! Although I do like the aspect of sitting out when needed. One thing I would suggest is that there should be stricter requirements for sick people and possible COVID pre-testing requirements or similar.

Photos © Shelley Carlisle

2022 Tour Reviews

Iair Arcavi, Israel (Northern Explorer September 22) Enjoy the beautiful auroras and landscapes with excellent guides, a wonderful group, and all logistics taken care for you. There’s no other way to chase auroras than with this crew! Taking care of the logistics and deciding when and where to go chase auroras and holes in the clouds. Could never have done it on my own!

I really enjoyed the night shoots and locations, the knowledge of the tour guides and leaders, and the camaraderie amongst the group. I can’t think of anything that could have been done better. I improved my photography skills even though it’s not my first tour, or nighttime photography session, I always learn something new.

The food and accommodations were a bit variable from place to place, but overall comfortable and convenient. The itinerary is intense, but that’s how it needs to be to see and experience as much as possible.

Vahid Jazayeri, Washington (Northern Explorer – September 22) I travel a lot, but none compares to this trip. This tour was by far one of my best experiences and worth every penny. The per-person intro on the first day was an ice breaker that facilitated the socialization and friendship in the group which made it more enjoyable. Spending a week with great professional and amateur photographers and learning from them, some were scientists, researchers, surgeons, engineers, inventors, etc. Is an experience that can’t repeat easily. With Sævar and Babak, the long road trips couldn’t be more fun and educational. On the bus we learned about geology of Iceland, culture, history and legends.

Babak is also an amazing person, very talented though one of the humblest I’ve seen, that can lead a big group well and adjust the tour itinerary based on the unpredictable weather changes, yet you don’t regret the change of plans much. He’s approachable and treats everyone respectfully regardless of their skill levels, patiently spending 1:1 time with people with an iPhone to take best shots of aurora. And our driver, Kristján, is a lovely person and a very responsible driver who showed up with his accordion one day in the heart of a canyon, surprising us with his beautiful music blended in the colorful fall nature of the canyon. Linda is also a kind lady who made the planning very easy and facilitated communicating with Babak on equipment before the tour started, as well as helped me during my aurora shots. Accommodation and food were great too. Great stays, clean and high-quality accommodations, and amazing food. I loved the hotels with amazing views of the ranches and Icelandic sheep, pseudo craters, lakes, etc. There’s nothing I can complain about this tour.

I appreciated the commitment to the main goal of the tour, chasing aurora in a cloudy week. The tour was an ultimate experience. The unfavorable rainy weather was the only uncomfortable part where we had to choose between exploring a sight or staying dry. Regarding thoughts on the itinerary: I wish the tour included south coast too. I can’t imagine how jaw breaking aurora shots could be over glacier lagoon and diamond beach.

Photos © Vahid Jazayeri

Marjan Haghnia, California (Northern Explorer – September 22) It was hands down the best tour I have ever been on. My husband and I are seasoned travelers and have been all over the world. We usually select expensive tours to ensure good service. This tour while not too expensive offered an experience of a lifetime. Babak and team are professional educated kind down to earth knowledgeable, I can keep going… 

I was there more for sightseeing than to learn photography. Learned a lot from all seasoned photographers around me though. The great thing about this tour was that everyone had a great time and learned something whether you were there with your iPhone (like me) or had a super expensive camera with a massive lens. We all enjoyed and learned together. Hotels were good (average) all we needed. Food was of great quality, really enjoyed the opportunity to taste the local cuisine.

The program itinerary was packed! but that’s how I like it. Obviously, people could opt out if they felt tired, but I was so impressed that Babak and team spent so much time with us whether to show the beautiful nature Iceland had to offer or to teach photography, or to find the best spot to see auroras, or simply to play foosball at the end of the day. It was surely a trip to remember!

