Industry News


Wanted: Photographer to Capture Midnight Sun Imagery for Iceland Hotel

May 10, 2022

By Jacqueline Tobin

© Chase Dekker

The Midnight Sun lights up Seljalandsfoss waterfall in southern Iceland.

Want to go to Iceland for free? Hotel Rangá, a luxury resort in Iceland, wants to find a landscape or travel photographer (are you listening, destination wedding photographers?!) who can photograph images of Iceland’s Midnight Sun, a natural phenomenon that, due to the tilt in the Earth’s axis, causes longer hours of sunlight during the summer in higher latitude locations. One lucky winner of the hotel’s current contest will receive free room and board for 10 days, as well as coverage of their flight fees.

Hotel Rangá, located in the countryside of South Iceland, is a 90-minute drive from capital city Reykjavik. The hotel had a similar offer last year when they needed a Northern Lights photographer, announced the contest and ended up receiving over 4,800 applications from 50+ countries. Obviously, the hotel was caught by surprise by the numbers, because they ended up picking two photographers instead of one—Toronto, Canada-based Paige Deasley and Germany-based Stefan Libermann.

[Read: 5 $teps for Pivoting Your Photo Brand Towards More Profit]

This time, the chosen photographer will be required to arrive in mid-June or earlier to capture photos of the midnight sun, which occurs only during the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle. The extended period of daytime allows for many more opportunities to capture extensive photos of the area and its stunning landscapes. The chosen photographer will also have the option to visit The Highland Center Hrauneyjar, the hotel’s sister property in the Iceland highlands, an uninhabited center of the country. The chosen one will also be able to access the hotel’s stargazing observatory, and have the opportunity to explore the vast landscape of the area when not capturing the assignment for the hotel. “This is a great opportunity for new photographers to build up their photography portfolio,” Hotel Rangá writes on its website.

The lucky winner will be required to stay for 10 days and provide them high-quality photos and video. Under the terms, the hotel will have unlimited license to mutually agreed upon photographs and videos, and can use them in promotional material, printed and web, for an unlimited period of time (which is definitely something to think about first).

Applications from those who are interested in capturing the Iceland Midnight Sun photo ops will be accepted through Hotel Rangá’s website and you will be required to submit some of your photos as well. If you are interested, you have until May 15 to apply.