A Trip to Iceland with Fuji and 2 babies by Joshua Young

A Trip to Iceland with Fuji and 2 babies

by Joshua Young – See his Flickr HERE

We all know how hard it can be traveling with small children, however what happens when your hobby demands it? I am by no means a professional photographer, I am simply a father who loves to travel the world and photograph my journeys. My wife and I vowed a long time ago that wherever we go, our kids will be right there with us. This spring we decided to take the leap and visit Iceland. With a little planning and the right equipment, there is no reason any parent should put off their hobby any longer. The following photos were taken by me, with the help of a 3 year old and 14 month old.

Photo 1 – Walking to Skogafoss

In order to maximize success, my camera of choice for the trip was both the Fuji X-Pro2 and X-T2. I have had a long journey finding the right camera, from Canon to the A7R down to the E-M1 and finally to Fuji. On a trip like Iceland, parents must travel light, have strong WR equipment, fast AF (for the kids), and maximize image quality. Iceland is a constant threat to electronics; the winds blow the rain sideways and the sand will strip the paint right off the camera. Both Fujis took a beating but performed remarkably. One thing I love most about Fuji is the higher than most IQ, matched by the pure joy and use.

Photo 2 – Bruarfoss

Photo 3 – Bruarfoss

Remember to slow down and spend time with your kids at every sight. We all know the feeling, you are standing in front of one of the most beautiful sights on earth and you can’t seem to stop clicking away. Try to take breaks, relax and enjoy the landscape you are in with your family. Sometimes the best photos will come when you slow down and stop planning.

Photo 4 – Top of Skogafoss

Photo 5 – Walking along the falls

To share in your passion, buy your children a camera of their own to take photos. For $50 on amazon kids can get a digital camera that does both photos and video. At night time, these cameras share as entertainment to review the day through a child’s eyes. With praise of success your children will have no problem staying out a bit longer to capture the perfect light.

Photo 6 – Canyon

Photo 7 – Countryside

Iceland is a beautiful destination, I strongly urge everyone reading to visit. BE RESPECTFUL of the country, plan accordingly, and above all slow down and take in the sights. The weather is insane (we got trapped one day with 112mph wind gusts….all roads were closed), but the people and sights are amazing.

Happy Shooting

Photo 8 – Ship

Photo 9 -Vik

Photo 10 – Moss

Photo 11 – Behind the falls

Photo 12 – Old Volcano

Photo 13 – Double Rainbow

Photo 14 – Into the cave

Photo 15 – REK

23 Comments

  1. my Leica M240 died on skogafoss, after getting water blown horizontally all over in 360degree…

    It’s now totally rebuild after some arguing with Leica who didn’t want to repair it. No warranty, regardless on “weather resistant” claims.

    So keep distance with any WR camera, like you see on the pictures (nowhere near where I was, almost under the fall) and it’ll survive giving you plenty of great pictures as shown above. No, not Leica, all WR cameras are marketing hype, unless they’re “diving” certified, > IPX67.

    have fun

  2. I agree with Pierre – please post some pics that your 3-yr old took. That’s a great idea of giving kids their own inexpensive camera. That will give them a head-start on their own journey of the joys of taking photos!

  3. great work, I was there for 3 weeks last year in October, got some great shots but you sure have to be ready for the weather, changes in minutes doesn’t it. I went with the xt-2 and xe-2 and got amazing results, it really is good to travel light, especially when you’re doing a lot of hiking.

  4. Lovely colours in your photos. We became regulars at the Solon cafe/bistro in pic 15 when we visited last year.

    • We visited May 6 – 13. When looking at weather patterns for the last 5 years this week seemed to always be the driest. Worked for us! It rained twice, it was in the 40’s all week, and we had 2 sunny days! One day to take note of was when the wind kicked up. When staying in Vik the wind can be crazy. Iceland closed all southern roads for 24 hours due to 112 mph wind gusts in the higher mountain passes.

  5. Nice Pictures ! Waiting for my X-Pro 2 today or tomorrow… It seems a good camera for my birthday !
    Have fun !

  6. Not bad. That’s what we northgermans say to express the highest praise which in this case is appropriate. I like #2 and #3 in particular. Great for a big print.

  7. How many (and which ones exactly) lenses did you take with you? I’m kind of in a similar boat as you 🙂

    • Thanks for asking! During the trip I took the following gear:
      1 – X-Pro2
      1 – X-T2 (carried by my wife)

      XF 10-24
      XF 18-135
      XF 23WR
      Contax G 90

  8. I’ve been a Fuji shooter since 2012 and this is probably my favorite set of Fuji pictures ever posted here on Steve’s blog. Well done! Might I ask what lens you used for picture number 1 and 7? The rendering is just exceptional!

  9. Great,
    You should publish some of your kids own photo ( with the kid cam ) to see their point of view !

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