Maryam Vatandoust, Florida (Northern Explorer – September 22) I would like to make my review very short and simple, if you like to have a unique life experience that you can talk about it for the rest of your life , this tour is must, we always have different ways to explore the world but I bet you won’t ever be able to have all the best in one shot as you can have in this tour 

Babak: best photographer, amazing teacher, unique tour lead…

Sævar: the Man of all trades, Iceland celebrity, live & enthusiastic Iceland Wikipedia, scientist…

Kristján: Amazing driver, sweet and responsible, kind and giving…

Linda: best coordinator, always there when you need her advice & support…

Fellow travelers: best group of people from all over the world on their best behavior…

I don’t think any words exist that can explain the uniqueness and specialty of this tour and the team effort that they put together to be sure we had the best life experience EVER! Can’t wait to repeat it again & again. I am forever in love with Iceland!

Photos © Maryam Vantandoust

Julie Rainak, Oregon (Northern Explorer – September 22) This tour was my first trip to Iceland, and the second workshop with Babak. Babak and his team (ours were Linda, Kristján and Sævar) are wonderful, and all very talented in their own right. Iceland is full of wonderful sites, history, and geology- plus the auroras! The Northern Explorer Tour offers a nice balance of all those things.

Babak and Sævar were continually tracking and predicting the aurora activity throughout the tour so we wouldn’t miss one opportunity to photograph it! We visited the Perlan Museum in Reykjavik, toured lava tunnels/caves, saw amazing waterfalls and Icelandic ponies. There were opportunities to try traditional Icelandic food, I’m not that adventurous so I passed, except for the Skyr yogurt, which I couldn’t get enough of!

The only part I disliked was the wind, but that was out of all of our hands.  It would have been nice if the bus had USB charging ports.

Our program itinerary was well rounded, and I enjoyed all of our stops.  Accommodations were very nice with comfortable beds. Our meals were very good everywhere we went, I especially enjoyed the Skyr yogurt and the hamburgers.

I always learn something new and valuable in Babak’s workshops.

Photos © Julie Rainak

Behdad Aryavand, Virginia (Northern Explorer – September 22) Great communication, great guides, great locations, food was fine, comfortable accommodations, outstanding instructor. I broadened my technical and creative photography skills. The one thing that could have been done better: part the skies, make aurora appear every night.

The itinerary was fine, but since it was the northern part of Iceland and some of the more iconic scenery is to south west (ie Diamond Beach), it will require a second trip!

Jeanette Koslowski, Florida (Quick Tour – September 22) This was a well-organized tour with excellent photo opportunities, outstanding instructional opportunities, well informed and friendly staff members and excellent accommodations. Everyone from the driver and other staff members made the trip enjoyable, sharing their own experiences at various locations. I got beautiful shots that I will always treasure. One was selected to be in a juried gallery show. The food was Excellent… the catered food was 5 star, and the remote location we stayed at was comfortable and a great place to shoot from. I also wish there was a little more information about daytime locations we visited.

I absolutely improved my photography skills, all my shots were spot on. I should have walked a little further at one location and got the reflection on the lake, and I wish I’d taken the longer tour and gone into the ice caves.

Photo © Jeanette Koslowski

Azita Bassiji, Canada (Highland Tour – September 22) This is an active tour. I recommend arriving in Iceland a day or two early to somewhat eliminate the jet lag exhaustion (should it apply) in advance of the start of the tour. The tour includes a half-day excursion in Reykjavik which introduces you to the highlights of the city; however, Reykjavik is a walkable, charming and relaxed town with good food, nice parks, good shopping and spas. Arriving early will allow you to take advantage of what Reykjavik has to offer. Iceland does not measure temperature with wind chill factor as we do in North America (at least this is what I thought). So, do not underestimate the wind chill factor on the cold nights. You will find hands and feet warmers helpful during long night shoots. Read the material sent in advance carefully. You will be moving every two or three days. Do not over-pack gears or clothes. You will be in close quarters with your tour-mates, particularly on the smaller bus. Bring your friendly self and you will meet a lot of wonderful people with similar interests to you.

A lot of ground is covered by the tour and you will see a good portion of Iceland. You have lots of opportunities to get off the bus to shoot or simply stretch your legs, get some food/drink, enjoy a hike or soak in the thermal baths. Although I recommend taking advantage of these opportunities, you may also use these stops for some “me time”. Both during the day and the night shoots, this tour is very much weather dependent. Therefore, the itinerary is somewhat fluid. Nonetheless all promised highlights are eventually covered. The Itinerary was helpful and necessary. The WhatsApp group was also helpful. You may wish to issue the final itinerary on WhatsApp so those who did not bring a copy in any other format have access to it on-the-go.

