Greenland Midnight Sun photo workshops in Disko Bay (West Greenland), July-August 2022 with iceland-photo-tours.com

Dates 2022 organized by https://iceland-photo-tours.com:

  • 13 – 18 Jul
  • 18 – 23 Jul
  • 23 – 28 Jul
  • 28 Jul – 2 Aug
  • 2 – 7 Aug
  • 7 – 12 Aug 
  • 12 – 17 Aug
  • 17 – 22 Aug
  • 22 – 27 Aug

Greenland is the birthplace of the most incredible icebergs in the world. Wild nature, limited amount of tourists, colorful and friendly local villages… Greenland is absolute must-see at least once in a lifetime! If you ask us what is the best time to go, we’ll definitely answer: the second half of July! This time of the year the sun just slightly touches horizon, giving incredible opportunity to photograph all the night long! Imagine infinite sunset slowly going into sunrise during the midnight sun period!

The Disko Bay is located on the West coast of Greenland, north of the Arctic Circle. It’s a pure Arcic, and not only because of the biggest icebergs in the world, but also because of the wildlife (arctic foxes, musc ox, humpback whales…)

Our base will be located in Ilulissat, the capital of the Disko Bay Ice Kingdom. You will be accommodated at the wonderful hotel in Greenland all the tour! You’ll have a proper rest, and you will be able to taste amazing food of Greenland in the best restaurants. Ilulissat is a nice local town with colorful houses, dog sledges around and very friendly people. In Ilulissat you can find museums, restaurants, nice hikes, fish markets, souvenir shops and many optional activities. Ilulissat is situated next to beautiful icefiord. Sermeq Kujalleq glacier is the place where the most giant icebergs in the world are born. Imagine that the glacier advances for 20 meters per day! Ice production of the glacier  is around 46 cubic kilometers per year ( it is equivalent to U.S. annual water consumption). Word “Ilulissat” means icebergs, that’s explains the thing.

The sea is the only one road that connects Greenlandic villages. There are no highways or roads between settlements. That’s why we charter our private boat for the whole period of our journey.
We will primarily work together in the night, taking photos from the boat. We will cruise among huge icebergs at Icefjord, scout for best compositions, and reach distant icebergs.

We also visit Greenlandic settlements like Qasigiannguit, Aasiaat, Oqaatsut.
On the way to these settlements we also hunt for huge icebergs, as you may find “Iceberg-skyscraper” only in the open sea, where it rotates and polishes by sun. Disko bay is well-known area where humpback whales and seals are feeding. Whale watching is essential during our adventure!

Since the dates of our tour fall on the most amazing light at Disko bay, our itinerary will be based on photography during the night period. We start late at the evening and continue through the night, chasing the best available light. It will help us to get dramatic and colorful photos of ice and fire. Usually colors are very saturated in the night, from deep blue ice to flaming red and pink color in the sky. The magic light lasts from 2 to 4 hours long, so our night boat cruises will last around 3-5 hours long. A great way to chill down in the middle of summer, isn’t it.
The tour is suitable for any level of activities. Our captain works with photographers for a long time, and knows where to slow down or stop. Usually there are no ways in the Icefjord, as ice blocks ripples and waves. So you might be able to see amazing reflections! Please note that the itinerary proposed may subject to the weather conditions, but we aim to get you to the best locations and help you to get brilliant photos. 6 days in Arctic and 5 beautiful nights wait for you!

Day 1 – arrival

We recommend you the flight which arrives around 13:00 to Ilulissat. Please check AirGreenland https://www.airgreenland.com/ for available tickets. Flights via Copenhagen are usually with one change at Kangerlussuaq.  If you fly from North America you can take Air Iceland flights.
They have regular direct flights from Reykjavik Domestic airport.
It might be amazing idea to combine Greenland + Iceland summer trips together with stopover in Iceland! The arrival time to Ilulissat is flexible but make sure it’s before 5 p.m.! Our Arctic hotel provides airport shuttle – you will need to tell us your inbound flight.

After the dinner we load to our vessel and depart to the Icefjord. You meet with greatest icebergs in the world tonight! The magic light usually lasts around 2-3 hours. Sun slightly touches horizon, giving incredible colors, and roll on distant mountains. All these 3 magic hours we photograph icebergs , cruising around the fjord. Our trip is constructed for photographers, unlike touristic cruises you may book on solo trip to Ilulissat.

We finish the cruise around 2-3 a.m. in the night. We have a spare time until breakfast. If you feel you can endure some more, you are welcome to walk around the Ilulissat after the breakfast, observing how the settlement wakes up and starts its normal everyday life.

After the dinner we load to our vessel and depart to the Icefjord. You meet with greatest icebergs in the world tonight! The magic light usually lasts around 2-3 hours. Sun slightly touches horizon, giving incredible colors, and roll on distant mountains. All these 3 magic hours we photograph icebergs , cruising around the fjord. Our trip is constructed for photographers, unlike touristic cruises you may book on solo trip to Ilulissat.

We finish the cruise around 2-3 a.m. in the night. We have a spare time until breakfast. If you feel you can endure some more, you are welcome to walk around the Ilulissat after the breakfast, observing how the settlement wakes up and starts its normal everyday life.


What to bring

Gear:
– DSLR camera with tripod and remote shutter release
– A wide angle lens. For example, Nikkor 14-24 or Canon 17-40. Best lens for use in wide-angle scenes or architecture photography
– A middle-zoom lens such as a 24-70 mm
– A telephoto zoom lens, such as a 70-200 mm. 300 mm with 1.5 TC or 500 mm, 600 mm are recommended for wildlife and bird photography. Be sure to have additional tripod mount to this lens.

Wear:
– Waterproof and windproof jacket (consider the average temperature 0 – +10 C at nights and +8 – +15 C during the daytime)
– Waterproof pants
– Warm jacket and thermal pants
– Wellingtons or fishing boots

The full list will be sent by mail to participants.