Expedition: Iceland
Taylor Jackson bundles up with his Tamron 17-28mm and 35-150mm to visit the Land of Fire and Ice.
Author: Jenn Gidman
Images: Taylor Jackson
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Taylor Jackson is best known these days for his wedding work, with more than 600 matrimonial events under his belt in Ontario’s Kitchener-Waterloo region. But his craft originally took root during a major photo/video project on a snowboarding trip as a teen to British Columbia, where he had the chance to depict the local landscapes. “Even though weddings are the main part of my business these days, landscape photography and video has always remained a passion,” he says. “I started creating landscape and travel videos on YouTube, and they’re now some of my favorite projects to work on.”
When Taylor had the opportunity to embark on a slower-paced photo adventure to Iceland, he jumped at the chance—and the Tamron 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD ultra-wide-angle zoom and 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD all-in-one zoom lenses for his mirrorless camera system came along for the ride. “I do my best to not bring a lot of gear, making these two compact, portable lenses ideal for a trip abroad,” he says. “This simplest of kits offers me an incredible amount of versatility,” he says. “I love being able to go a little wider when I need to, but also to have the reach of the 35-150mm when I need it, like the shot of the lighthouse in Reykjanes you see here.”
The fast apertures on both of these lenses also assist in low-light situations, and Taylor is impressed with how crisp and sharp his images look. “Plus, these two lenses not only work for my landscape photography—they also translate into my portrait and wedding work,” he says.
As for the appeal of landscape photography for him, Taylor notes that it offers a respite from the rest of his hectic regimen. “This genre of photography gives me a reason to explore and be out in the world,” he says. “It’s very easy to get caught up in the routine of running a photography business, and having a self-created landscape photography or video project gives me a reason to carve out the time for that.”
TAYLOR’S QUICK TIPS
Don’t limit yourself with compositions.
I usually head out with an idea of what I want to capture at a certain location, but I do challenge myself to find at least three or four other compositions that I wasn’t expecting to get. I’m always thinking about what would look great on a wall, and what could integrate into a room—or just something that brings me back to a location that’s meaningful for me.
Simplicity is usually what I’m looking for. It’s for sure my first instinct to attempt to include everything possible, but I do my best to resist that urge and keep it simple.
Play around with long exposures.
Bodies of water are especially fun for this technique. For the shot of the famous Skogafoss waterfall you see here, I used a 13-second exposure, standing back a bit to include more of the environment and crouching low in the grass to hide all of the people hovering around the waterfall.
For the shot of the rock formations on the Snaefellsnes peninsula—which kind of resembles Egypt’s Sphinx—I used a 25-second exposure and 6-stop neutral-density filter on my 35-150mm to help smooth the water out even more.
Go with the flow.
The biggest challenge with shooting in Iceland is the weather. Sometimes you’ll get 20 minutes of reasonable weather during a particular day, and sometimes you’ll get 24 great hours. It’s always a surprise, so you just have to do the best you can. I think that’s why Iceland is a little addicting. You’re never going to get exactly what you’re expecting—but that’s what makes it such an enjoyable place to do photography.
To see more of Taylor Jackson’s work, check out his website and Instagram.
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