How we captured the beauty of Northern Greenland from the ground and in the air to drive tourism
The ask
Visit Greenland requested photos and videos, including drone footage, to attract more tourism to Northern Greenland. The content would be used for social media, print publications and other outreach materials.
Our teams were asked to capture some of the most remote areas of northern Greenland, including the town of Uummannaq that is home to some 1,400 people.
The client had specific locations and excursions for us to capture.
The challenge
Weather was the biggest challenge. Being in the Arctic Circle, we faced below freezing temperatures. We had to make sure that we didn’t freeze – and also our equipment. One of our monitors did freeze.
The weather was also unpredictable, so the shots we wanted didn’t always come easily.
It was challenging to travel to some of the areas. Our first stop was Uummannaq. To get to the remote island we had to take three planes and a helicopter. Air Greenland has a strict weight policy, so we had to pack as light as possible and be selective about what gear to take without compromising quality.
We slept in cramped spaces, including a cold igloo one night, using thermal sleeping bags to keep warm. We had limited electricity, so we had to be mindful of keeping batteries charged at all times. At one point we went two days without power.
The approach
This is all the gear we packed to fit in our backpacks and duffle bags! We brought small hand-held cameras, travel tripods, zoom lenses, mini hard drives, laptops, batteries, chargers, and a travel-friendly foldable drone. Big thanks to our sponsors Danner and Lands’ End for hooking us up with arctic-rated snow boots and clothing to help us on our trek! Photo by Trevor Traynor
All footage was filmed hand-held or from above via drone. We utilized natural lighting in all shots. Here are some shots of backcountry Ilulissat near the Icefjord. We captured glacier sightings and icebergs. The area is so remote that we had to ride snowmobiles to get to our igloo lodge.
Our guides were super helpful in getting us around to unique locations. We traveled across the frozen sea on dog sleds from one island to another. We vibed with locals who welcomed us in and cooked authentic stew for us.
Our work with Memoryscape was featured in several publications. Tens of thousands of people reacted to content on social media.
Visit Greenland
Check out the one-minute highlight video we created for Visit Greenland. Producer: Trevor Traynor, Memoryscape | DP/Editor: Erick Lee, inBloom Films (formerly Erick Lee Pictures)