Photographers James Heffernan, Kari Bellamy and Abigail Steed hail from different parts of the UK but forged a friendship through various social media outlets. All three are incredibly busy for most of the year, when their lives become tied up shooting weddings and portraits. According to James they began to feel the need to travel and seek inspiration after their last work stint and figured Iceland would challenge them and provide them with breath-taking natural beauty.
The trio will spend a week in Iceland, arriving on Sunday March 8th and leaving on the unfavourable date Friday 13th. During their stay the photographers hope to meet up with a local couple to shoot and travel around the country with.
Iceland Insider found out more.
Why Iceland?
“Photography is one of those things that you constantly have to be on the lookout for new inspiration and new challenges and we thought Iceland would challenge us. In the UK, we are pretty lucky in as much as we can work out what the weather is going to be like, and what sort of surroundings we will be working with. Iceland, on the other hand, can be a bit unpredictable.
My wife and I had travelled to Iceland for work a couple of years ago and found the island and its landscapes fascinating. I guess part of the appeal is the duality of Iceland; it almost seems like it’s full of outstanding natural beauty, yet it has the power to cause so much disruption to our lives as became evident when a volcanic cloud from Iceland brought the aerial traffic of an entire continent to a halt a few years back,” James explains.
What sights have you planned to see during your trip?
“We have so many places we would love to get out to, however our limited time means we will probably concentrate on the southern part of the country. The black beaches at Vík, Skógafoss, Gullfoss, Strokkur and Skaftafell National Park are all on our list. We also hope to spot some hidden gems along the way.”
What prompted you to try and reach out to Icelandic couples to photograph during your stay?
“One of the beautiful things about travelling to a different country is meeting new people. We want to make new friends, share a beer, dance under the stars and generally connect with new people. But also, we wanted to show the love between two people in the country and landscape that they live and breathe in.”
Will all three of you be involved in shooting the lucky couple?
“The three of us have very different styles and thus different perspectives. Between the three of us, we will be setting up some different shots using the natural beauty of Iceland to really connect the people with their homeland.
“For the purpose of this trip we wouldn’t be shooting anyone’s wedding day. Our plan is really to take a bit of a road trip with some locals. Go for a drive around, find some places off the beaten path, and generally hang out for a day together. However, it is my absolute dream to photograph an actual wedding in Iceland. So if anyone is getting married and want a wedding photographer, I would provide my services for free, subject to availability.
“I might add that we also have a couple of wedding dresses, courtesy of Simply Bridal in the US and Country Brides of Faversham in the UK, if any adventurous couples fancy donning some wedding clothing.”
Will you be travelling to Iceland with a suitcase full of wedding gowns?
“Yes. The boutiques’ are posting the dresses to us in the UK and then we bring them over with us,” James concludes.
Those interested can contact James via email ([email protected]).
Three British wedding photographers plan to visit Iceland in early March and hope to hook up with an Icelandic couple during their stay in order to photograph them.
Photographers James Heffernan, Kari Bellamy and Abigail Steed hail from different parts of the UK but forged a friendship through various social media outlets. All three are incredibly busy for most of the year, when their lives become tied up shooting weddings and portraits. According to James they began to feel the need to travel and seek inspiration after their last work stint and figured Iceland would challenge them and provide them with breath-taking natural beauty.
The trio will spend a week in Iceland, arriving on Sunday March 8th and leaving on the unfavourable date Friday 13th. During their stay the photographers hope to meet up with a local couple to shoot and travel around the country with.
Iceland Insider found out more.
Why Iceland?
“Photography is one of those things that you constantly have to be on the lookout for new inspiration and new challenges and we thought Iceland would challenge us. In the UK, we are pretty lucky in as much as we can work out what the weather is going to be like, and what sort of surroundings we will be working with. Iceland, on the other hand, can be a bit unpredictable.
My wife and I had travelled to Iceland for work a couple of years ago and found the island and its landscapes fascinating. I guess part of the appeal is the duality of Iceland; it almost seems like it’s full of outstanding natural beauty, yet it has the power to cause so much disruption to our lives as became evident when a volcanic cloud from Iceland brought the aerial traffic of an entire continent to a halt a few years back,” James explains.
What sights have you planned to see during your trip?
“We have so many places we would love to get out to, however our limited time means we will probably concentrate on the southern part of the country. The black beaches at Vík, Skógafoss, Gullfoss, Strokkur and Skaftafell National Park are all on our list. We also hope to spot some hidden gems along the way.”
What prompted you to try and reach out to Icelandic couples to photograph during your stay?
“One of the beautiful things about travelling to a different country is meeting new people. We want to make new friends, share a beer, dance under the stars and generally connect with new people. But also, we wanted to show the love between two people in the country and landscape that they live and breathe in.”
Will all three of you be involved in shooting the lucky couple?
“The three of us have very different styles and thus different perspectives. Between the three of us, we will be setting up some different shots using the natural beauty of Iceland to really connect the people with their homeland.
“For the purpose of this trip we wouldn’t be shooting anyone’s wedding day. Our plan is really to take a bit of a road trip with some locals. Go for a drive around, find some places off the beaten path, and generally hang out for a day together. However, it is my absolute dream to photograph an actual wedding in Iceland. So if anyone is getting married and want a wedding photographer, I would provide my services for free, subject to availability.
“I might add that we also have a couple of wedding dresses, courtesy of Simply Bridal in the US and Country Brides of Faversham in the UK, if any adventurous couples fancy donning some wedding clothing.”
Will you be travelling to Iceland with a suitcase full of wedding gowns?
“Yes. The boutiques’ are posting the dresses to us in the UK and then we bring them over with us,” James concludes.
Those interested can contact James via email ([email protected]).
