Jewels Of The Arctic Expedition Report
August 18 - August 31, 2013
In August 2013 AIPP Grand Master of Photography Peter Eastway and I co-lead a 14 day / 13 night photographic expedition to Svalbard and Greenland - The Jewels of the Arctic II. The trip set sail from Isafjordur in Iceland and took in the very best of Greenland and Spitsbergen before docking in Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway. This expedition was a reverse trip of the previous Jewels of the Arctic adventure. Greenland’s remote east coast showed off the immensity of the icecap, fantastic icebergs and massive granite spires rising over 1000 metres above the fjords. Spitsbergen’s rugged northwest coast comprises mountains, tundra and fjords. The arctic landscape is one of untold splendour and beauty and this expedition was designed to maximise the photography opportunities we encountered. The expedition utilised an ice hardened expedition ship with a highly experienced crew in order to ensure we got as close as possible to big ice. This expedition offered a complete Arctic experience for photography: tundra walks amidst reindeer and exquisite dwarf vegetation, zodiac cruises near icebergs and calving glacier fronts, hikes to breathtaking mountain vistas and warm welcomes into indigenous communities. We saw and photographed reindeer, musk ox, countless sea and land birds, walrus, seals, whales and polar bears amongst the breathtaking arctic landscapes. We had nearly 24 hours of daylight with hours and hours of golden light. At our most northerly position we were approximately 600 miles from the North Pole. Please be sure to visit the Testimonials page for client feedback on what was a fantastic workshop.
