Greenland Travel Guides for Photographers - Ilulissat + Icebergs

Ilimanaq Lodge – Greenland’s Idyllic Seaside Retreat

Lisa Michele Burns — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 06:16:23 +0000

Drift to sleep as icebergs float by your bungalow There are few places where waking up feels like an instant adventure. At this lodge, not only does the day ahead present the possibility of whale sightings, photogenic huts and hiking trails, but it also starts with an iceberg check. Before brushing your teeth, a peek out the window will reveal how many icebergs have floated into the bay overnight, or perhaps, even drifted out. The thrill is that it all depends on the seas, the wind, and those big floating beauties. You could wake to a 50ft frozen monster in front, or a whole bunch of bergy bits, bobbing around in a variety of shapes and sizes. Ilimanaq Lodge is located on the southern side of Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO site on Greenland’s west coast. Open from mid-June to early September, the lodge is remote, relaxing but oh so effortlessly luxurious. It’s easy to think a remote lodge will lean more toward the rustic side, but here, the beds are comfy, the lounge is spacious, the meals are world-class and the little extras, architecture and stylish decor all make for one of the best experiences you can have if you’re seeking...

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Glacier Lodge Eqi – Up Close with Greenland’s Calving Wonder

Lisa Michele Burns — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 00:26:12 +0000

Glacier Lodge Eqi, Greenland Thunderous echoes of crashing ice ripple across the bay like a constant chorus of nature’s beat. Nothing can prepare you for the sound of a glacier calving. It’s a clap, crack and deep rumble that rolls across the surface of the water, seemingly gathering pitch and speed. The best part, it’s a delayed sound so you need to really focus and watch the glacier to actually catch a calving in action. If you wait for the sound you’ll always be 7-10 seconds too late due to how sound travels across the fjord. Located a 3.5hr ice breaker boat ride north of Ilulissat, Eqi Glacier is one of the world’s most active and there’s no doubt a visit will include it’s fair share of tumbling ice shows. As the boat cruises through the Ataa Strait, teal coloured water shares the scene with icebergs ranging in sizes from mega mansions through to dinner plates* (*not official measurements 😉). If a long boat ride sounds boring, then you’ve been on board the wrong boats. This one is endlessly fascinating. Every passing iceberg is unique in shape, tone and pattern making the journey a photographer’s buffet of potential shots. Before...

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What Cameras I Packed for Greenland

Lisa Michele Burns — Sun, 16 Apr 2023 11:16:09 +0000

Photographing in Greenland – What to Pack Endless hours of sunshine shimmer along the coastline of Ilulissat in the summer months. A land of climatic extremes,historic adventures and a culture that’s as fascinating as it is friendly, Greenland is quickly becoming somewhere photographers are flocking too. The frozen wonders of glaciers and icebergs meet humpback whales and arctic foxes with vibrant villages making up the trifecta of photogenic delights. Icebergs over 50m in height drift into the northern waters of The Atlantic Ocean, providing not only an epic sight to see, but to photograph. Still relatively remote, Greenland requires a well planned trip to ensure success with your images. There are of course very distinct differences in seasons so it’s essential to research the type of images you’re after and plan ahead with plenty of wriggle room to account for weather related delays. The winter months offer a chance to photograph aurora over the snow covered scenery, see the Greenlandic Sled Dogs in action and even sleep in an igloo. There will also be a considerable amount of darkness over the winter months, with polar night meaning the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon from a certain latitude. Read more...

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Ilulissat, Greenland – A Guide to Photogenic Experiences

Lisa Michele Burns — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 00:47:23 +0000

Capture the Magic of Greenland in Ilulissat Ilulissat is somewhere you need to visit in your lifetime if you’re into icebergs and all things arctic. Frozen natural wonders meet a culture that’s as fascinating as it is colourful forming a photogenic dreamscape of possibilities. As Greenland’s third largest city, Ilulissat is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ilulissat Icefjord where the world’s fastest moving glacier funnels icebergs towards Disko Bay. It’s a sight that’s hard to comprehend upon first glace. It’s sheer scale, shapes, patterns and the vast whiteness can take a few days to really soak up so be sure to plan for at least five days! Basing yourself in Ilulissat is a great way to ensure you can take advantage of the many tours and hiking routes that begin in town. Having spent two weeks exploring the region in July, I’ve put together this guide of photogenic experiences should you need a little inspiration for your own trip. Midnight Sun Icefjord Cruise Prepare yourself for what will be one of the best evenings of your life. No question. Before you’ve barely left the harbour at 10pm, the boat will be cruising past floating icebergs, some...

