During the last 5 years, I have frequently spent time in the Disko Bay & Ilulissat area in West Greenland with my camera & drone. Ever since I visited West Greenland for the first time back in 2021, I have felt this place calling back to me. There is just something special about being in such a remote place, being connected to such raw nature. I am still not sure whether it’s the humbling size of the icebergs, the thunderous sounds of the ice calving in the Ilulissat Icefjord or the close encounters with the wildlife but it is a place that has gripped my fascination without letting go for one second.
When I returned to Ilulissat in early September for yet another photo workshop, the last one of my summer season, I was super excited to find what Disko Bay would have in store for us this time. And as you will find out in this new photo workshop report, this year’s West Greenland photo workshop was a great success. Not only did the group get spectacular conditions amongst the giant icebergs, we were also blessed with some of the best whale encounters I have so far experienced in Greenland. It was a week full of incredible experiences during which countless memories were undoubtedly made full of photographic opportunities.
So grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and get comfortable because this is one of the beefiest blogs I’ve written in a while – with a ton of images to go with it. Time to deep dive into this spectacular week in West Greenland!
Interested in joining me on my next West Greenland adventure in July 2027? The 2027 edition of my West Greenland photo workshop is now fully booked, but the waitlist on that page is where I look first when a spot opens up.
The flight from Iceland to Ilulissat is one of the most beautiful I have ever been on. As soon as the flight hits the east coast of Greenland, the spectacular scenery doesn’t stop until you land.
This always makes me chuckle. Disko Bay is well-known for its super tasty halibut, which is in abundance. Therefore it is pretty much always the catch of the day!
For the photo workshop, we made arrangements to get the group picked up and dropped off right at the hotel jetty. Super convenient!
A happy workshop group having a group meal at a restaurant in a remote village.
This year’s West Greenland photo workshop was jam-packed with spectacular moments. While I usually give a quick rundown of how the photo workshop has been, I felt this one needed a lot more storytelling to really convey how unique it was. From the moment we landed in Ilulissat to the moment we left, there was not a single moment to be bored!
Spectacular Light & Breathing Whales Right Outside Our Window
Upon arriving at our hotel, we kicked things off with a detailed presentation. The aim of the presentation was to give everyone a good sense of what they should expect from the workshop week but also to immediately prepare everyone. We threw everything at the group: a detailed plan for the week, composition ideas, settings, drone tips, and more!
Soon after, we headed out for a first exploration of the area. After a brief hike, we headed up a viewpoint to get a sense of the area. The UNESCO Ilulissat Icefjord looked spectacular this day. While it was rather moody, there was a hint of fog veiling some of the larger icebergs. The conditions for photography were excellent.
Lovely light combined with a light haze had created very photogenic circumstances in the Ilulissat Icefjord.
I really like this image because it almost looks as if the glacier was added in post-processing due to the peculiar light that day.
The Icefjord was filled with slush ice, blocked by the big icebergs stuck at the mouth of the fjord. I really enjoyed the moody circumstances that day.
This thin veil of fog really came into its own right when I photographed it using my DJI Mavic 4 Pro’s 3x lens but …
… the 7x lens improved the feel of the atmosphere even more by compressing the scene.
Whilst I was focusing on finding interesting compositions with the icebergs, suddenly one of the participants screamed “WHALE!”. Immediately my instinct told me to look further into the fjord but I couldn’t see anything. At least, until I looked down from the cliff we were standing on. Not one, not two but three whales had surfaced just a few meters from the shore. I couldn’t believe it. It almost seemed as if they had appeared out of thin air. The humpback whales appeared to be traveling together along the shore, giving us the opportunity to get some shots with our drones as well. Incredible! Especially after last year, when we struggled to see many whales because they had left the area unusually early.
After the whales swam beyond our reach, we focused again on the icebergs, now with the setting sun adding some great colors into the sky. Exhausted, yet fulfilled, we return to our hotel for some well-needed rest. As I was preparing for bed, I opened the window to my room. Within moments, I could hear a whale spout. And while I couldn’t see anything because it had become too dark, I kept my window open, listening to the breathing whales outside of my hotel room. It was INCREDIBLE. And this was just day one, not even 12 hours after we had landed in Ilulissat. It was a great sign of things to come.
