Storytelling Creative RetreatISLE of SKYE
SCOTLAND
in
CREATIVE
RETREAT 2026
DATES: June 27 - July 3
(7 days/6 nights)
HOSTED BY: Lizzy Gadd & Kris Andres
PARTICIPANTS: 6 maximum
PHOTOGRAPHY LEVELS: All levels
PHYSICAL RATING: Moderate
COST: $6900 USD
(payment plan available)
THE IDEA IS BORN…
Iceland is truly one of the most magical, otherworldly places on the planet, and one could argue that perhaps Midsummer in Iceland is the most magical time of all.
After spending a few weeks during midsummer 2023 in Iceland and becoming overwhelmed with creative inspiration, I became inspired to create a similar experience for others… the kind of experience where we (my partner Kris and myself) can share a week with a small group of like-minded people: Kind, creative humans who want to bask in the natural beauty of this country. Humans who want to photo-shoot together, inspire each other, and be overwhelmed by nature. And so, the idea of this Midnight Light Creative Retreat was born.
Fast forward to Midsummer 2024 & 2025 - that dream came true. We’ve now hosted 4 retreats over the last two years during the Midnight Sun. The combination of magic light, landscapes, creativity and friendships forged has been a true recipe for success, leading to heart-opening and memorable experiences treasured by both Kris and myself and all our participants alike. In fact, we love the experience of hosting these Iceland retreats so much that every time we finish one, we immediately start planning for the next! Read on for more information for 2026…
This retreat is open to anyone in any level of photography.
In fact, you don’t even have to be a photographer. You could be a painter, a writer, a musician. You could simply be a nature-loving human looking to hang out and be inspired!
In this land of endless beauty (including glaciers, waterfalls, lava fields, epic green canyons, black sand beaches, basalt pillars, icebergs, lagoons, lupine meadows and more), the beauty is only magnified during the soft and endless sunset/sunrise light of midsummer. It never truly gets dark in Iceland during this time of year, so we will be taking advantage of this by living on a nocturnal schedule during this retreat. This means we will explore, shoot and create during the night/morning, and then we will return to our accommodations during the day to rest, hangout, edit and sleep.
This works out wonderfully for a few reasons: Firstly, we will avoid most tourists while exploring on a nocturnal schedule. During the day, there could be hundreds of tourists at each location, but during the night, we will likely have each location entirely to ourselves! Also, the light during the day can often be quite harsh, whereas the light overnight will be like an endless golden hour light - perfect for photography. The sun will dip just below the horizon for 2-3 hours each night, but we will still have beautiful soft blue light to work with during this time while we wait for sunrise.
Although this retreat is not technically advertised as a “photography workshop”, our goal is to still help you achieve the dream experience or images you want to create. We will be thrilled to help you out however we can: Whether by demoing how we shoot, helping you set up your own shot, modelling for you, having props available (yes, I’ll be bringing lots of props and dresses!), and even image editing sessions together back at home base. We want this retreat to be an inspiring experience and collaborative effort, so if there’s anything you want to learn from us, please just ask. We’re here for YOU!
RETREAT INFO
MEET YOUR HOSTS
Partners in photography, love and life, we are:
LIZZY GADD
Retreat creator/host
Lizzy is a self portrait artist/photographer from BC, Canada, but now based wherever her suitcase happens to be (which is currently in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta). She feels most at home in the mountains, forests, fields and ocean - all of which are heavily incorporated into my photography.
With her calm and grounding demeanour, Lizzy strives to create ethereal images that evoke peaceful solitude and portray the beauty of matching one's heartbeat with the beat of nature.
When she’s not creating or immersed in the depths of nature, you can usually find Lizzy on a couch somewhere, lost in a fantasy book while eating too much chocolate.
KRIS ANDRES
Retreat assistant/energy booster
Based in the Canadian Rockies, Kristopher considers the mountains (along with everywhere he travels) to be his home. Kris is always up for endless adventures with a smile, no matter how "atmospheric" the conditions are. He will be overly excited in almost everything he does in life, capturing each story with the click of a shutter, in any and all genres — from adventure to landscapes to portraiture to food and more!
With a passion for teaching photography and sharing incredible moments with others, Kris also leads photography workshops around the globe through his company OFFBEAT.
When he’s not adventuring or creating, Kris is a full-time yogi working to refine himself every day.
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
-6 NIGHTS ACCOMMODATIONS
We will have our very own private villa on a beautiful lava field/farm property next to a river, and with a view of the distant glaciers! The villa includes a full kitchen, a massive living room/sitting area perfect for editing and hanging out in, 4 bedrooms (2 beds & private bathroom/shower facilities in each), laundry facilities, a hot tub and a sauna. 2 people will be sharing each bedroom - we will pair you with a partner, friend, or a participant of the same sex.
-DAILY BREAKFASTS, LUNCHES & SNACKS, SOME DINNERS
We will keep a large selection of breakfast foods and coffee/tea at home base for you to help yourself to, as well as snacks and sandwich materials for you to make your own lunches to bring on our adventures! We will also cover a couple of home-cooked dinners during the retreat.
