{"id":315,"date":"2025-03-24T15:39:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T15:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hendricklange.de\/wp\/?page_id=315"},"modified":"2025-11-01T16:17:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T16:17:44","slug":"groenland","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hendricklange.de\/en\/groenland","title":{"rendered":"Greenland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Winter in Greenland<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

From Nuuk via Ilulissat to Uummannaq<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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In February 2025, I embarked on a winter photography workshop in Greenland, accompanied by Ollie Taylor<\/a> and six fellow adventurers. February offers ideal lighting conditions for photography: hours of twilight give way to deep night, and with the current solar maximum, we had high hopes of witnessing vivid displays of the northern lights.\n\nMost of us had explored Iceland multiple times, but this time we craved something more distant\u2014more rugged, more adventurous. Our journey was set to begin with a flight through Nuuk, continuing on to Ilulissat, where we planned to travel further with flexibility and curiosity as our guides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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\"Das
Icefjord<\/mark><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ilulissat<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The coastal town of Ilulissat is renowned for its Icefjord\u2014and even under less-than-ideal conditions, it was nothing short of awe-inspiring. In this case, \u201cless-than-ideal\u201d simply meant that the water was too choppy to reflect the towering icebergs clearly. We only had about two days in Ilulissat, but even in that short time, we captured some striking photographs. We were comforted by the thought that we\u2019d be returning for another week soon... or so we believed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Ein\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Ilulissat \u2013 Icefjord<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Eisbergformation\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Ilulissat \u2013 Icefjord<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Uummannaq<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u00dcber 500 km n\u00f6rdlich des Polarkreises liegt Uummannaq – mit dem Helikopter eine gute Stunde von Ilulissat entfernt. Die auf der kleinen Insel verstreut liegenden, bunten H\u00e4user sind allein schon einen Besuch wert. In Kombination mit den langen D\u00e4mmerungen, Eisbergen, den Nordlichtern und dem namensgebenden Berg wird Uummannaq aber zu einer Wunderwelt f\u00fcr Fotografen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"H\u00e4user\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Houses and Icebergs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Sonnenaufgang\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
The awesome daily sunrise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Ein\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Boat on the frozen fjord<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Blick\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
View from the harbour towards the frozen fjord<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Wegweiser
Unreachable places<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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However, on the day we were supposed to leave, our helicopter broke down. With that, all other destinations became unreachable. What followed was a surreal series of repeated cancellations and relentless wind\u2014something right out of Groundhog Day.
For the next six days, our routine fell into a curious rhythm: wake up to a magnificent sunrise, receive news that the flight was canceled, collect meal vouchers from Air Greenland, then choose between a visit to Cafemma<\/a> \u2014the town\u2019s only, but highly recommended, caf\u00e9\/restaurant\u2014or a stop at the local Pilersuisoq supermarket. After that, we\u2019d explore new photo opportunities, take a short nap, and head out again into the arctic night....Stuck in the Nnaq<\/em> .<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ironically, it was during this unplanned extension that some of our best images were captured. One unexpected benefit of the strong winds was that they swept away much of the snow covering the lake below the town\u2019s signature mountain. This cleared the way for me to finally compose one of the shots I\u2019d hoped to capture\u2014with ample time and perfect clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, it's the unforeseen detours that leave the deepest impressions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Ein\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
The eponymous mountain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Haus\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
What a view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Portrait\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Our awesome guide Paaluk<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Gefrorenes\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
On the frozen fjord<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Gefrorenes\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Uummannaq, the mountain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

With each new flight cancellation, though, the nights only seemed to improve\u2014and the auroras grew more intense. Without a doubt, these were the best flight cancellations I\u2019ve ever experienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Nordlichter\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Uummannaq at night<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Nordlichter\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
At the frozen lake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Nordlichter\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Possibly the best aurora shot of the trip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Nordlichter\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
One more<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

After ten days, an unexpected escape route appeared: a French film crew, also stranded in Uummannaq, had chartered a fishing boat to sail back across Baffin Bay to Ilulissat. The prospect of 18 hours on rough Arctic seas wasn\u2019t exactly appealing\u2014so I opted instead for one more night of chasing the northern lights.\n\nThat hesitation turned out to be a blessing. The very next day, the helicopter finally landed again in Uummannaq, and I soon found myself on board the first leg of the long journey home: Uummannaq \u2192 Qaarsut \u2192 Ilulissat \u2192 Nuuk \u2192 Copenhagen \u2192 D\u00fcsseldorf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Tips for Winter Photo Trips to Greenland<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During my planning phase, I found surprisingly little comprehensive advice. To help future travelers and photographers, here\u2019s a detailed and commented list of the gear I took\u2014and what I consider essential.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Photography<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n