Spitsbergen Landscape Photography

The High Arctic is a place to inspire the imagination. Nowhere is it more accessible than the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, located deep within the Arctic Circle.

 

Follow in the footsteps of the great explorers and join photography tour leaders David Ward, Joe Cornish and Daniel Bergmann plus Morten Jørgensen, one of Svalbard’s most experienced expedition leaders, on a unique voyage of discovery to one of the most fascinating photography locations on our planet.

 

Unlike most Svalbard ship expeditions we plan to spend extended time ashore photographing some of the extraordinary landscapes of the islands: rock formations, glaciers and mountains. And when possible we’ll do hikes on the tundra to explore photo locations and cultural remains. The soft light in late August and early September is ideal for this kind of photography and the weather conditions, with the possibility of fresh snow, make it even more special. It is also the time of autumn storms, with their accompanying dramatic light and clouds.

 

We will travel on board the Antigua, a wonderfully romantic barkentine – a three masted sailing ship. We will take only 18 passengers (although the ship holds 32), and Antigua’s low decks are ideal for photography. You’ll love the experience of being on an authentic triple masted barque with an experienced deck crew and all the necessary modern navigational equipment to ensure a safe and rewarding trip. We will be using Zodiac boats for our daily excursions and landings and we will spend extended time at each landing and return to a location if we feel that it requires a more in depth exploration. Due to this slow approach to photography we shall also limit our sailing range to the western and northern part of Spitsbergen, which is Svalbard’s largest island.

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Svalbard is famous for its access to High Arctic wildlife, such as Polar bears, Walrus and Arctic birds. But it remains a fairly undiscovered location for serious landscape photography. And although the landscape will be our primary subject we will not bypass wildlife opportunities if we encounter them.