Review: International Photographer, What to Photograph Iceland Map

Usually, before a trip I do a bit of preparation, like this photography map of Iceland here, marking the places I’d like to go with a photograph for reference. Then when I get there that all goes out the window, I travel around according to my whims and the weather. But, wouldn’t it be handy if someone had done all this work for you? Well, that’s exactly what Michael Levey of International Photographer has done. I saw this at the campsite in Reykjavík last summer and so I decided to check it out.

Disclaimer: I was not paid by International Photographer to review their products, nor did I receive any gratuity or samples for this review, You can read more about my policies here.

Where and how to buy the Photographers Map of Iceland

The map costs €20, with the digital ebook together it’s €30 and there are discounts for buying multiples and so on, all of which can be purchased direct from the website.

What’s included: Map

Ok it’s obviously a map so all the towns, roads and so on are marked as you could expect. Places of interest as marked as volcanos, monuments, caves, waterfalls, wildlife watching etc, along with zones of photographic interest. Additionally, you can find ferry times (useful), estimated travel times, campsites, hours of daylight per month. The map is printed on good quality paper (I haven’t ripped it yet) and there’s a gorgeous image of Jökulsárlón on the reverse to get you inspired. Naturally, it’s a photography map, not a navigational one so don’t rely on this as for hiking or driving on mountain roads.

What’s included: ebook

The ebook begins as a guidebook, with general and practical information on the country, main subjects to photograph, where they can be found, roughly how long you would spend at each place, and includes some basic photography tips in relation to Icelandic conditions, what filters to bring and so on. The rest is part road trip log, part itinerary guide illustrated with images from each place as Michael travelled around the Ring Road. There’s also a kit list and packing list, plus a link to some gorgeous panorama shots he created.

Overall thoughts

What I do like is that some places have notes on the best time of day to photograph them which is very useful, along with anything else of note, eg “Grænvatn (amazing turquoise colour)”, but more of these would be good I feel. It’s definitely worth getting along with the ebook because what is particularly helpful is that he includes the camera settings for each picture. I sometimes use it, not that often to be honest but that is mostly because I have been to many of the locations already, I know the types of images I want from each and when is probably best to visit. But, if I didn’t know Iceland as well as I do I would find this quite useful, especially when you’re short on time and want to make the most of your trip. I do still like my own rough map – there’s something about having all the images on the map itself that just works for me!