-ALL GROUND TRANSPORTATION WITHIN ICELAND DURING RETREAT
We will choose a pick-up point near Reykjavik and Keflavik airport for the start of the workshop, and then you’re riding with us for the rest of the retreat! We will also choose a drop-off point close to Reykjavik or Keflavik airport at the end of the retreat.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?
-ALL FLIGHTS
-TRAVEL INSURANCE
Participants must have trip cancellation/interruption insurance, as well as emergency medical/illness insurance and rescue coverage.
Please note that we cannot offer refunds for emergencies and trip cancellations (you can read more about our cancellation policy near the bottom of this page).
-SOME SNACKS AND MEALS
Because we will be exploring during nocturnal hours when restaurants/stores are closed, we will bring our own lunches and snacks. Although we supply basic lunch sandwich items, you are welcome to buy your own favourite snacks or lunch items beforehand. There is a grocery store nearby our accommodation where we can restock on items when we need to.
We will plan to cook a couple of home dinners during the week (did you know Kris Andres is also a chef?!), but otherwise we will eat most dinners at our favourite nearby cafe/restaurant, which opens at noon each day when we return from our nightly adventures. You will be expected to buy your own meals when we eat out.
-ACCOMMODATION BEFORE OR AFTER THE RETREAT
We cannot cover any accommodations outside of the dates of the retreat - however, we do recommend that you arrive to Iceland at least a day early to avoid possible flight delays on the day the retreat begins.
HOME BASE
During this retreat, our home base will be at the beautiful and private Seglbúðir Lodge: a spacious, modern, luxurious and exclusive villa located next to a river, with a view of the surrounding lava fields and distant glaciers (if it’s not too cloudy!). The villa includes 4 bedrooms (2 beds and a private bathroom/shower in each), a fully equipped kitchen, a beautiful large sitting area, free WIFI, laundry facilities, and a sauna and jacuzzi. All to ourselves. Heck yeah!
This home base is located centrally to all our favourite places along the South/East coast of Iceland. Within a 2 hour drive in either direction sits most of Iceland’s iconic locations, as well as plenty of lesser-known but equally beautiful locations we’ve discovered over our years of exploring Iceland. We cannot wait to share these places with you!
WHERE WILL WE GO?
Each day (well, night/morning) we will plan to split our time between 2-3 locations, giving ourselves ample time to really get the feel for each place. If you’re like me, sometimes it takes an hour or two of exploring a place open-mindedly before photo ideas come to fruition!
Locations we plan to spend time at include:
-Skógafoss waterfall (including secret surrounding areas, and a beautiful hike above Skogafoss to even more waterfalls)
-Kvernufoss waterfall
-Reynisfjara Beach (basalt pillars, black sand beach, epic sea stacks)
-Dyrhólaey Viewpoint (picturesque views, lighthouse, and puffins if we’re lucky!)
-Seljalandsfoss waterfall
-Gljufrabui waterfall (inside a cave - bring your raincoat for this one!)
-The Vik Church (Iceland’s most iconic and classic view of a church on a hilltop. I personally haven’t photographed the actual church yet, but I have taken one of my favourite self portraits here surrounded by lupine meadows with the craggy, misty mountain backdrop!)
-Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon
-Svartifoss waterfall (3km hike up hill, but double that if we want to hike further to Skaftafell glacier viewpoint)
-Svínafellsjökull Glacier (my absolute favourite place with so many possibilities - worth coming back a few times to explore different areas in different light!)
-Múlagljúfur Canyon (about 5km round trip hike up some elevation - but so worth it!)
-Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
-Diamond Beach (black sand beach with icebergs washed ashore)
-Stokksnes beach (the furthest drive from home base, almost 3 hours away - we will gauge participant energy levels before going here)
There will also be plenty of random stops for Icelandic horses, sheep, lupine meadows, magic light and more!
ITINERARY
*SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH WEATHER, TIMING AND EVENTS.
THE BEST MAGIC HAPPENS WHEN WE KEEP A FREE FLOWING MINDSET!
-DAY 1
11am-Noon: Pickup time! We will pick you up from one of two locations, depending which is closer to you:
-11:00am from Keflavik International Airport (KEF), OR,
-12:00 noon from a pick-up point just outside of Reykjavik city (we’ll let you know where).
Note: Most flights from North America are overnight and arrive in Iceland between 6-9am. However, we highly encourage you to arrive at least a day ahead of the retreat to avoid any possible travel delays to Iceland, which happens frequently. We will not be able to wait for you if your flight is delayed, since we have a 4 hour drive ahead of us to reach our accommodations on Day 1. Arriving at least a day early gives you a great opportunity to explore Reykjavik city, or the famous Blue Lagoon or Sky Lagoon thermal baths, which we highly recommend!