These three humpback whales just emerged out of nowhere. I was so happy when I managed to capture all 3 of them at the surface with my DJI Mavic 4 Pro as a single shot in Burst mode.
The sunset over Disko Bay that first evening was really colorful. I found this black & white iceberg to be particularly interesting as a foreground element. I captured this image as a 3-shot vertical panorama. If you want to learn how I create my drone panoramas, make sure to check out the Drone Photography Masterclass.
Did Anyone Order Bubble-Net Feeding Humpback Whales?
The next day, we decided to spend our first 4-hour long private boat charter to look for whales. The reason we decided to focus on the whales first was pretty obvious. That morning, we had already seen several whales from our hotel balcony. Seeing them so close made us all very anxious to get onto the boat as soon as possible. Not even 5 minutes after we got onto the boat, we had already found 5 humpback whales. Yes, you read that right: an entire pod of humpback whales in only 5 minutes! Even for me, someone who has seen whales very often, this was something special. Because we were able to find this pod so easily, it meant we had almost a full 4 hours to capture the best possible photographs of them.
During our time with the humpback whales, we got to see them in full action as they were bubble-net feeding with the entire pod. Again & again they dove down just to emerge again with their mouths open wide as they tried to grab as much food as they could. The entire group got amazing shot after amazing shot. Even if you missed a shot, all you had to do was wait a few minutes until they emerged to try again. We had so much time!
The group had so much time to capture images of the humpback whales to their heart’s content. And not just any images: they also had the most epic backdrops thanks to the beautiful icebergs surrounding us.
Repeatedly we saw multiple flukes together as the humpbacks were feeding.
However, there was one “down side”… Because we were in such close proximity to the Ilulissat airport, it was impossible to fly our drones. Due to regulations and restrictions inside of the DJI Fly app, you could not take off with the drone, even if it was only to fly a few meters above the water surface. I was so bummed out because I have been dreaming of getting a shot of bubble-net feeding whales for a long time but it wasn’t going to happen that day. The humpbacks swam back and forth within the airport restriction zone, following their food. After almost 3 hours of photographing the whales, they finally began traveling again. We followed the whales whilst I kept a close eye on the GPS of my drone controller. Minute after minute they went closer & closer to the edge of the restriction zone until… FINALLY! And even though they were no longer feeding, we still managed to get some incredible photographs of the 5 humpback whales traveling together.
While I have often photographed whales with my drone, I have never seen so many together.
It was incredible to see the humpback whales swim together in formation.
Every time the whales were about to emerge, the seagulls gave away their position. The birds could see the whales emerge before us, which then made them flock to where they would emerge. A perfect tool to help us photographers point the cameras into the right direction.
Every so often you could see the humpbacks sit at the surface with their mouths wide open which made for some interesting behavioral photographs.
One of my favourite images is this one where the humpback whales lined up perfectly with a nearby iceberg.
Ticking Off A Bucket List (Drone) Shot For Many
Even though we had this incredible encounter with the bubble-net feeding humpback whales, I was still left hungry for more. For the longest time, I had dreamt of capturing drone images of whales that had something extra to them. By that I mean that you can easily photograph whales with a drone in other place of the world but there are only so few places you can capture them surrounded by icebergs and slush ice.
One morning during the photo workshop, I woke up and opened the balcony door to let some fresh air in. As I got out of the shower, I could hear a familiar sound: breathing whales. Because a lot of fresh slush ice and icebergs had made its way into the bay, I couldn’t see where the sounds were coming from. I waited until I could hear the sound again and then, suddenly, I saw a spout rise from behind an iceberg. Knowing our hotel was located inside the drone restriction zone (because of the nearby airport), I kept an eye out for the whales to see what direction they were traveling in. To my excitement, they were traveling in exactly the direction I wanted them to go: further south in the direction that would take them outside the restriction zone.
