Jón Hilmarsson is a native Icelander, landscape and nature photographer, loves the northern lights and tries different technic capturing them – panorama, vertorama and time lapse.
Jón started taking photography seriously 2006 and since then he has held numerous exhibitions all over Iceland and published two photo books – „Light and Nature of Skagafjörður“ and Light and Nature of the North West“
He has been recognised and awarded internationally for his work. His pictures has been published all over the world in newspapers, magazines and various books.
Jón has a great passion for photography and travelling, he attempts to highlight interesting landscape, nature and known landmarks. Often the subject is approached during the twilight, when land and light merge together in undisclosed harmony.
Jón started taking photography seriously 2006 and since then he has held numerous exhibitions all over Iceland and published two photo books – „Light and Nature of Skagafjörður“ and Light and Nature of the North West“
He has been recognised and awarded internationally for his work. His pictures has been published all over the world in newspapers, magazines and various books.
Jón has a great passion for photography and travelling, he attempts to highlight interesting landscape, nature and known landmarks. Often the subject is approached during the twilight, when land and light merge together in undisclosed harmony.
With this website I am both introducing myself as a landscape and nature photographer and also the service I am providing as a photo guide in Iceland. You can see on the site various offers for day tours, northern light tours and custom made tours. You can also browse through the picture gallery and if you are interested in buy a pictures from me, feel free to contact for price and shipping options.
I have larger selection of my pictures on flickr: www.flickr.com/jonrrr
General information:
Name of the Company: Magical Sky Iceland / DreamVoices ehf
Jón Hilmarsson, photographer and photo guide
Id number: 611207-4330.
VAT / tax nr.: 108142.
Address: Guðnýjarbraut 21, 260 Reykjanesbær, Iceland
Tel (mobile): + 354 895 6364
Homepage: www.magicalskyiceland.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonhilmarssonphotography/
Exhibitions, awards and Publication:
- 2021 - New Year Concert from churches of Reykjanes with my wife Alexandra Chernyshova. The concert was broadcasted in on the Iceland's television stations - Hringbraut in beginning of January.
• 2019 - Published my third photobook "Iceland - Beyond Expectation"
- 2019 - First price for photo contest for the Astro club in Iceland / Stjörnuskoðunar félag Seltjarnarnes with a aurora picture from Vestrahorn
- 2019 - Photo exhibition in St. Petursburg, Russia. The opening ceremony of Nordic Weeks.
- 2018 - Photo exhibition in Reykjanesbær, Duus gallery. Light and nature of Reykjanes.
- 2017 - First price for photo contest in Morgunblaðið, newspaper with a sunset picture from Vestrahorn
- 2016 Exhibition „Light and Nature of the West“ in Borgarnes Library gallery – dec/jan.
• 2016: Exhibition and premiere on the timelapse movie „Magical Sky Iceland“ at „Vökudagar“ festival in Akranes – oct/nov
• 2015: Exhibiton in the Lighthouse in Akranes, various pictures from the west part of Iceland
• 2015: Third place in photo contest in Iceland „Landvernd, Icelandic Environment Association” – The waterfall Aldeyjarfoss:
• 2015: Article and pictures in Daily Mail of Northern Lights pictures I took in the end of February 2014 showing Angel formation in the Aurora. Without a doubt one of most wellknown northern light pictures in the world:
• 2014: Photo Exhibtion in Keflavík at the festival „Ljósanótt / Night of the Lights“ – sept.
• 2014: Photo Exhibition in Hvalfjörður/festival, the theme was the Whalefjord and the west part of Iceland – august.
• 2013: First place in the winter photo contest of the national newspaper Fréttablaðið, „Northern lights over mountain ridge Skarðsheiði“: The picture here on Flickr.com
• 2013: First place in the Christmas photo contest of national Power Company „Orkusalan“, Northern lights over Christmas house.
• 2013: Publishing of the book „Light and Nature of North West“.
• 2012: Photo Exhibition in Skagaströnd with Arnar Viggósson, the theme „Landscape and Nature of North West“. – spring.
• 2012: Photo Exhibition in Hofsós at Mid summer festival „Jónsmessuhátíð“ and in Blönduós at summer festival „Húnavaka“. The theme „Landscape and Nature of North West“. – summer.
• 2012: Photo Exhibition in Keflavík at autumn festival „Ljósanótt / Night of the lights“, the theme „Landscape and Nature of North West“. – sept.
• 2011: Photo Exhibition in Keflavík at autumn festival „Ljósanótt / Night of the lights“, the theme „Light and Nature of Skagafjörður“.
• 2011: Photo Exhibition in Skagafjörður/Sauðárkrókur at spring festival „Sæluvika“, the theme „Light and Nature of Skagafjörður“. – spring.
• 2011: Publishing of the book „Light and Nature of Skagafjörður“. – spring
• 2010: Photo Exhibition in Skagafjörður / Sauðárkrókur at spring festival „Sæluvika“, the theme „Northern light in Skagafjörður“ – spring.
