Greenland

The Rise

Scoresby Sund - Eastern Greenland Giant blocky icebergs are sleeping in the fjord, getting transported by the currants and the winds. The moonrise is a particular moment that does not last for long. The first minutes of the rise is the most interesting one to capture as the moon is low to the horizon. The higher the moon gets, the brighter it becomes, making it hard to capture in one shot an exposure good enough for detailed ice and but low enough for a detailed craters in the moon's face.

Blooming Rush

Scoresbysund - East Greenland That brand new image from Eastern Greenland offers mind-blowing sunsets over sunds and fjords. I am having a hard time deciding which part of the polar regions I prefer, especially because I am now staring at west Greenland, soon the Canadian Arctic and Alaska are coming but I have to say that Greenland has so far made me feel that special feeling in terms of landscape and moods, often impossible to find anywhere else. This image ''Blooming Rush'' was taken side to side with Nikki Born and it was not an easy task. We were shooting from the vessel in movement so that piece of ice was slowly moving sideway, and we felt obliged to shoot on a low shutter speed to catch enough details on the ice. Pretty hard thing to combine. But luckily, shooting Auroras for 6 years has now taught me how to be reactive, and adapt very fast settings and ideas according to the situation I have in front of me.

Towering Ice

Scoresby Sund - Eastern Greenland Being located on 71 degrees North on the Eastern side of Greenland brings challenges.
 During an expedition in Mid September 2022, we had the chance to witness the aurora borealis from our ice breaker vessel.
 On such high latitude and such longitudes, the oval of aurora varies and slightly head down, bringing stronger aurora activity on more southern latitude around Greenland due to the magnetic North being tilted.
 
 We are here under a predicted KP 2/3, facing South East on an evening where the aurora would have probably appeared toward the north or the sides on a location such as Tromsø in Northern Norway on 69 degrees North. We had in mind to place an iceberg in front of the aurora dancing so we carefully started to position ourselves toward south East. East being the first darkest place into the sky as the sun sets on the other side and keeps on casting twilight until late hours.

Strike A Pose

South Greenland A visit to South Greenland will open your mind to new horizons. After cruising into this incredible area, new ideas were born. The huge vertical drops and humongous towers makes me want to stay more time out there; time to scout for some future hikes, aurora photographs, and landing opportunities. This location is very not easy to access and many venture in this fjord system because their are traveling from East to West of Greenland. Hopefully in the future, we get opportunities to explore more this magnificent remote area not well known yet; Something I am working on.

Below The Rise

Scoresbysund - East greenland

Lifted

Scoresby Sund - Eastern Greenland

The Senses

Scoresby Sund - Eastern Greenland An amazing polar bear meeting just by the southern side of Scoresby Sund. We heard a few days before that a descent group of bears was hanging around Viking bay. We approached by boat, onboard the Polar Front, hoping to find at least one member of the family. What we observed was out of this world. Simply chilling on ice, that female polar bear, as we believe, was showing an incredible chill and undisturbed behaviour toward us. She was simply minding her own business, her snout pointing in the air toward the giant iceberg in the background. We will never know what she was smelling for.

Hide & Seek

Scoresby Sund - Eastern Greenland Knowing the exact time and location of the moonrise is crucial. It’s also important to arrive at least an hour before the moonrise to organize the shoot. We ensure great communication with the captain on the bridge, to maximize our placement according to the ice movement. We are shooting from a vessel, which means we get affected by movements and vibrations. Keeping the vessel as steady as possible is not easy task when surrounded by these huge blocks if ice which could flip at any moment. A telephoto lens with a focal length of 150-600+ is recommended for close-up shots.

Reds Cast

We look toward the horizon waiting for the sun to rise, when on the other side, the fog dissipate and the reds are casted on the mountains. This is one of the most incredible panoramic views I have ever seen.

The Silence On Growlers

Scoresby Sund - Eastern Greenland In September, the weather in East Greenland is calm and quiet. We got extremely surprised by the lack of wind in the area. Every single day offers new light and opportunity to capture unique moments like such. Scoresby Sund is a large fjord system of the Greenland Sea on the eastern coast of Greenland. The sound is dotted with islands and numerous fjords that extend to the edge of the inland ice cap, where they are fed by large glaciers. The depth of Scoresby Sund is 400-600 meters in the main basin, but depths increase to up to 1,450 meters in some fjords. This explains why some of these building sized icebergs float around and do not break apart when they calve from the ice front, as the sea floor is very deep down below.