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A Photo flight above Sermeq Kujalleq

Lisa Michele Burns — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 05:04:50 +0000

A Scenic Flight over Sermeq Kujalleq, Greenland With two cameras on my lap, excitement levels were almost out of control as the plane took off from the tiny runway at Ilulissat. Flying over Greenland’s Sermeq Kujalleq glacier has been at the top of my list when planning my return to photograph the wonders of this arctic realm in winter. A scene so epic it’s not only hard to describe but also hard to photograph and add perspective, it’s a challenge I knew would be worth the price of a scenic flight, even if it meant not eating anything more than muesli bars that week. I had planned to capture aerials of the glacier in the warm glow one afternoon. Arctic winters provide a gorgeous pastel colour palette and with limited hours of daylight, it’s essential to pre-plan any outdoor activities if you’re hoping to take advantage of the narrow window of ideal light. What I couldn’t plan for was Covid-19. Assuming I had two full weeks in Greenland, I’d opted to wait for ideal conditions before booking a flight. Our first week had clear skies but freezing cold temperatures which meant the small plane wasn’t able to fly safely once...

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Behind the Lens: Flying a DJI Mavic Air in -21 degrees

Lisa Michele Burns — Wed, 20 May 2020 07:38:33 +0000

Flying a Drone in Cold Weather – Really cold weather. As the pain became unbearable, my hand quickly resembling a rigid claw, I used my thumb to maneuver the joystick and land the drone. Never had a felt pain like this in my hands before. *Please note the story below is my own personal experience, in hindsight there are a lot of things I would’ve done differently so this is not professional advice or a guarantee your drone will fly in such conditions. The official DJI directions heavily suggest you shouldn’t fly a drone in such chilly conditions. Actually, you could probably describe the cold I felt at -21 degrees Celsius as the frigid, bitter, frozen solid kind. Alas, with the wintry landscapes of Ilulissat, Greenland, luring me to constantly look out the window of Hotel Icefiord, I had that nervous, excited feeling in my stomach, I wanted to fly it. An aerial perspective of the icefjord is what I’d come to photograph and film, my little drone was hopefully going to give me the additional footage I wanted but only if I managed to get it in the air. I had plenty of footage from the sea, filming from...

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Behind the Lens – Flying Over Greenland

Lisa Michele Burns — Thu, 14 May 2020 09:16:04 +0000

A flight I’ll never forget. “As we flew closer to the mainland the drift ice was forming patterns, no doubt shaped by currents swirling along the coast. It was beautiful, mesmerising, astonishing…all those descriptive words you use when explaining the inexplicable.” Hello, Greenland! The story from the beginning… Let’s start with a flash back to July 2019 when I was glued to my plane window with my mouth open staring in disbelief. I had just caught a glimpse of the ice cap for the first time and all the information gathered by reading books and documents about just how big and frozen Greenland was hit me. It’s huge, 1.71 million km² of ice that takes up 80% of the entire country. At the time, I had planned for that trip to be the trip of a lifetime, visiting and photographing somewhere that’s always been at the top of my list. Roughly 15,000km from home, basically the completely opposite side of the world, I was sure it wouldn’t be happening again anytime soon, if ever, so I was trying to make the most of every single second of that flight staring out the window. Now let’s flash forward a little to January 2020...

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How to Photograph in Freezing Conditions

Lisa Michele Burns — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 09:22:33 +0000

Photographing in Cold Climates It might be tad chilly outside but photographing in crazy conditions like this can result in some of the best images you’ll ever take – so get out there…after reading this article! Spoiler alert – your hands will get cold, BUT, there are ways to manage just how cold and ensure your fingers and camera remain in full functioning mode. As an Australian, the extreme chill of an Arctic winter is totally foreign to me. It’s a cold that still, after countless photoshoots in this environment never fails to shock me, give me a dose of reality and remind me that stepping outside without gloves on is not okay. It only takes one episode of frozen fingers to remember the pain. When photographing in temperatures not only below zero but below -20 degrees Celsius, it’s essential to be prepared and plan ahead to make your experience outdoors successful and pleasant because cold hands will quickly ruin any photo mission! Not only of course do you need to manage your own warmth, you need to look out for your camera. Anything you’ve read about battery life can be thrown out the window and depending on what camera...

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3 Scenic Greenland Photography Locations to Visit

Rayann Elzein — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 03:00:58 +0000

When you think about photos of Greenland, the first images that come to your mind are probably the immense icecap that covers about 80% of the country or the huge icebergs floating in the ocean. Add to this countless sled dogs, high snow-capped mountains, brightly coloured houses, beautiful northern lights (aka aurora borealis), and a rich Inuit culture. It’s truly one of the most extraordinary places on earth. This guide was written by Arctic + Aurora Photographer Rayann Elzein When planning a trip to Greenland, I decided to stay three entire weeks which gave me plenty of time to experience and photograph all the beauty of 3 Greenland photography locations, all of which were located in West Greenland: Ilulissat, Disko Island and Uummannaq. Having a lot of time in each location allowed me to really immerse myself in the landscapes and features that each place has to offer. With this guide on The Wandering Lens I want to share my tips on the best Greenland photography locations, the best places to see the northern lights, and the best hiking trails to follow. Greenland Photography Locations… #1 Ilulissat [hygge_icon icon=”flag”] 69.2167° N, -51.1° E The entrance point to West Greenland is without...

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