Embark on an extraordinary photographic journey to East Greenland, where raw Arctic beauty unfolds in every direction. This exclusive adventure invites you to capture the untamed splendor of towering icebergs, dramatic fjords, and vibrant coastal villages bathed in ethereal light. Each day presents unparalleled opportunities to frame nature’s artistry. This time of year is prime time to see and photograph the amazing Northern Lights above this pristine landscape if the skies are clear.

Mostly covered in ice, Greenland is the largest island globally and is home to around 57,000 people, primarily Inuit communities along its rocky coastline where the ice meets the sea. As an autonomous country within Denmark, local Inuit have lived here for millennia. Our trip will be based in the remote southeast part of the island, where small villages rely on subsistence hunting and occasional supply ships.  This workshop is designed to immerse you in the landscape and culture of Greenland, one of the most amazing landscapes you’ll ever witness.  Towering granite mountains, deep fjords, glaciers that calve off icebergs that float down the fjords to the ocean.  It will be an amazing sight to behold!  

For you wildlife photographers, Eastern Greenland hosts diverse wildlife, including marine animals like whales (humpback, narwhal, beluga and minke) plus a variety of seals (ringed, bearded, harp, hooded).  There may be a chance to spot terrestrial fauna which includes large animals like the musk oxen, reindeer and polar bears.  We will have ample opportunity to capture wildlife from the small boats that we will use to move around the area.

After traveling from Reykjavik Iceland, we will arrive at our hotel in a small village on the SE side of the island.  From here, we will first explore this village and start to soak up sights and sounds of the area.  We will stroll the small village and capture the essence of life here in this challenging landscape.  We will also take a hike up through a nearby valley to photograph the towering mountains and arctic lakes.  If wildflowers are still present, this will be the area to add a pop of color to our photographs of the Arctic landscape.

From our hotel, we will embark on several photo outings via small boats.  The boats are piloted by captains who are very familiar in working with photographers and each outing is designed for photography, often staying at locations longer than normal to allow us ample time to work the scene.   From our hotel, we will take an evening boat trip to explore the fjords around this small village in the soft light and to capture the sunset and the aurora if visible.  While at the same hotel, we will embark on a full-day photographic adventure aboard a small boat.  We will traverse several fjords, passing by the floating ice and icebergs larger than buildings.  This area is a prime feeding ground for several species of whales, seals and arctic birds.  We may be lucky enough to spot a polar bear or Musk Oxen.  Lunch and warm drinks will be provided as we make our way around Ammassalik island, stopping at planned, and un-planned locations to capture the spectacular scenery and wildlife of Greenland.

Ice Camp

One of the highlights of this trip is spending 2 days and nights at a collection of huts deep in the Sermiilk Fjord, at near the terminus of a glacier that is the most active in the region, calving off huge icebergs in to the chilly water.  We will take inflatable zodiac boats to explore the fjord and photograph the massive icebergs, towering mountains, glaciers and any fauna we find in the area.

Camp consists of 5 huts, painted in the traditional Greenlandic fashion, plus a large dining/kitchen room.  Each hut sleeps two people and has toilet facilities.  Showers and meals are in the large dining cabin. Breakfast and dinner will be provided at the camp, prepared by the resident staff.

We will travel via boat from our hotel to the Ice Camp, about a 2 hour ride.  We will have the chance to photograph the landscape, icebergs and whales along the way.  Arriving at camp we will get oriented and then have time for soaking in the sights before more time on the water exploring our surroundings.  The next full day in camp we will enjoy breakfast and then board our small boat, or zodiacs, to explore and photograph this extreme landscape.  The following day, after a sunrise shoot, we will load up the boat and make our way down the fjord to a small village for our last night in Greenland.

Ice Cave

On our last afternoon in Greenland, we will have the incredible experience of walking inside a natural ice cave!  These ice caves form naturally each year as the snow and ice melt, causing rivers underneath the glacier.  Eventually the river melts enough ice that a cave begins to form.  Soon enough the caves are large enough to walk in and can stretch for a great distance underneath the ice.  We will utilize an experienced guide to lead us to the most dramatic ice cave and they will provide us with helmets and cleats to make our exploration safe.

Checking in to our hotel in Kulusuk, we will have a chance to explore and photograph the village and enjoy a good meal before turning in for the night.  The next day, we will board our flight and arrive back in Reykjavik Iceland and make our way to our hotel and a final Goodbye Dinner.

Northern Lights

This is an ideal time to see the Northern Lights overhead.  The sun has moved far enough down so that it becomes truly dark at night and if the aurora is active, we will have a good chance of seeing it dance across the sky overhead.  We will have several chances to capture the aurora if the skies are clear, from the small villages and from the ice camp.

Boat Travel

There are no roads where we are going and all travel is via small boats.  When we take photo tours, visit the ice camp, or visit other villages, we will utilize small boats we’ve chartered for this workshop, piloted by experienced hands, to guide us safely to our destinations. Each boat typically has an enclosed cabin for us to escape the elements along with open decks for us to photograph without obstructions.  At the ice camp, we will utilize inflatable zodiacs to explore the fjords and photograph the icebergs and landscapes.

Fitness Level: Low to Moderate

This is a low-to-moderate activity level workshop.  It is designed to be able to enjoy the adventure and beauty without a strenuous experience.   We will take short hikes in the landscape which will be on un-even ground and may entail some elevation gain. In addition, we will be walking through small villages which are often built on hillsides.  We will also be entering/exiting small boats, sometimes from a rocky shoreline.

Travel To/From Workshop

The workshop will begin and end in Reykjavik Iceland.  There are direct flights to Reykjavik from many major airports in the U.S.   Typically flights arrive in Iceland in the morning, allowing you the day to make your way to the hotel and begin to acclimate to the new time zone.  Transportation from the airport to downtown Reykjavik is easy with a taxi or FlyBus, depending on how much you want to spend.  The workshop kicks off with a Welcome Dinner at our hotel in Reykjavik on September 10th. If you would like to arrive early or stay later and would like advice on things to do or see, please reach out to me for suggestions.

If you have more specific questions about what is included in the workshop price, please reach out to me and I’ll be happy to explain everything in great detail.