I decided to go for it. I got ready as fast as I could, unplugged my charging drone gear, and ran downstairs. While heading out, I immediately texted the group to tell them what I had spotted, where I was going and what my game plan was. I headed for the nearest point that would take me outside of the drone restriction zone, whilst tracking the whales from the shore. The reason I was hurrying was that I was worried I would lose the whales’ location inside the fresh load of slush ice & icebergs if I couldn’t keep eyes on them the entire time. That would have made it so much harder to find the humpbacks again.
Just a few minutes after I had settled at the location I could take off with my drone, the first workshop participants showed up. Fortunately, I was still tracking the whales and began pointing everyone into the right direction. And let me tell you, it is extremely hard to describe a drone’s location in a sea of icebergs and slush ice! However, even though it was challenging, everyone found the whales. Thanks to smart coordination, & shouting our altitudes, everyone managed to capture beautiful shots of the whales swimming inside the ice. Not only did I finally get that dream shot of the whales with ice & icebergs, every participant standing next to me did too.
This top down drone photograph of the humpbacks in the ice is one of my favorites from the session.
I also tried to take a few environmental shots of the whales swimming between the icebergs and slush ice of Disko Bay.
A Few Tips When Photographing Whales With Your Drone
To share a few technical tips when photographing whales with a drone:
- Make sure your drone is set to shoot in Burst mode so you can capture multiple shots of a moving sequence. For example: when a whale emerges from the water and a spout is visible, you want to have multiple shots.
- Make sure you use the fastest aperture available, a fast shutter speed (1/1000s) and set your ISO to Auto. Don’t worry about image noise because you can clean that up easily afterwards.
- Because of these settings, you get the best results when using your highest quality camera/lens available on your drone (in case you have multiple focal lengths available).
- If you have to switch batteries, try to orientate yourself before flying back or drop a waypoint.
If you want to learn a lot more about drone photography, make sure to check out my Drone Photography Masterclass. It is packed with useful content to help you get the most out of even the smallest drones available.
This aerial photograph of the whales swimming close to a massive iceberg in the Ilulissat Icefjord is one of those shots I had dreamt of for a long time.
Vertical framing worked really well in these instances. Unfortunately, the tilt angle of the Mavic 4 Pro, a problem I wrote about in my Mavic 4 Pro review, didn’t allow me to do exactly what I wanted.
There’s just something about these photographs that give it that extra touch that takes them from ordinary whale shots to great ones in my opinion. The slush ice gives it that much needed depth.
Photographing The Magic Of The Ilulissat Icefjord
This photo workshop is packed with subjects to not only keep the wildlife photography enthusiasts busy but also the landscape photographers. But with all the whale action we got during this photo workshop, you may easily forget why we were in Disko Bay to begin with: the impressive & humbling beauty of the Ilulissat Icefjord.
The icebergs offer incredible photographic opportunities. Whether you like abstract close-ups, unique aerial perspectives or wide vistas taken on your camera, there is something for everyone. The following photographs are just a small selection of images taken both with my Canon EOS R5 Mark II, in combination with the Canon RF 100-500mm telephoto lens, and my DJI Mavic 4 Pro.
This little waterfall trickled down one of the larger icebergs stuck at the entrance to the Ilulissat UNESCO Icefjord.
With an aerial vantage point, you could see the peculiar path the meltwater had carved out for itself.
I really enjoying capturing abstract aerial photographs such as this one.
Birds offer a great way to add scale into your photographs taken amongst the icebergs. Other than birds, whales and other boats, there is nothing to give you a sense of scale. Because I don’t enjoy human elements in my images, I focus on the wildlife to add scale.
This abstract shot of the sidewall of an iceberg almost looks as if the ice has veins.
But you don’t actually need to be inside of the Ilulissat Icefjord to see beautiful icebergs. On our way to the calving glacier Eqi, we found an incredibly beautiful and unique iceberg that I quickly dubbed “awesome-berg”. This iceberg had clearly recently flipped and had exposed its crystal blue underside. There were so many aspects to it with some of the most peculiar shapes and patterns I had ever seen in an iceberg. It was well worth spending some time on exploring every side of it.
From a distance it was clear that this iceberg had a lot to offer for the abstract-loving photographers in the group.
The shapes in the iceberg were super interesting, such as this round hole as seen in this image.