This tour is intended for all levels of photography skills but knowing your camera and effective operation of your tripod, particularly in the dark, will be very helpful to you. You do not need to be an advanced photographer to attend this tour. I found it helpful to take a minute or two away whenever I needed it. The suggested camera settings for various photography subjects are explained in the bus in advance and hands-on help is available while on location. Regardless of your level of photography skills or knowledge of the night sky before the tour, rest assured that you will improve your skills and knowledge.

Although I do not have access to dark sky in my day-to-day life, I have used what I learned on this tour in low light city photography or every time I see a body of water flowing from a height – otherwise known as a Foss in Icelandic. All my expectations for the tour were met and there was nothing that I disliked or found uncomfortable.

The hotel accommodations were basic but clean and functional – apropos of the tour. The food was fine, and I have no complaint. However, you may wish to start the tour (the first dinner) on a higher note than the place we walked to in September of 2022. They neither were ready for the size of our group nor had great menu choices.

Donna Chilson, Virginia (Highland Tour – September 22) It was great, we experienced parts of Iceland that were local, but saw a lot of the tourist spots, it was a great mixture of both. I saw what I came for…the Northern Lights and I would do it again…to see them again! I enjoyed the night shoots, knowledge of the tour guides and tour leaders, and the shooting locations.  

I wish we visited less waterfalls…more time to focus on the shots and I didn’t like sites that had heights!…don’t like heights.  I am not sure I broadened my photography skills…should have pushed myself further to try panoramas…but not knowing how to do them well, I didn’t want to take the chance because I wanted a good picture. I know Iceland has many places to shoot but I would have enjoyed staying in one place longer and shooting in that area, to maybe get the northern lights there, but many places it was only one location. Of all the nights shooting, I didn’t feel like the foreground was a focus, when I would prefer something in my foreground…but that is me.

I loved all the hotels and the food, always felt comfortable. And as stated above, there are a couple of places I would have loved to stay longer. Regarding the program itinerary: As stated, too many waterfalls. I guess I would try and figure out what everyone wanted to shoot, I was there for the northern lights. And would have been happy to only shoot and set up for those shots. I wouldn’t bring in the quick tour people at the end, I would have brought them in the beginning, before our tour started…it thru off the group dynamic that was going on to bring them in at the end.

Avee Purohit, Canada (Highland Tour – September). I absolutely would recommend this tour. It’s a great experience – both in terms of travel and photography. Met some wonderful people, and the tour was well organized. Babak and Gisli are both really helpful and go a long way to make sure everyone has a good experience.

The food and accommodations were well suited and I thought the program itinerary was great! I would suggest maybe creating a workshop or webinar right at the very beginning, or before the tour, so it’s easier to grasp the basics while on tour.

As a complete beginner, this was a very unique and enriching intro to photography and I improved my technical and creative photography skills.

Nancy Stimson, Colorado (Highland Tour – September 22) Great tour, super knowledgeable guides, and tour leader. Babak has a vast reservoir of knowledge about photography and equipment as it relates to both daytime and night sky photography. As with all tours, some parts were terrific and some parts less so. Overall, it was a great way to see Iceland!!

I thought food and accommodations were just fine. The motel in the middle of nowhere (where we weathered the storm) was terrific. As always, a day off in the middle of the tour would have been helpful. I certainly could have taken one, but the FOMO was probably too strong. It was nice to get off the bus as often as we did.  But for taking a day of downtime somewhere, I thought it was great. There was one hike that was both longer and more arduous than anyone expected. This could have been of potential harm to one on tour who had cardiac issues. I would say that all the hikes should be explored considering who can/will afford a tour like this.

I broadened my very limited photography skills.

