Photography in the Ice: 6-Day Arctic Journey

In March 2018, Thomas Güttler, Managing Director of Rollei, went on a photo tour in the Arctic. We report on what he experienced there and what it's like to photograph in -20 degrees Celsius.

Join us on an exciting journey to the Arctic!

Day 1: Arrival
Day 2: The Emergency Hut
Day 3: Shooting in and around Longyearbyen
Day 4: Exploring a Ghost Town
Day 5: Arctic Silence
Day 6: Farewell in rough weather
Bonus: Photography in freezing cold

 

Day 1: Arrival

The eternal ice of the Arctic Ocean and the nature of the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard offer an overwhelming backdrop for photo shoots in general, and for long exposures/filter shots in particular. In this multi-part blog series, Thomas Güttler, Managing Director of Rollei and enthusiastic nature photographer, takes us on a truly unique photo safari that he will remember for a long time to come …

As Managing Director of Rollei and an experienced landscape photographer, Thomas Güttler is often on the road for business and pleasure. He knows countless top photo locations all over the world almost “like the back of his hand”. Nevertheless, the one-week excursion into the eternal ice of the Norwegian Arctic Ocean was a premiere – and a truly incomparable experience – even for the passionate globetrotter. This actually extremely inhospitable part of the world, practically just a snowball’s throw from the North Pole, completely captivated the photo professional with its impressive nature and the truly breathtaking silence, the so-called "Arctic Silence".

The journey to Longyearbyen

It's not easy to get to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard – better known in Germany as “Spitzbergen” – although tourism is now one of the main sources of income for its almost 2,600 inhabitants. To travel from Rollei's location in Norderstedt near Hamburg to the main town of Longyearbyen, Thomas Güttler had to fly from Hamburg to Frankfurt, on to Oslo and finally to "Svalbard lufthavn, Longyear" airport – and had to get up at 4:30 a.m.

During the numerous transfers, a suitcase was promptly lost. Fortunately, the Rollei team "only" had to do without warm winter clothes. However, this only sounds quite critical at first glance given the weather conditions at the destination, and you will learn the reason for this later in this blog series. Thomas Güttler, wisely and due to many years of frequent flyer experience, carried the much more valuable – and for the success of the Arctic photo safari, truly crucial – camera equipment directly "on his person" and well packed in suitable Rollei camera bags and backpacks .

Robust equipment

Of course, the extremely robust and completely cold and weatherproof travel and outdoor tripods of the Rollei Lion Rock family also flew to the eternal ice of the Arctic Ocean. The demands on humans and technology understandably far exceed the conditions found even in the deepest German winter. Accordingly, cameras and equipment must function reliably. We will go into the special procedures for photographing in cold weather in more detail in the last post of this blog series .

Pure anticipation

The very long flight and numerous stopovers made Thomas Güttler's anticipation almost unbearable. With its vastness, impressive nature, and the necessarily very inventive and adaptable people, the Arctic Circle is considered by many professional photographers to be the last "white spot" on their world map of already successfully "checked off" outdoor locations.

The view from the small round window of the passenger cabin onto the seemingly endless ice and snow landscape is excellent for literally "orienting" oneself again and becoming fully aware of the power and beauty of our environment. The first overwhelming sunset in the Arctic Ocean then appropriately attuned the photo professional to the unforgettable moments of the coming days.

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Day 2: The emergency hut

In the first part of this blog series about Thomas Güttler's spectacular photo safari in the eternal ice of Svalbard, you could read about the not entirely uncomplicated journey and the first, already overwhelming impressions before arriving at Longyearbyen Airport. Today it's all about the first photo tour and the discovery of an immensely photogenic foreground motif…

For Thomas Güttler, a promising day usually begins with a good cup of coffee. Regardless of which region of the world the Managing Director of Rollei is currently traveling in. The first morning in Spitsbergen, however, also included a substantial and immensely tasty breakfast for the Rollei team to be well prepared for the physical demands of the upcoming photo tour.

Main town of Longyearbyen

The starting point for all subsequent excursions was the main town of Longyearbyen, a former mining town and now a tourism and research hotspot. The town even has its own university center (UNIS) as an outpost of the universities in Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

The town was named in the usual pragmatic Norwegian manner after the American entrepreneur John Munroe Longyear (byen = town), who established a mining settlement there for the Arctic Coal Company in 1906.

