Greenland Grandeur

Overview:

Join us in September 2022 while we explore one of the least-photographed but most beautiful countries in the world and let us help you take your landscape, night, and portrait photography skills to the next level! You'll get a chance to work closely with all tour leaders and tackle a variety of topics aimed at expanding your technical photo skills and your creative vision, all while soaking in the Arctic splendor of an incredible, pristine environment. Many of us at OFFBEAT consider Greenland to be the ultimate photography playground.

Location: Ilulissat and Disko Bay, Greenland

Dates: September 5-14, 2022

Tour Leader: Paul Zizka

Itinerary (note: subject to change as we finalize all details)

Day 1 - Monday, September 5:

Day 2 - Tuesday, September 6:

Day 3 - Wednesday, September 7:

Day 4 - Thursday, September 8:

Day 5 - Friday, September 9:

Day 6 - Saturday, September 10:

          6:00 AM – sunrise shooting around Qeqertarsuaq.

          8 AM – 10AM – Breakfast

         11AM – Kuannit + options

         10PM – late – night/aurora shooting, if conditions allow.

Day 7 - Sunday, September 11:

        6:00 AM – sunrise shooting around Qeqertarsuaq.

         8 AM – 10AM – Breakfast

        11AM – Kuannit + options

       10PM – late – night/aurora shooting, if conditions allow.

Day 8 - Monday, September 12:

        6:00 AM – sunrise shooting around Qeqertarsuaq.

        8 AM – 10AM – Breakfast

       11AM – Kuannit + options

      10PM – late – night/aurora shooting, if conditions allow.

Day 9 - Tuesday, September 13:

       6:00 AM – breakfast/sunrise shooting around Qeqertarsuaq.

      Depart via boat back to Ilulissat

      End of workshop, finale at Icefjord Hotel

Day 10 - Wednesday, September 14:

    Flights home

The finer details:

Included:

One-on-one and group photography instruction from Paul Zizka and assistants

Airport pickup/dropoff in Ilulissat.

Ferry fees to Disko Island.

All accommodation within Greenland for the duration of the workshop.

Daily breakfast and dinners included.

Not Included:

Airfare to/from Ilulissat

Lunches

Alcohol

Travel insurance

Any weather-caused delays/extensions to stay

Price/Payment Schedule:

Cost: CAD $7,300

Payment options: Full payment or $1000 non-refundable deposit to secure a space with remaining three payments as listed below.

Non-Refundable Deposit: CAD $1000

Payment #2: $2100 CAD -January 31, 2022

Payment #3: $2100 CAD - April 30, 2022

Payment #4: $2100 CAD - July 31, 2022

Note: Failure to pay by due dates means forfeiting deposit and spot will be freed up and potentially sold to another interested participant (see more in cancellation policy below).

If unforeseen circumstances arise, participants are welcome to transfer/sell their space to another interested participant. In such case, participants are responsible for handling payment for the transfer.

Accommodations

Your time for the duration of the workshop is split between the comfortable Icefjord Hotel in Ilulissat, which offers stunning views of giant icebergs passing through the harbour, and the Panorama Hostel on the remote and rugged Disko Island. Our group will be taking over the hostel while there, which although rustic and will require shared accommodations, is entirely comfortable and is centrally located to take advantage of some incredible short hikes to scenic photography locations. All breakfasts and dinners will be catered (on Disko) and/or served at a restaurant (in Ilulissat).

Important note: this is not a "luxury" tour. While we feel you will find it very comfortable, please note that accommodations will be shared (two participants per room). We will do our best, however, to accommodate friends/spouses traveling together to ensure you room in the same cabin.

Meals

Included in the cost of registration is your daily instruction, guiding, and two meals per day (breakfast, which will sometimes be a packed/deli lunch on the land so that we can take advantage of sunrise shooting hours which generally conflict with restaurant hours, and dinner). For lunch, participants will be free to eat per their choosing. For the budget-conscious the grocery stores are well-stocked and offer quite a bit of variety (including fresh baked goods). While more expensive than most Canadian grocery stores, we still found it much cheaper to buy food in Greenland than in the Canadian Arctic.

For those looking for sit down/restaurant meals, both villages offer a variety of restaurants. In Ilulissat, the hotel offers dining options that are excellent, and there's plenty of choice in and around the town. In Qeqertarsuaq, we will be staying in a hostel environment which allows for full use of cooking facilities. It is recommended that participants bring along 5-8 dehydrated meals (available in most outdoor/sporting good stores) as they are generally tasty, cheap ($6-$9 per), light, and very quick meal options.

Touring together in a remote country with not much in the way of traditional luxury facilities will sometimes require a group effort for meal preparation (including cooking, and dishwashing). Think of it as a fun way to come together as a team and share in the logistics of exploring such a unique country, together.

Transportation

Come expecting to walk through the village of Ilulissat and on Disko Island as opposed to vehicle transportation. The towns are small and it’s a great way to take in the local culture and sights of the town. For reference we found we walked, on average, about two-four kilometres per day in and around town (longer hikes, of course, for access to great photo places).

What to expect

The workshop is suitable for participants of all levels of experience in photography. Most locations will be readily accessible with short hikes.

This event focuses 100% on landscape + outdoor + night photography, but participants are free to ask questions about and practice portrait photography as well. It is worth noting that the workshop will be quite intense in order to maximize field time. Participants are not expected to participate in every aspect of the workshop/tour. It’s up to you to get out as much as you like, though of course it is recommended you give it your all.

LEAVE NO TRACE

We preach and live the ethics of "leave no trace" photography, which means that the utmost care is given, while hiking and photographing, to leaving zero impact on the natural environment. Participants are expected to approach this tour with the same ethics at all times.

What to Bring

As the tour is in September in the Arctic, there is the possibility of some very diverse weather conditions and cool temperatures, especially in the late evening and early mornings. Please come prepared for a variety of weather conditions as the more comfortable you are, the more enjoyable your experience will be. For reference, we experienced temperatures ranging from -10C at night to +8C during the day during our 2015 trip, with weather including beautiful sunshine, fog, light drizzle, and snow.

• suitable and comfortable clothing, which you can layer (including long underwear)

• warm jacket

• waterproof jacket and pants

• hiking boots (we will be in potentially wet and rocky areas)

• warm hat

• a headlamp

• gloves (try to find gloves that still allow you to operate your camera)

• your own camera equipment (preferably DSLR, which allows manual control of shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings and a range of lenses, if you have). Our recommended lenses to bring would be one wide angle lens with a fast aperture (useful for night photography) and a 70-200MM lens. Other lenses are useful, of course, but those two lenses were our most frequented "go-to" lenses.

• a sturdy tripod

• a cable (or wireless) shutter release

• a laptop for editing

As well, we optionally recommend:

• small first aid kit

• hiking poles

• handwarmers

• water bottle

INSURANCE: It is not only advised but required that workshop participants have trip cancellation/interruption insurance, as well as emergency medical/illness insurance and rescue coverage (proof required within 4 months of departure).Weather and other unforeseen factors can cause delays in travel, particularly from some of our more remote locations. It is the participant’s responsibility to cover any costs in the case of a travel delay of any length. Please ensure your trip cancellation/interruption insurance accommodates this possibility. By purchasing a spot you are acknowledging that you accept these conditions.

OFFBEAT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Please take the time to review OFFBEAT’s Terms and Conditions, including our Cancellation Policies. You are required to agree to these in order to confirm your registration. Effective June 16, 2020.

Travel Visa

It is the participant's responsibility to ensure they have a valid Travel Visa (if applicable/required) for the duration of the workshop.