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Kassem Safa, Massachusetts: (Southern Iceland March 22) The workshop included didactic photography and astrophotography sessions by world renown Nat Geo photographer, hands on technique practice, and Lightroom photo editing sessions. This course brought my knowledge of photography to the next level, especially night time photography. Babak has partnered with Icelandic nationally acclaimed scientists who accompanied us on the trip. They brought expertise on geology and most importantly they had input on aurora/weather forecasts based on real time satellite data setting the trip for success. The group included a diverse group of photographers from all levels of expertise, so not only one would learn from Babak but also from fellow photographers. This gave us the chance to make new friends and actually talk about tips and tricks in photography. The food, breakfast and dinners were overall great (it’s after all a photography tour not a culinary tasting tour). All hotels were clean. The Itinerary was great. I would have loved daily golden hour photo trips but a large group and weather are prohibitive I suppose. One day was very hectic when things were happening back to back. We were able to see the northern lights 2 nights in the span of 8 nights, which included a lot of inclement weather. The expertise of Babak and his partners and their knowledge about the terrain, as well as their down to earth attitude and flexibility was very much appreciated. I will never forget this trip. Thank you Babak and team for the memories.

Photos © Kassem Safa

Benedikt Erdmann, Germany: (Southern Iceland March 22) tour was a great experience, traveling with a nice group and with experienced guides. We learned a lot about the country and about photography. For those who don’t like to travel alone it is a great way to explore Iceland. You get to see a lot of the country and do a lot of photography (daytime and nighttime). And you don’t have to worry about anything, as Babak and his Team are doing a very good job on guiding these tours. The night imaging sessions were the best part, even though there weren’t so many due to the weather. The itinerary was packed, but also handled very flexibly by the guides, depending on the mood of the group or the weather. So, some parts were skipped, and others were added. All in all, I think we really got the most out of one week in southern Iceland, visiting all the most famous spots in this part of the country. I’m really glad and thankful to have been on this trip. It was truly a great experience and it really helped me to improve my photography skills.  

Photos © Benedikt Erdmann

Douglas Alexander Cordeiro, Brazil: (Southern Iceland March 22) I had some of the most amazing moments of my life! Visiting Iceland was already a dream, but doing it while chasing the aurora with one of the best photographers in the world was something else! I think the hotels and food were good, but could be improved. I most enjoyed seeing the aurora!  The itinerary was good, but can be improved. I’d replace visits to the powerplant, museum and one of the waterfalls to 1 or 2 days in the Snæfelssnes peninsula, particularly to visit Kirkjufell. I think there was some miscommunication as regards the itinerary and timing of some activities. The hotel in Keflavík was also not great.

Cheryl Hale, Nevada: (Southern Iceland March 22) The expertise of Babak and the guide team were the key to unlocking the value of a trip to Iceland. Without them, I don’t believe we would have been as successful in locating the best photo spots and appreciating the uniqueness of the places we visited. Babak has done an especially noteworthy job of assembling an especially skilled and likable team of guides and a driver. The food and hotels were extremely good considering the cost of the photo tour. One could hope for 4* hotels and caviar, but that wasn’t what this trip was about. The local arrangements exceeded my expectations considering that Iceland is one of the #1 or #2 most expensive countries in the world!

We visited the most popular areas for Iceland tourism, and it did not disappoint. The number of hotels did result in a lot of time spent packing and moving. I wonder if it would be possible to reduce the number of hotels. Since we had long drives in the evenings looking for Aurora activity without clouds, I wonder if it wouldn’t have been better to stay in fewer locations. I was very impressed that Babak continued to monitor the group and check in with us during our night shoots to make certain our questions were answered, and that we received any help we needed. He took his responsibility as the tour leader very seriously and it was obvious, he wanted to give us the tools we needed to be successful. The other guides also made themselves available generously throughout the shoots.

I recommend that before substantial hikes there should be a briefing to cover what distance we are hiking, what conditions we might encounter (steep climb, uneven footing, mud, ice), how long it will take, and a description of what we will see and how to photograph it. We were disappointed to learn that the second hike at Skogafoss (“another waterfall”) turned out to have been the best opportunity to capture a waterfall from behind but that wasn’t mentioned by the guides.

Photos © Cheryl Hale

Theresa Park, Massachusetts (Southern Iceland March 22) Seeing the northern lights has been a lifelong aspiration. That I was able to do it while honing my photography skill, in the company of an amazing group of individuals, and guided by a knowledgeable and patient team of people made this trip a once in a lifetime experience. Actually, twice in a lifetime since I plan to return next year. The food and hotels were better than I expected. I love the mix of sightseeing during the day (it was a good mix of traditional and non-traditional stops) and photography at night. I’m still treasuring my experience, trying to prolong it as much as possible.

