I have been fortunate in my life to travel extensively to some of the most photogenic locations on the planet. Over the years I have become very attracted to the Polar regions. Not only do I like cooler temperatures, but there is something about these regions that are just so pristine and untouched.
Over the last few years, I have visited Antarctica, Svalbard, and of course Iceland. These places have become my favorite places to travel to. Every trip is different than the last, and each of the trips has had an impact on my life.
It’s funny, though, that for all these years I and many others have completely ignored Greenland. It’s an enormous land mass, many times the size of Iceland and Svalbard, but for some reason, no one goes there. Until now.
Over the last few years, tour operators and especially photographers have taken note that Greenland is there and worth exploring. There is no real infrastructure in Greenland, especially on the east coast. There are no cities or roads. There are some communities but just about all of them rely on transportation by boat to move about.
In 2016 I decided I would explore a small part of Greenland and see if it was a place where Luminous-Landscape could hold a workshop for our readers and fellow photographers. Chris Sanderson, Luminous-Landscape’s videographer, and I set out last September to take a look.
What we found was the unexpected. We flew from Reykjavik to Constable Point in Greenland. Here we boarded the Ocean Nova, which would be our ship for the next 9 days. I have sailed on the Ocean Nova numerous times and it was great to be aboard again with a crew I have gotten to know over the years. It’s one of the best ships for exploring any of the polar regions.
Our trip was supposed to take us north along Greenland’s east coast with numerous visits to fjords and bays. However, that plan changed as unexpected weather forced us to stay in Scoresbysund. Scoresbysund is the world’s largest fjord system, and during our trip, we explored just about every nook and cranny there was in the fjord system. Simply put, it was stunning. We saw gorgeous mountains, super large icebergs, rock formations, as well as stunning vistas when on land.
The weather was great in the shelter of this fjord system and we had the chance to see so much. I felt one of the best ways to share this was to make a video of our trip with a selection of images. I’d like to share our trip with a video by Chris.
If you are interested, please consider joining Art Wolf and me for a trip back to Greenland this August 27th – September 6th, 2017. We are part of a small group and would love to have you join us as we explore the coast and fjords of Greenland.