Literas

Disko Bay - West Greenland A place known for its spectacular icebergs that majestically soar high above sea level. Disko Bay is also home to the Ilulissat Icefjord, which was the first place in Greenland to be listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Hidetween

Disko Bay - West Greenland This location has been studied for over 250 years, it has helped to develop our understanding of climate change and icecap glaciology. The combination of a huge ice-sheet and the dramatic sounds of a fast-moving glacial ice-stream calving into a fjord covered by icebergs makes for a dramatic and awe-inspiring natural phenomenon The morning contrast of light helps understanding why so many of us venture into this fjord and witness the magnitude of it.

Taste of Disko

Disko Bay - West Greenland This ice-stream is one of the fastest and most active in the world. It can reach up to 40m per day. Its annual calving of over 46 km3 of ice accounts for 10% of the production of all Greenland calf ice, more than any other glacier outside Antarctica. The glacier has been the object of scientific attention for 250 years and has become a symbol of climate change. We are feeling very small next to these towers of ice that were once thousands of kilometers back, on the ice sheet of Greenland.

The Remote South

Aappilattoq - Southern Greenland The sound is enfolded by steep, unglaciated mountains, rising sheer from the water to sharp, shattered peaks. The town of Aappilattoq with its brightly painted houses scattered across a small peninsula of humped granite domes, under a backdrop of a looming pyramid of stone. The sound itself is dotted with icebergs slowly melting into expressionist sculptures. It is a place where the infrequent visitors have the chance to see how local people really live here. Speaking with locals will transport you to a particular lifestyle based on hunting and fishing for survival.

My Twins

Scoresby Sund - Eastern Greenland Blocky icebergs roaming around the fjord during the sunrise pink lights.

The Window

Scoresby Sund - Eastern Greenland It is fascinating to see how perspectives change when traveling from a boat. To be able to achieve symmetry on this iceberg and catch the right angle, we needed to communicate efficiently with the captain of the vessel so we could stop and the exact right place. The rest was a full enjoyment and observation of ice blues and textures.

Eternity Polar Fox

Eternity Glacier - West Greenland We dropped the kayaks in the waters in front of Eternity glacier, on the west coast of Greenland, not too far from the tiny community called Kangaamiut. After a few hours paddling around, we found a little black legged kittiwake bird colony on a cliff side. My experience as a guide in Arctic region has taught me that where there is a bird colony, there are predators such as gulls, skuas, or polar foxes. It took me about 10 minutes of thoroughly looking into the green slope on the side until I found some movement. It was this little fox roaming around and feeding on what I believe was as dead kittiwake. I was hoping for that little creature to be curious and come down the rocky edge to be able to capture it with that crazy eternal backdrop; and so it did.

The Entry

Scoresbysund - East Greenland The sun is setting at the entrance of the fjord. It is mid-July, and patches of open drift ice are still lingering in the cold waters.

Terratrast

Southern Greenland After a long travel into the fjords, icebergs eventually ground themselves onto shallow waters, rotates and break on themselves and melt away.

Small Sin White

Scoresbysund - East greenland You are finding yourself all alone, contemplating the landscape, listening to the soft wind brushing the side of your cheek. You close your eyes, take a deep breath, open them again, and take the moment to absorb the feeling and the smell of the pure cold air.

Colours Of East

Scoresby Sund - Eastern Greenland Autumnal colors of Eastern Greenland during a landing. We set foot onland, looking for interesting foreground and we found amazing switches of colors within small areas. September is one of the best time to go to this incredible location.

Glows In Pink

Scoresby Sund - Eastern Greenland The sun has not set yet, but we are ready for it, looking at the opposite direction, where the sky fills with pink light and soon soft brush of light on the mountain tops.

Rounded Sharps

Skjoldungen - South East Greenland The stunning change of shape between rounded coastline and jagged inland peaks of South East Greenland