A summer picnic in Iceland

Will you forgive me for posting two picnic stories in a row? As I mentioned on my last post, there have been so many picnics this summer. Most of them in Seattle, but I have to tell you I love having picnics everywhere I go. Let’s get outside – rain or shine. Today I want to show you some images from a picnic we put together in Iceland with food photographer Áslaug Snorradóttir who cooked us a kaleidoscope for the senses.

As part of my Iceland workshop with Ace Camps, I wanted to take students on a picnic shoot on some beautiful landscape. Videy Island is a short ferry ride from the Reykjavik harbor and the perfect location for a day trip away from the city.

By many coincidences and definitely by fate, I met Icelandic food photographer Áslaug Snorradóttir on my first day in Reykjavik. I had found her book on Icelandic picnics a few hours prior at a local bookstore and I was smitten. Her fun personality came through her images – full of color, texture and an immense sense of humor. I knew I wanted to work with her the minute we sat down for coffee. She had all these ideas for the food she was going to cook for us. A large pot cooked over a campfire filled with sausage, potatoes, mussels and then colorful salads with wildflowers. Her sensibility for strong color translated into her food. Effervescence as I later described her.

She provided her beautiful vintage tableware and together we styled a country picnic for our students who found themselves in food photography heaven. The ceramic and wood spoons are a result of a collaboration between Ólöf Erla Bjarnadóttir and Margrét Guðnadóttir. Beautiful pieces. And to top it all, we ate like there was no tomorrow.

I have to thank Áslaug for providing so much inspiration for all of us. If you travel to Iceland, be sure to pick up her cookbooks at any of the bookstores. Her work makes me happy.

And I also wanted to let you know that this story was actually featured in Conde Nast Traveler. There I provided what I believe to be essentials for laid back and memorable picnics. You can read the tips here.

Here is to more picnics to come!