Priyanka and Rhisi, Connecticut (Southern Iceland March 22) This is a great workshop for all age groups, and novice to expert photographers. The toughest part to be in dark places is because you are alone but when you have a group, it really helps. And when you have a teacher like Babak it becomes a lifelong memorable trip.

We always had a deep love for dark sky. Back in India when we were kids, we used to have power cuts. The best thing to do was to go the terrace and look at the beautiful starry sky. After moving to States, we started exploring dark sky places. We visited Death Valley, Dalton Highway, Denali, and Mauna Kea. The night skies were beautiful in all these places, and we tried capturing in our camera but failed due to our lack of knowledge using camera settings and right lens.

Our deep love of watching auroras motivated us to travel to Iceland and we stumbled on Babak’s Instagram channel. We were just wowed by his night sky photos and were excited to know that he offers workshop in Iceland. We immediately enquired about it and soon had a reply from Linda. We booked September 2021 tour but unfortunately were not able to make it due to pandemic restrictions and decided to move it to March 2022. Babak and team were very accommodative to move the dates which we are very thankful for. Meantime, we watched Babak’s tutorial on astrophotography (you can buy complete series on his website) and finally got to meet him in Iceland. He is an amazing teacher, world class highly renowned Astro photographer and so down to earth. He teaches from basic to build the foundation. He has a very knowledgeable team who are all very enthusiastic and answer all your questions.

The tour covers all the tourist places in Iceland while giving you best opportunity to explore dark sky, milky way, stars, and aurora borealis. Babak and his team keep monitoring the weather, solar winds and go extra miles to make sure we are at right place at right time. Overall, we had a wonderful time with incredible group of people on our tour which was mix of all ages and experience with photography (novice to expert).

We most enjoyed the nights out waiting for the aurora to appear and enjoying the darkness. This program improved our photography skills: we learned a lot about basics of night photography, different configuration in camera and the type of lens for astrophotography.

All the places for food were delicious, and freshly prepared. Given the time the itinerary was well planned, but I suggest better communications about timings. The stays were nice except the one hotel where we had to carry our luggage multiple floors as there was no lift (but I think they are not going to use that hotel in future tours).

Adding some of the photos we shot during the tour under Babak’s guidance, and this was the first time we snapped these kind of photos. Thank you for the wonderful experience and learning, looking forward to joining another one of your workshops!

Photos © Rhishi and Priyanka

Janice, British Columbia (Southern Iceland March 22) Right from the first moment when I started to meet other participants and tour leaders in the lobby of our hotel, I knew it was going to be a great experience. The mix of people from various parts of the world and varying photography skills made for a very cohesive group that bonded early in the tour. We were all there to learn but we were also there to share our own skills and experiences. The professionalism of the tour leaders was evident right from the beginning; they were very attentive to everyone’s needs and were always there to make the experience the best they could. There was so much I enjoyed I can’t say there was one thing. The interaction with other photographers, the knowledgeable tour leaders, the local knowledge of tour leaders and of course the scenery and photography opportunities were first class. I was very pleased with the quality of both food and hotels on the tour. Honestly I can’t think of anything I would change. The group message we had on What’s App helped keep us organized when plans changed a few times. I think it was a nice balance between quality and cleanliness. The itinerary was both flexible and varied. When we shot late at night there was flexibility the next morning. We saw so much in the nine days and only once or twice did I feel a little rushed. I wouldn’t have given up any of the places we visited. This was a trip of a lifetime for me and an experience that I will not soon forget.  

2021 Tour Reviews

J.Daroga, (Highland Tour, September 21) Babak is one of the nicest and most humble people you can tour with. He is very eager to share his knowledge on how to take the best shots possible, and gives every participant on the tour his equal and undivided attention. He treats everyone with due respect. The tour was very well organized and Babak’s associates do a great job in making the experience as pleasant and enjoyable as possible.   I joined the Sept 2021 program because it was the next one available after the March 2020 tour was cancelled due to Covid. Plus, the Sept tour has a slightly different itinerary than the March tour. I was very satisfied with the Sept. 2021 tour; met all my expectations. I learned a lot about time lapse photography and also about the use of camera features that I had not known of before. Babak does a great job in going through the basics before the tour starts, and is always willing to answer questions and help everyone during the photo sessions, as needed. As a suggestion I think it would be best to keep the tour to the original 12 or so participants, i.e. the long tour. The addition of the short tout changes the personal feel of the excursion, and feels more rushed to accommodate the larger group. I will most likely be returning on a future tour.

