After our arrival in Kangerlussuaq, a transfer to Polar Lodge will be provided, followed by lunch at Hotel Kangerlussuaq Restaurant.

Tom D. Jones and Christian Nørgaard will brief you on what will happen and what to expect over the next couple of days, before we head outside for a stroll around town with our cameras.

Kangerlussuaq means the long fjord and is the only place in Greenland situated inland. The position means that summers are warmer than by the sea and winters are colder. Kangerlussuaq as we know it today was built by the Americans and acted as a military base from 1941 to 1992 when it became a civil airport and also the main entrance to Greenland. Kangerlussuaq doesn’t come across as a normal Greenlandic village, but is the only place in Greenland with easy access to the Inland Ice Sheet. The area was also the summer hunting grounds for the Inuits 4,000 years ago (the Saqqaq culture) and was announced a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018.

In the evening, we will have dinner together at the hotel and Tom D. Jones will give a lecture on Greenland as a photo destination. Since the absolute best light is during the evening and night hours, we will chase our motives in these very hours – the late evening and night. At these moments the light is saturated with pinky red colors and the mighty landscapes will appear in the most beautiful and dramatic way.

Today, we will fly to Ilulissat. Ilulissat means “the place with icebergs”, which it is indeed. The Kangia Glacier nearby Ilulissat is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Icebergs can be seen from all over town and if the weather is clear you will also be able to see the icebergs when flying into the small town with about 4,000 inhabitants.

We will spend the day in the mountains that beautifully surround Ilulissat and the ice fjord. Here we will find canyons, lakes and spring’s first stirring vegetation. There is also the possibility of macro photography and magnificent panorama shots. You will be able to see natural graveyards from the Greenlanders’ ancestors.

We plan around the weather today and, if we have the chance, we hike to the edge of the ice fjord where we shoot from the east side. This angle is unique since we have the mouth of the ice fjord in the background and, if you choose to shoot in the opposite direction, the ice cap will be featured as a backdrop.

Dinner at the hotel and then we will meet for an image review session where you can present a selection of photos to the group and receive valuable feedback from Tom D. Jones. Moreover, there will be an introduction to the optional aerial photography session that will take place the next day.

We will start the day with a deep and comprehensive workshop on the challenges in aerial and great landscape photography.

Optional workshop on aerial photography:
Evening light and aerial photography of Disko Bay and of the mouth of the Ice fjord. We will make several landings during our flight, and from carefully selected locations, we will photograph the unique landscape. The objective is to fly into the ice cap, where subjects are saturated as abstract landscapes, shaped by deep cracks and streaks in the ice.

Those who don’t want to join our aerial photography workshop, will go on a city walk around Ilulissat instead. The town is quite fascinating, as its appearance resembles nothing outside the Arctic, with its wooden houses in strong colors, boats parked in the backyards and sled dogs in chains. In the old part of town one can still find buildings from the first Danish settlement, including the harbour, the church and the local museum, which provide picturesque photo opportunities.

In the evening, we will review your recent images and Tom D. Jones will give constructive criticism.

After an early breakfast, we will go through shooting strategies for boat-based photography to prepare you for the day ahead,

Later, we will travel to the Eqi glacier by private boat. We will pass huge icebergs lying aground at the coast, which we will photograph from the boat. It will give us the opportunity to come closer to icebergs and make to creative compositions of the Arctic Seascape. We will use the warm evening light to give our images an extra dimension. Enjoy the sun, wind and fresh air on deck, while you admire and photograph Greenland’s incredible coastline.

The sight of the glacier is fascinating and chances of seeing it calve are good as the 100 meters high and 5 km wide Eqi glacier is one of the fastest-calving glaciers in the world. You will have the chance to get very close and take spectacular images. The air in the ice that causes large chunks of ice to slide into the ocean, and this sounds like an explosion.

Today, we will catch a local ferry for a tour to the main towns in the Disko Bay, Qasigiannguit and Aasiaat. Colourful little houses will greet us as we stop in Aasiaat; you will have time to take images in the little town before we continue our journey to Qaqertarsuaq, which means “The Big Island”.

Before dinner, we will head out for some photography along the coast. Later, we will discuss the images taken previously. Tom D. Jones will talk about landscape and fine art photography and share some useful tips and tricks of the trade.

After breakfast, image review and feedback on your recent images by Tom D. Jones.

Today, we will go for an easy walk to Kuannit – make sure you bring enough memory cards as you will want to take plenty of photos. The walk passes the heliport, Arctic Station, Red River and the opening of “Blæsedalen”. On the trail you have the 900 meter high “Skarve mountain” on the one side and a spectacular view of Diskobay on the other side. At Kuannit, incredible basalt formations are present, formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. Kuannit area is very fertile for Greenlandic standards: mosses, lichens, flowers and especially angelica plants are present there. In the summertime, whales are often spotted in the sea just below Kuannit.

If the weather is clear, we may be lucky to experience the Northern Lights.

Dinner at Restaurant Nilak.

We will have an early breakfast and then catch the local ferry back to Ilulissat.

Great landscape photography of Disko Bay, the Ice fjord and the surroundings, improvised to maximize the yield of the workshop and to compensate for potential bad weather. For the rest of the day, you are on your own. We can recommend a visit to the great local diner to enjoy the legendary Greenlandic coffee or go shopping for souvenirs.

In the evening, we will have a farewell dinner.

Check-out after breakfast and say goodbye to your guides and fellow participants. We look forward to welcoming you on your next Better Moments workshop!