• 2010: Photo Exhibition in Hofsós at Mid summer festival „Jónsmessuhátíð“ with Valdís Brynja Hálfánardóttir, the theme „Beauty in the fjord“ – summer.
• 2009: Photo Exhibition in Hofsós at Mid summer festival „Jónsmessuhátíð“ with photographer Gunnar Freyr Steinsson, the theme „On the East Side“. – summer.
• 2016: Exhibition and premiere on the timelapse movie „Magical Sky Iceland“ at „Vökudagar“ festival in Akranes – oct/nov
• 2015: Exhibiton in the Lighthouse in Akranes, various pictures from the west part of Iceland
• 2015: Third place in photo contest in Iceland „Landvernd, Icelandic Environment Association” – The waterfall Aldeyjarfoss:
• 2015: Article and pictures in Daily Mail of Northern Lights pictures I took in the end of February 2014 showing Angel formation in the Aurora. Without a doubt one of most wellknown northern light pictures in the world:
• 2014: Photo Exhibtion in Keflavík at the festival „Ljósanótt / Night of the Lights“ – sept.
• 2014: Photo Exhibition in Hvalfjörður/festival, the theme was the Whalefjord and the west part of Iceland – august.
• 2013: First place in the winter photo contest of the national newspaper Fréttablaðið, „Northern lights over mountain ridge Skarðsheiði“: The picture here on Flickr.com
• 2013: First place in the Christmas photo contest of national Power Company „Orkusalan“, Northern lights over Christmas house.
• 2013: Publishing of the book „Light and Nature of North West“.
• 2012: Photo Exhibition in Skagaströnd with Arnar Viggósson, the theme „Landscape and Nature of North West“. – spring.
• 2012: Photo Exhibition in Hofsós at Mid summer festival „Jónsmessuhátíð“ and in Blönduós at summer festival „Húnavaka“. The theme „Landscape and Nature of North West“. – summer.
• 2012: Photo Exhibition in Keflavík at autumn festival „Ljósanótt / Night of the lights“, the theme „Landscape and Nature of North West“. – sept.
• 2011: Photo Exhibition in Keflavík at autumn festival „Ljósanótt / Night of the lights“, the theme „Light and Nature of Skagafjörður“.
• 2011: Photo Exhibition in Skagafjörður/Sauðárkrókur at spring festival „Sæluvika“, the theme „Light and Nature of Skagafjörður“. – spring.
• 2011: Publishing of the book „Light and Nature of Skagafjörður“. – spring
• 2010: Photo Exhibition in Skagafjörður / Sauðárkrókur at spring festival „Sæluvika“, the theme „Northern light in Skagafjörður“ – spring.
• 2010: Photo Exhibition in Hofsós at Mid summer festival „Jónsmessuhátíð“ with Valdís Brynja Hálfánardóttir, the theme „Beauty in the fjord“ – summer.
• 2009: Photo Exhibition in Hofsós at Mid summer festival „Jónsmessuhátíð“ with photographer Gunnar Freyr Steinsson, the theme „On the East Side“. – summer.
Testimonials and reviews
Snæfellsnes day tour and Northern lights
I was very fortunate to be paired with Jon Hilmarsoon for a private photography workshop on my last-minute 24-hour trip to Iceland to photograph the Aurora on March 1, 2017. Jon picked me up from the airport and had organized a fully custom trip for me around the Snaefellsnes Peninsula as this was an area in Iceland that I had not yet explored during a previous trip. He knew all the best spots and angles to take the most postcard perfect shots, and taught me about which settings to use in various situations (including for the Northern Lights), as well as how to use my filters to maximize lighting during the day. When the original location we planned for shooting the Aurora started to cloud over, Jon immediately found multiple back-up sites that were just as amazing, including an abandoned house and the Black Church. I never felt rushed during the workshop – and he always made sure I took as much time as I needed to get the shots I wanted. He was also very responsive by email leading up to my trip which gave me a lot of comfort. I would definitely recommend Jon as a photo tour guide for your next trip to Iceland.
~Fazillah Durante
Family photo tour for 5 days
Ever since I got into photography and developed an interest for travel, Iceland had been on my bucket list to visit. Only a couple of weeks ago (10 April 2017) I was able to witness the surreal and glorious highlights of Icelands South and West Coast.
Jón was our guide for our full stay of five days in Iceland. He proved to have great skill in all areas required to make the tours successful for creating unique and creative photos. The information he had about each place we stopped at was detailed and interesting and he was able to answer all the questions we had very well. His skill in photography is amazing and he helped me (a photographer myself) with unique compositions, camera settings as well as (prior to the trip) what camera gear I would need and how it would help in making good photos.
The one thing I absolutely appreciated throughout the whole tour was Jón’s patience. In photography, patience is key and without it, there will be no good photos. Not once in the whole tour did Jón say “time to go” or “lets go”, everything was based on when I was ready to leave. Thus, the tours were excellent in that they were flexible and gave us as customers the choice in what we wanted to see and how long we wanted to spend at each place.
I would without a doubt, give Jón a 100% for his guiding and photography skills. I learnt a lot, enjoyed myself thoroughly and most important of all, got some “out of this world” photos.