Ed Bechtel, California (Highland Tour – September 21) One will be traveling with an international mix of positive and like minded photographers. Bus travel by day to likely regions for Aurora sightings, then hunt lights by night from 9 pm to 2 am hopefully coincidental with scenes of lava, lakes, or other landmarks.  The curriculum has been dialed in so that workshop contestants are not worn out from lack of sleep, and are not subjected to humus and banana sandwiches. I was able to capture a variety of gorgeous lively Aurora and produce fantastic images that none of my 27 social media followers could ever hope of attaining.  The workshop fee is of extreme value for the experience. Having done the tour before I was not seeking to improve my skills, but Babak quickly helps those in need.  You must have a basic understanding of your camera in manual mode before the tour.  We did this tour once before so it was an easy decision to do it again.  Despite Auroras being a bit of a gamble to find, even a marginal week in Iceland is better than a good day at work.  Iceland has the most accommodating and polite people. The food is great.  Beautiful scenery.  No speeding maniacs on the highway. My goals to capture Aurora were fully met. Aurora workshop dates tend to be centered around the new moon. 

Photo © Ed Bechtel

Bruce Berger, Massachusetts (Highland Tour – September 21) This is not my first workshop with Babak, and I’ve never been disappointed. Experiencing a bright aurora has been on my bucket list for some time. My expectations were exceeded 10-fold!

The tour was well arranged. Babak and his experienced Icelandic team of Gisli, Sævar and Kristján provided for everything. Accommodations were acceptable 3-4 star to keep the tour affordable. Iceland itself is like no other place I’ve been to. As an American who has never been to Europe, the cities are as I imagine I’d find there. Prepare to be blown away outside the cities, where you’ll find boiling hot water geysers exploding from the ground, beautiful iconic waterfalls, fields of steaming volcanic rock that makes it seems more like a moonscape. We were rewarded with a Northern Lights display that was second to none – naked eye KP8 auroral crowns dancing overhead, so bright that you could see the color with your own eyes. So bright that modern mobile phone cameras were recording it live.

The value in this workshop was the knowledge shared freely by Babak Tafreshi. I learn so much anytime I’m in the field with him. But I guess the real thing that blew me away was finally seeing and photographing an aurora.

One thing I learned is to not get discouraged when conditions aren’t perfect. We had a cloudy night but instead of being disappointed, I captured sky images with clouds glowing orange from an active volcano and green from aurora, at the same time the familiar Big Dipper stars prominently shining bright. It’s one of my favorites.

2019 Tour Reviews

Shamsi Mahjour, Canada (Highland Tour – September 19) It was a great experience taking in the natural beauty of Iceland and the beautiful Northern light with knowledgeable and friendly Tour Guides. Amazing views, impeccable accommodations and local cuisine were outstanding. A pleasure to meet Babak on this Tour. I learned a great deal about photography and observing the sky at night.

Shahab Yassemi, New York (Highland Tour – September 19) It was great overall. Loved the planning and the people.

Adriana Leon de la Barra, Mexico (Highland Tour – September 19) Excellent!!!! It was a great learning and fun experience. Very well organized, the best locations with the best guidance team (Babak and local guides). Babak is extremely professional and friendly and has a great ability to teach.

Photos ©Adriana Leon

Diane McInerney, Massachusetts (Highland Tour – September 19) It was truly an amazing experience. I have wanted to learn night photography since 1996 and never got the opportunity. When I saw this tour advertised I knew I was stepping far outside my comfort zone but really wanted to learn. The Northern Lights were such a bonus. I had dreamed of seeing these amazing displays of light for as long as I could remember. Once I had the opportunity to see some activity in Framingham, MA. Despite the fact there was no color but white…I was still mesmerized. To actually see the Aurora in Iceland was better than I ever could have imagined. To learn to take photos of this hypnotizing event was a dream come true. This tour changed my life and made me excited about photography in a whole new way. The tour company, the fascinating people, and the camaraderie among the group was very special and unique. To get to work with and learn from Babak was awe-inspiring. I would recommend this tour and any of the others to everyone I meet. I am most definitely going to attend this tour again as well as others.