We had our captain sail multiple circles around this iceberg, keeping in mind the danger that it could flip again.
Some of the shapes in the ice looked so bizarre that it made me wonder how they were formed.
There were also a few helpful seagulls around allowing us to add scale into the image.
Further into our journey to Eqi glacier, we found a few other beautiful icebergs that had interesting patterns in them.
The Ever-Calving Eqi Glacier
One of the highlights of the West Greenland photo workshop is the visit to the Eqi glacier front and that was no different on this year’s workshop. The reason we make a visit to Eqi glacier is not just that it’s one of the easier places to get close to the Greenlandic ice cap but it’s also a place where you are pretty much guaranteed to see an ice calving. Eqi is one of the most active calving glacier fronts in the world. Every time I have visited it with a group, I have seen pretty large calving events.
There’s also a lot of potential for drone photography here as you can not only fly very close to (or even in) the glacier front, you can also do pretty interesting shots whilst our boat is sailing through the abundant slush ice in front of the glacier.
On the way back to Ilulissat, we were treated to some foggy conditions, beautiful light and interestingly shaped icebergs. Even though the boat ride is about 2,5 hours one way, there is never a dull moment as there is always something to shoot from the boat.
I really love it when we are fortunate enough to get moody conditions at Eqi glacier. This location just shines when the atmosphere has a bit of a mysterious vibe to it.
Every time we go there, I ask the captain to sail through the slush ice in an interesting manner so we can take cool-looking drone shots of our boat.
On the way back to Ilulissat, we got treated to foggy conditions in one of the fjords we sailed through. While there wasn’t much interesting ice around, I did manage to find something I liked.
Choosing the right angle and perspective is everything when photographing icebergs. This iceberg looks like a tall spire from the side but it was actually a very large & wide iceberg that is almost hidden from this angle.
Super round arches are not so common but we were fortunate enough to see one on the way back from Eqi to Ilulissat.
When we were almost back in Ilulissat, we got treated to someone beautiful side-lit icebergs in the Icefjord.
Greenland’s Disko Bay Is A Drone Photography Paradise
I have mentioned it a few times before already but Disko Bay, and Greenland in general, is a true paradise for anyone who is interested in drone photography. Thanks to the abundance of icebergs, there is incredible potential everywhere. Whether you are taking off from the shoreline or you fly from a boat inside the Icefjord, there is something to be photographed everywhere at almost all times of day.
Note: For those who are interested, I have recently shared a lengthy blog on best practices when flying from a (moving) boat.
With a drone you can get many unique angles like this one. I flew into an ice cave in a large iceberg that had large holes in the roof. I then used the telephoto zoom lens on my Mavic 4 Pro to frame up the iceberg behind it.
Whilst flying among the icebergs, we found these beautiful blue lakes hidden on top of a large iceberg. This was impossible to see from the boat we were on and also impossible to reach from the shore as it was very far into the Ilulissat Icefjord.
Abstracts, like this ice shard, are exactly where a drone shines. Without one, you miss 50% of the available shots in a location such as this.
Even in stormy conditions, when some subjects are out of range, you can still get there with a drone and photograph them in a dramatic atmosphere.
I found these patterns in an iceberg where waves kept flowing over the sides. They seemed to have gradually eroded the ice.
One night during this workshop, I had trouble sleeping. For some reason, I woke up at 4am and even though I felt exhausted, I didn’t manage to fall asleep again. So what does one do when that happens and you are in Greenland? You go for a walk! I ended up putting my drone in a small bag and went for a walk until breakfast opened.
Even though the weather forecast didn’t look particularly great, I decided to follow my number one rule on any workshop: always bring some sort of camera with you. I am so glad I did because, unexpectedly, that morning turned out to be quite nice. Even though it was pretty cloudy, the sun lit up the area for a brief moment. Enough time to get my drone up and capture some interesting shots of Disko Bay.
I am still not quite sure which composition I like most: the one closer up, leaving the size of the glacial pool up to your imagination, or the wider view with a similar prominent foreground.
For a brief moment, a faint rainbow appeared on the horizon. I first framed it up as a horizontal panorama but I found a more fitting composition later on.