12pm: Hellos, introductions, begin the 4 hour drive east. We will stop for a meal along the way, as well as a grocery store in Vik for participants to stock up on favourite food necessities (there will also be plenty more opportunities to stop at markets throughout the week).
5pm: Arrival at Seglbúðir Lodge, our home base for the week. Unpack, settle in, explore our beautiful home base at your leisure!
6pm: Gather around for our official welcome speech, safety talk, itinerary for the next day, and to learn more about what YOU hope to get out of this week. :)
7pm: Bed time! Or a short nap, if you’re too excited to sleep… we won’t rest long, because our nocturnal schedule officially begins at midnight!
-DAY 2
Midnight: Wake up, enjoy coffee and breakfast.
1:30am - 10am: Explore, shoot and create all night/morning! Locations will be chosen each day depending on where the weather and light is looking best. You can expect anywhere between 45 minutes and up to 2 hours of driving to reach certain locations.
10am - 1pm: By now, the day will be well underway with other tourists back in full swing, which means it’s our time to hide! :)
We will drive back toward home base and likely have a good sit-down meal at Systrakaffi, our favourite cafe/restaurant which opens at noon, and is only 10 minutes from our home base.
1pm: Rest up at home base. Edit photos, take a cold dip in the river (if you’re brave), or jump straight into the jacuzzi or sauna (my personal plan).
4pm: Have a good sleep - you’ve earned it!
-DAY 3
12am: Wake up, help yourself to breakfast and coffee. The new nocturnal day begins.
1:30am onwards: Same structure as previous day, with slight timing changes depending on weather, distance to locations and participant energy levels.
-DAY 4
Same structure as previous day, with slight timing changes depending on weather, distance to locations and participant energy levels.
-DAY 5
Editing / relax / hangout day?! (or half adventure day, half editing day.) This day may be swapped out for one of the other days, in the case that we get a day of severe rain/wind/stormy weather and should hunker safely down in the cozy indoors… which could easily be expected in Iceland!
-DAY 6
Same structure as previous days, with slight timing changes depending on weather, distance to locations and participant energy levels.
-DAY 7
Midnight: Wake up, breakfast, clean out the lodge, pack all belongings and load up the van.
3am: Checkout of home base and begin the journey west, while making several photo-shoot stops along the way.
11am: Sit down at our favourite bakery/cafe/coffee shop near Skogafoss. Enjoy a final meal together while we reminisce on everything we’ve seen and done this week!
2-3pm: Final goodbyes and drop-offs. We can drop you off at KEF airport if you’re flying out that evening, or in Reykjavik if you’re staying in Iceland longer.
WHAT TO EXPECT
FOR WEATHER / PHYSICALITY
The average temperature in Iceland during midsummer is between 9°C (48°F) to 15°C (59°F), though of course it may feel cooler overnight and with wind-chill, so we suggest bringing warm layers so you can maximize your comfort during the long hours of shooting and exploring. Weather in Iceland can vary greatly day to day (as they say there, if you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minutes), so you should expect some of everything - hot sun, cold rain, wind, hail, fog, or magical moments of stillness between it all!
As for physicality levels, we have rated this retreat as “moderate” because there will be a couple locations that involve between 5km-10km (3-6 miles) of hiking roundtrip on uneven terrain (with 200-300 meters of elevation gain). Please make sure you are prepared with good hiking shoes! The rest of the locations are an easy walk from the car park.
COST / PAYMENT PLAN
TOTAL COST: $6900 USD. We will send you an invoice for each payment the week before it’s due.
1ST DEPOSIT OF $2300
DUE WHEN YOUR APPLICATION IS ACCEPTED
2ND PAYMENT OF $2300
DUE BEGINNING OF JANUARY
FINAL PAYMENT OF $2300
DUE BEGINNING OF MAY
CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY
No one wants to miss out on a trip of a life time… but we understand these things do happen. In those situations, the following applies…
The first thing to note is that deposits are not refundable, but they are transferable if we can find someone else to fill the vacancy. In addition, all cancellations are subject to a $200 service charge to cover transaction fees.
Any cancellations within 90 days of the retreat cannot be refunded since it is extremely difficult to fill a spot on such short notice. However, IF we DO find someone to fill your spot last minute, only then would you be entitled to receive a refund (minus the $200 cancellation processing fee).
*By submitting your application to attend this retreat, you are acknowledging that you accept these conditions.
APPLICATION TO ATTEND
This retreat is different from most photography events because not just anyone can sign up. We like to be very careful about who and what kind of energy we surround ourselves with, especially for such small retreats where we’ll all be very close together for the duration of the week.
In particular, we are looking for kind, easygoing humans who can hold a level of empathy for those around them, and who are willing to go with the flow with plans/weather changes (which happens frequently in Iceland). If this sounds like you, we would LOVE for you to fill in this application to attend!
*Please only submit an application if you’re serious about attending. If we approve your application, we will reach out to you within the week! Please note that we might not be able to respond to everyone due to the volume of applications.