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Bara Ayche, UK: (Quick Tour – September 19) A truly great experience. I went to improve my photography and can honestly say it has helped me. Not just in Aurora, the learning experience was invaluable. Babak always has time for any questions whatever level you may be at.

Photos © Bara Ayche

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Vicky Bell, Canada: (Southern Iceland March 19) I was lucky enough to be part of the photo tour to Iceland, and it was an amazing experience start to finish. Babak was an incredibly patient and enthusiastic teacher who was always willing to help me out (given I was pretty new to photography, and probably had no business being there! :-)). I also really appreciated the flexibility he and Gisli showed when things didn’t go according to plan: we had a lot of bad weather and didn’t get to see the northern lights until our VERY last night, but Babak and Gisli rolled with the punches and arranged alternative activities where needed, such as photo editing sessions when we couldn’t go out shooting at night. The group he assembled was also excellent, with a wide range of ages and experience levels, but who somehow all gelled — I made lifelong friends on that trip. I’m signing up for another tour as soon as I can. I learned SO MUCH, saw places I would never have travelled to otherwise, and have come away with memories for a lifetime.

Photos © Vicky Bell

2018 Tour Reviews

Michael Fung, Hong Kong (North Iceland and Highlands September 18) It was a very good experience. Babak is very knowledgeable to explain stuff, and Kristján and Gisli were very helpful. It is good that the tour combines both photograph course and sightseeing stuff. I like the places they brought us to, which are not only general tourist points, but some of them are places which only locals / people will some extent of understanding of Iceland will know. I particularly like the underground pond. It will make the tour even better if there are more formal knowledge / experience sharing sessions, about astronomical / aurora / photography, which are rare for amateurs to know.

Iair Arcavi, Israel (North Iceland and Highlands September 18) Unforgettable, enjoyed every moment. Can’t wait to go again. Thanks to not having to worry at all about logistics or any other issues, I was even able to submit an astrophysics paper to Nature while on the trip (Babak & Gisli are acknowledged in the paper!).

Photos ©Iair Arcavi

Jayesh Hargovan, South Africa (North Iceland and Highlands September 18) The Aurora Photo Tour in Iceland with Babak and company, has been one of the best experiences of my life. My night sky photography skills improved tremendously over the tour period of 10 days. The days and nights were excellently planned, with a variety of interesting activities during the daytime, and Aurora hunting at night, with some Milky Way practice thrown in. Having a common interest with other tour members, meant that friendships were easily formed, making the tour even better. Babak’s passion and curiosity shines through effortlessly, and is likely to inspire you on your own photography journey. I definitely plan to do it again!

Photos © Jayesh Hargovan

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Natasha K, California: (West Iceland and Snæfellsnes Peninsula March 18) I booked this trip on a whim, and it turned out to be one of the coolest adventures I’ve been on to date. So happy I got to learn aurora photography from one of the best and super stoked we lucked out with an amazing KP7 display on one of the nights. I would definitely recommend Babak’s aurora tours to anyone!

Photo ©Natasha K.

Alessandro Lavatelli, Italy (West Iceland and Snæfellsnes Peninsula March 18) Babak programs are always well organized, all activities planned at the right time. Even if the weather conditions in Iceland can be tough, we made always the best choice to take advantage of every condition.

Frederick Melikian, California: (West Iceland and Snæfellsnes Peninsula March 18) Very informative and organized. It was an awesome trip with great group of people and adventures. Made amazing images from Iceland and Aurora. Babak is quite helpful. Learned a lot from his astronomy knowledge. He knows the night sky quite well, which adds to the whole experience of photographing under the stars.

Emanuele Balboni, Italy (March)  I loved the workshop!

Photos © Emanuele Balboni

Sarah Saksouk, New York (West Iceland and Snæfellsnes Peninsula March 18) Attended several programs. Babak is always great at teaching/helping.

