The backstory. In April 2026, Icelandair issued a call. As part of its mission to celebrate Iceland's real unreal experiences, and take a stand against the rise of AI-generated travel images, the airline set out to prove a simple point: even the world's worst photographer can take great photos in Iceland.
They invited truly awful photographers to nominate themselves (and others). The response? 127,642 applicants from around the globe, and a staggering collection of bad photos.
After screening, interviews, and shortlisting, Icelandair found their match: the very best of the worst. Meet Icelandair's really bad photographer, Blanche Montemard.
Blanche, aged 28 and from Paris, stood out for her remarkable ability to take consistently poor photos. But beyond the technical mishaps, her personality and refreshingly honest approach to travel sealed the deal.
In June, Blanche travelled around Iceland for approximately 10 days, with flights, accommodation, and transportation covered. Her mission: capture one of the world's most photogenic countries.
Now, at Taste of Iceland, you get to see the results. Did Iceland do all the heavy lifting, or did Blanche somehow out-chaos the scenery?
Join us for an exhibition where every shot tells a story, some of them just slightly out of focus. Join Blanche on Saturday at 17:00 for a moderated talk, where she'll share stories from her adventure and how she captured her non-award winning shots!
Read more from The Diary of a Really Bad Photographer
Icelandair
Icelandair flies to more than 50 destinations worldwide.
By uniting passengers traveling to and from Iceland with passengers crossing the Atlantic via Iceland, Icelandair has continuously expanded and reinforced its network over the last decades. Our Icelandair route network is the core of our operations, with our hub in the North Atlantic playing a key role.
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