A very big thank you Jón for making our trip even more amazing than we had ever dreamt it would be. From Harman, Pame, Sahib and Jeevna.
Oh and did I mention Jón found the Aurora Borealis for us. It was extraordinary and one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. Of course there is no guarantee you will see it, but with Jón as your guide, I believe anything is possible ? Harman family.
Family photo tour for 3 days
My family and I spent 3 days in Iceland with Jon on a photo tour up and down the west coast of Iceland. His knowledge of the region and constant monitoring of the natural lighting and weather conditions helped to ensure that the areas we would go to photograph were optimal. He offered his knowledge and expertise freely to help us capture the best possible photos. We never felt rushed. If conditions were not ideal in a certain location, Jon was always open to suggestions and alternative itineraries. He went out of his way to help us see the northern lights which we were able to. We had such an enjoyable experience that we plan to go back to Iceland in the very near future and seek out Jon again for another tour. We would highly recommend Jon without reservation.
Thanks for a great time Iceland! Kelly C and family.
Westfjords photo tour for 5 days
We booked a 5 day photo tour of Iceland (West fjords) with Iceland Photo Tours and had Jón as our guide (we were in his SUV/jeep, very comfortable).
Jón was very personable, easy to talk to (we were speaking English and he’s fluent). He was extremely flexible and accommodating, working in our requests/preferences quite well while adjusting to the shifting weather throughout. We were lucky to have good weather overall, but some cloudy sunsets.
In terms of the itinerary, we saw more varied wildlife on the first two days as expected given the locations. The latter days were focused on landscapes, and Jón is a landscape photographer and was able to provide quite a bit of guidance on shot composition, settings, and perspectives. One particularly valued part of his feedback was his ability to tailor his input to accommodate both an intermediate and a novice photographer who were part of our trip. We spent less time on the post production components of the shooting but did spend time one evening on editing (more valuable input).
We would highly recommend Jón as a guide and are certainly planning to return to Iceland. Gaby Otter.
Jón was very personable, easy to talk to (we were speaking English and he’s fluent). He was extremely flexible and accommodating, working in our requests/preferences quite well while adjusting to the shifting weather throughout. We were lucky to have good weather overall, but some cloudy sunsets.
In terms of the itinerary, we saw more varied wildlife on the first two days as expected given the locations. The latter days were focused on landscapes, and Jón is a landscape photographer and was able to provide quite a bit of guidance on shot composition, settings, and perspectives. One particularly valued part of his feedback was his ability to tailor his input to accommodate both an intermediate and a novice photographer who were part of our trip. We spent less time on the post production components of the shooting but did spend time one evening on editing (more valuable input).
We would highly recommend Jón as a guide and are certainly planning to return to Iceland. Gaby Otter.
Amazing time with Jón
Can’t say enough good things about our recent trip with Jón. He picked us up from the airport and the tour has started, we were never rushed, we visited a lot of “off the beaten path” places and seen some hall mark attractions. A few times Jón went out of his way to show us places which were not part of our original plan, simply because the weather allowed it. If we just went on our own, we would have never been able to find them. Being a photographer himself, he’s always up for anything, sunsets, sunrises ( I know it was rough to wake up at 4:30am) or chase the northern lights. We had such a great time and would definitely travel with Jón again and also recommend him to our friends.
P.S. not only does he do photo tours but he does regular tours as well.
All pictures are straight out of camera from the beautiful locations we have visited. Lenny K.
P.S. not only does he do photo tours but he does regular tours as well.
All pictures are straight out of camera from the beautiful locations we have visited. Lenny K.
4 day Photography workshop
An amazing experience! This was my first time travelling solo and my first photography workshop abroad. I would recommend this trip to anyone who is interested in either Iceland or photography... or both! Our guide Jon was very helpful with shooting techniques and guiding us to smaller, hidden, locations for some pictures of Iceland that I haven’t seen anywhere else online. I was in a group with 3 other people, so we got to know each other and Jon well by the end of the trip. The hotels were great too, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m already hoping I can be back again another time soon! TMP.
Vatnajökull Photograpy workshop
Photographing Iceland in the winter has been on my bucket list for some time. Even though the weather was somewhat challenging we kept to our itinerary. Jon, our guide was beyond helpful and always glad to be of help. I expressed an interest in photographing the Iceland ponies and he willingly stopped and gave us enough time to accomplish what we wanted, even to the extent to put snow on one of the ponies for me! Thank you Jon for an amazing photo tour and an overall great time! Lorna S.
Private group multiday tour
Our trip would never be complete without Jón’s help. He’s very knowledgeable about his country and knows a lot of secret, “untouristy” spots! And of course his photography skills is exceptional! I’ll definitely recommend him to my friends back home! Thanks Jón! Eric Po
Our trip to Iceland was made special by Jon. He took us to secret locations, not all tourists are aware of. He helped us appreciate the beauty of each site by giving us flexibility in our time and catering to our needs. We consider this tour the best experience of our lives, and many thanks goes to Jon for making it possible. Carlo Martin