An interesting glow appeared on the northern side of Disko Bay, which worked well with this trail of slush ice formed by a calving event of this iceberg.
I felt this composition of the same iceberg, with the same faint rainbow, ended up working best because of the duality between the ice spire and the rainbow.
Exploring The Other Side Of Disko Bay: Disko Island
During the second half of this photo workshop, we left Ilulissat behind and crossed Disko Bay to spend a night on Disko Island. That morning, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Even though at first we were sheltered in between the icebergs, that quickly changed when we got to more open water. The winds picked up and the swells became greater. About 2,5 hours later, we arrived at the dock in Qeqertarsuaq, a quaint little town on the southern side of Disko Island.
The conditions in Qeqertarsuaq were great. There were several large icebergs stranded in the ocean near the town. And, thanks to the large swells we experienced, the ocean felt really photogenic. Large waves were clashing into the icebergs with dramatic skies above them. After checking into our hotel, we quickly headed out to a magnificent viewpoint that got us closer to the action.
Dramatic skies and lovely light complemented the dramatic seas and giant icebergs.
One of the icebergs had water swirling around it from both sides. This created a beautiful whirlpool, which was only visible every so often. I spent two Mavic 4 Pro batteries on this particular photo, waiting & waiting until the perfect moment appeared again.
Big swells crashed into the sides of the icebergs that were stranded near the town. Getting the timing right to capture the waves at the right moment was vital in getting the most dramatic results.
The day after, we headed for a small little village called Qasigiannguit, which is located just south of the Ilulissat Icefjord. About mid-way through the crossing of Disko Bay, we came across a whale. Not just any whale: a sperm whale! While the moment was super brief, too short for photographs, it was a great surprise. What are the odds of coming across a whale, exactly on our route, in the middle of such a big body of water?
After arriving to Qasigiannguit, we headed out to spend time documenting the Greenlandic sled dogs. Once you get to the outskirts of the town, there are hundreds of them, as far as your eye can see. Close to the road, we spotted a group of young cubs that were still running around their mom. They were so much fun to photograph, being playful & goofy while also being curious.
Note: If you ever go to Greenland and want to photograph sled dogs, it’s good to note you should never pet them!
One group of sled dogs had multiple cubs running around. They were a joy to watch and photograph.
One Final Cruise In The Ilulissat Icefjord
On our way back to Ilulissat from Qasigiannguit, we were due to sail straight through the Icefjord. We kept our eyes out for the most interesting icebergs so we could revisit them on the next day’s final 4-hour boat charter. Some of the most interesting ones we could see were quite far out from Ilulissat but knowing where they were meant we could sail there right away, without losing too much time in other spots on the way.
Based on those observations, during our last charter, we sailed straight for the far end of the Icefjord, focusing on the interesting spires and sharp icebergs we spotted on the way in. It was a glorious evening, with some of my favorite photographs of the photo workshop.
This spire really stood out during our sail through the Icefjord on our way back to Ilulissat.
The main benefit of using a drone is that you can get to any position you can think of. I used my drone in this example to take a wide-angle shot I was thinking about by hovering only one meter above the water.
This free-standing spire was extremely interesting to photograph from a variety of angles.
Another interesting iceberg we encountered on our way to the area where we focused on the spires.
I found this beautiful dark blue lake on top of one of the larger icebergs. Flying really close to it was quite tricky because I kept losing connection because I tried flying the drone really low above the iceberg, which cut line of sight slightly.
Everywhere we went, we would find interesting patterns in the ice.
This big hole at the bottom of the spire formed a perfect way to frame up the surroundings.
Conclusion
After writing it all out in this blog, it is hard to believe this was just a 7-day photo workshop. There was so much to see & photograph, so much to experience. Traveling to Disko Bay in West Greenland isn’t just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for photography, it’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for anyone really.
That was 2025. The 2026 West Greenland workshop report is up too, and that summer the whales rather stole the show.
Interested in joining me on my next West Greenland adventure in July 2027? The 2027 edition of my West Greenland photo workshop is now fully booked, but the waitlist on that page is where I look first when a spot opens up.
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