Penny Ashford, New York (West Iceland and Snæfellsnes Peninsula March 18) This workshop/tour was Outstanding! Before I get on my plane and I just wanted to send you a huge thank you for such an AMAZING trip capped off by the KP 7 aurora storm! Your patience is amazing! The group was so fun. All the adventures added unexpected surprises along the way AND I actually leaned how to manually focus! It was a treat to be with you!

Photos © Penny Ashford

AVA, California (West Iceland and Snæfellsnes Peninsula March 18) The tour was beyond my expectations. Babak is such a great photographer. It was an honor to be able to join him as a novice in photography. I have nothing but good things to say about Babak; he was so very kind and patient throughout the tour. I very much enjoyed the various places he took us for the photo shoots and sights seeing. We had Icelandic Tour guides and Bus driver who were all so helpful to us and also very knowledgeable about the history of their homeland. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime- experience, I will always treasure this trip.

2017 Tour Reviews

Reema Razzaq, Kuwait (North Iceland September 17) Most enjoyable workshops. Well-organized and fun atmosphere. I attended Babak programs several times and my first astrophotography workshop with him was in Oman on Jabal Shams.

Photo © Reema Razzaq

Todd Gunther, California (North Iceland September 17) An experience of a life time! Where to begin? Yes we went on this trip to learn Aurora photography from a master Nat Geo photographer, but we came away with so much more! Babak is a wonderful teacher and as you’d expect is extremely knowledgeable in all things astral photography (and photography in general). He was able to share is knowledge and love of astro photography, and even as our group grew on the second week I never felt neglected and was able to learn new skills right up to the final night. His “1st Mate” Gisli (a great photographer himself) was our guide around Iceland and because of his local knowledge we were able to find the northern lights most every evening! It took some driving at times, but it was well worth it! He was also a wealth of local knowledge as we drove around Iceland, which made our days that much richer. And then there’s the landscape! Iceland does NOT disappoint! And, as I learned is one of the best places on earth to catch the Aurora (and just the night sky! The stars were mind blowing). Throw in an endless number of waterfalls (Foss’s), the highlands, geothermal hot springs, Icelandic horses, whales, and views that go on forever, and you have a bucket list trip like no other! Oh yeah! And great food and lodging too! If you have the opportunity to go on this trip…DO IT! You won’t be sorry! And if you have the ability to do the full trip, starting with the smaller group do that too!

Photos © Todd Gunther

Chirag Upreti, New York (North Iceland September 17) Babak has been an inspiration to me not just for his brilliant photographs but as a leading advocate for preserving the beauty of the night skies. I have had the opportunity to shoot with him in 4 different countries and I have personally witnessed his non stop dedication to his craft and communicating the urgency for all of us to preserve the night sky. He is a wonderful human being, very down to Earth, with contagious energy and enthusiasm. Part of the reason I have taken multiple workshops with Babak is not only to learn the technical and artistic details of night sky photography, but also and equally importantly, to better understand his underlying philosophy of the critical importance of night-sky in our human heritage and the growing concerns of light pollution with it’s detrimental effect on life on Earth.  These workshops can serve as lessons for life an aspect which is much more enriching in experience than the pretty pictures you are sure to come back home with. The Aurora tour is by far my favorite international trip with Babak. There was many, many highlights in this trip, but none of them would have been possible without his passion for aurora chasing and sharing his knowledge. His and Gisli’s energy, patience to teach, constantly seek new horizons and work to nurture everyone’s skills in our group was truly inspiring. I would highly recommend this tour to my friends for sure. From Auroras to whale watching and hiking in national parks with on the go sandwiches, this trip was packed with good memories. Iceland is gorgeous and demands multiple visits with Babak and Gisli for sure!

Fitri Arijati, Indonesia (North Iceland September 17) That’s a wonderful experience. Me and my colleagues really enjoyed the journey of aurora hunting, visiting many beautiful places, good restaurants. Babak & his team are very helpful to guide how to take an aurora. The last day class is located in the hotel’s restaurant, which is too small, and we can hear & see Babak’s presentation clearly. Better for next time to use a proper place with better tools.