Photography Workshops & Photo Tours: West Greenland | Icebergs & Arctic Sunsets Photography Workshop | August 2017

West Greenland | Icebergs & Arctic Sunsets Photography Workshop | August 2017

Dates: August 16-26, 2017 (10 days, 10 nights)

Cost: $4440 USD or € or DKK equivalent.

Availability: closed to new bookings. Enquire to be put on mailing list for 2018's trip date TBD

Greenland is one of those iconic destinations for any world traveller, and is rapidly becoming well-known among photographers for it's out-of-this-world arctic summer light and giant icebergs. I'm pleased to kick off this inaugaural photo workshop to West Greenland in summer 2017, as a brand new destination! If you want to photograph clear jewel-like ice chunks on black sand beaches that glitter like diamonds, and travel by comfotable van, and photograph a variety of landscapes, then Iceland is for you, and I invite you to check out one of my Icelandic photography workshops. But if you want to be blown away by the sheer gigantic size of icebergs hundreds of feel tall, floating in the Arctic ocean and cast in warm pink arctic sunset light at midnight as we sail around them on small charter boats, and cruise between remote Inuit settlements, then Greenland is the place for you!

Ilulissat is the logical starting point for any West Greenlandic photography workshop, situated at the outlet of the iceberg- choked Kangia Icefjord, which deposits these huge icebegs into Disko Bay where they drift around for years before melting. There is spectacular sunset and sunrise light that shines through the short summer nights, and to best capture this on the icebergs, we'll do a combination of shore-based traditional photography, and private chartered boats just for our group as we cruising around Disco Bay during the evening and sunset hours. Another highlight is photographing the humpback whales lingering in front of these massive icebergs as a backdrop! And, this workshop is so much more than just a base at Ilulissat, the largest town in the region. We'll also travel to three different outlying small village settlements and camps around the furthest parts of Disko Bay, for a comprehensive exploration of the large Disko Bay area, and an authentic view of Inuit culture and way of living in smaller Inuit villages. Small colorful slightly-forelorn-looking wooden houses are built on the barren rocky headlands next to the ocean, so are naturally very interesting photographically and great to by foot with a camera in hand. We'll stay two nights in Qasigiannguit at the marvelously situationed Hotel Diskobay, and two nights in another small town idyllically located on the opposing south side of the Kangia Icefjords named Ilimanaq, a picturesque and tiny settlement that's a brand new destination for our ferry company. Then, we cruise 90km up to the northern reaches of Disko Bay, to stay two nights in cabins overlooking the Eqi glacier, which is famous for it's regular occurance of calving ice into the sea. We can relax at our cabins overlooking the glacier, and also hike up much closer to the Eqi glacier. After Eqi, we'll return once more to Ilulissat for a final evening and night photographing from land over the Kangia Icefjord UNESCO World Heritage Area. 

Photography Instruction: 

This photo workshop is all about in-the-field field photography and situational instruction, working alongside your trip leader, and there will be no formally scheduled classroom workshops or presentations, although on trips we usually do an indoor session or two covering photography concepts and editing skills and image critiquing, weather and time allowing.  Our main emphasis is evening and sunset photography every day, on land and on sea, capturing the special arctic light as it hits the enormous icebergs.  Our main photographic subjects are icebergs, and more icebergs!  We also will photograph whales (with icebergs!), and Inuit village culture and townscapes, and more shoreline seascapes (with icebergs in the background).  We will always being prepared to go out to photograph the Aurora Borealis should it occur in the middle of the night. Aurora Borealis viewing depends on 2 main factors: solar activity and clear weather. The chances of us photographing this phenomenon are very high, given that we're out for so many nights in remote locations. 

Photographic topics that will covered while shooting include night and aurora borealis photography, classic landscape photography composition and technique, HDR (High Dynamic Range) imagery, panoramic photography, adventure and travel photography, wildlife photography, and drone photography. Our full 10 days and 10 nights of photography potential, allow us to comprehensively really get to intimately know this region of western Greenland, leading to stronger images and enabling each participant to get the most out this once-in-a-lifetime trip. August days can sometimes be long and tiring, and our sleep schedule will have to fit around our photography schedule.  A maximum group size of 9 photographers balances the cost- savings of a group while ensuring you will receive ample personal photographic coaching in the field from a full time working pro, maximizing the group's flexibility and ability to shoot more places, more spontaneously based on light and weather, and provide an intimate small group adventure experience.

Johnathan Esper of Wildernesscapes Photography LLC, based in the USA, will be leading the trip. Johnathan is a full time photographer and experienced international photo trip leader, having guided nearly a hundred photography tours and workshops around the world since 2011. Johnathan combines his passion for photography, travel, and the outdoors to give every group he guides the best combination of comprehensive itineraries that thoroughly explore an area all at a simply unbeatable value and price.  Johnathan has a unique background from having spent years travelling the world for personal travel's sake, and is enjoying all the new photo destinations opening up in Greenland.   Wildernesscapes Photography offers adventurous small group photo tour experiences in the Adirondack Mountains (USA), Iceland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Cuba, and Norway.  Johnathan's Iceland / Greenland photography workshop website is IcelandPhotography.com, and his personal general business website is WildernessPhotographs.com, which features his Adirondack Park portfolio. In addition to leading photography workshops, Johnathan Esper sells hundreds of large-format prints yearly around the United States, works with Aurora Photos stock agency, and owns a vacation rental log home in the Adirondacks.

For a complete itinerary, trip and booking information, please visit the full trip page over on IcelandPhotography.com.