After breakfast, the necessary equipment was carefully packed into the Rollei camera backpacks , and appropriate cold weather gear was calmly put on. The team's own winter clothing, as mentioned in the first part of the blog series, was still traveling behind the Rollei team via various detours. The missing suitcase had unfortunately still not turned up.

By snowmobile through the ice

Fortunately, the snowmobile rental also included comfortable and warm overalls as well as mittens, which, despite the thick padding, still offered enough freedom of movement for steering the snowmobiles. Snowmobiles replace cars in Svalbard. In the eternal ice of the archipelago located in the Arctic Ocean, the road network is limited to the few settlements.

There are no overland connections between the towns. Basically, snowmobiles have controls that, apart from the thumb throttle, are also known from quads, but due to the chain drive and the possible top speed of approx. 100 km/h, they do require prior instruction. During the journey to the first shooting location, however, the Rollei team was moving much slower.

The unfamiliar mode of transport and the sometimes very uneven ground actually led to a few falls, all of which ended without serious injury. To be able to continue driving immediately after falling from a snowmobile, almost all models on the market are equipped with a so-called dead man's switch, which immediately "stalls" the engine after the driver is "lost".

First stop – abandoned emergency hut

The Rollei team made its first stop near the frozen surface of a fjord arm. The glacier valley was completely surrounded by snow-covered mountains bathed in radiant sunlight. This panorama already seemed impressive enough to the experienced landscape photographer. The "cherry on top of the snowy cake" was, however, a dilapidated emergency hut, which seemed to have been waiting for the team's cameras in the middle of the valley for decades.

The inhospitable and permanently snow and ice-covered expanses of Svalbard are covered by a more or less uniform network of emergency huts. These extremely spartan accommodations are not intended for permanent vacation stays, but rather to offer shelter, warmth, and food to travelers in distress due to breakdowns, accidents, or extreme weather conditions. This is until the situation has eased or rescuers have arrived.

At the emergency hut – which is always locked due to the curiosity of the local polar bears – you will find a box with the key directly. As soon as you and your fellow travelers have made it to safety inside, you should start the stove. Emergency supplies and water ensure that you remain strong for some time. The emergency huts do not offer any further luxury. The specimen in the glacier valley had long since seen better days and had understandably been completely decommissioned. Meanwhile, a modern mobile network ensures almost complete reception in Svalbard, so that emergency huts only have to provide shelter for several days in designated dead spots.

To convincingly capture the solitude of the location, the photo professional deliberately disregarded the rules of the golden ratio in the above shot and placed the ruin right in the middle of the surrounding snow and mountain landscape and the radiant blue sky of the short polar day.

Lost place

On the way back, the Rollei team made a detour to a real "Lost Place". The mystical, almost ghostly atmosphere of the completely abandoned, former Russian mining settlement impressed Thomas Güttler so much that a longer stay was planned for one of the following days.

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Day 3: Shooting in and around Longyearbyen

In Parts 1 and 2 of this blog series, you arrived in Svalbard with Rollei Managing Director Thomas Güttler and accompanied the Rollei team on its first snowmobile excursion into a remote glacier valley, which offered a surprising foreground motif. Part 3 covers shooting in and around Longyearbyen, the main town of the Svalbard archipelago (in Norwegian "Svalbard") …

On the first "full" day in Svalbard, the Rollei team passed a promising viewpoint on the way back from the glacier valley with the extremely photogenic emergency hut. The spot offered an overwhelming view over Longyearbyen and the frozen fjord to the opposite mountain. This perspective was to be examined more closely on the second day.

Numerous motif sources in and around Longyearbyen

Before heading up the hill, Thomas Güttler ventured onto the pack ice of the main town's "house fjord". There, the experienced landscape photographer actually found a smaller ice-free spot that was perfectly suited to reflecting the peaks of the opposite mountain range.

One of the reasons for staying within the immediate vicinity of the "island capital" was also due to the fact that the very extensive – and for the Rollei team quite unusual – snowmobile ride on the following day was still felt in every bone. Fortunately, there are also numerous motif sources in and around Longyearbyen waiting to be "worked on".

Distinctive Past

Everywhere in the town, one is reminded of the past dominated by coal mining. All houses in Svalbard stand on stilts; the permafrost soil does not allow for other foundations. The archipelago has limited self-governance.

In Longyearbyen, a "Sysselmann" resides as the representative of the Norwegian government, who simultaneously acts as chief of police, assistant judge, and owner, and has his own ship, the "Nordsyssel." Autonomy for Svalbard has been discussed repeatedly, but due to its proximity to Russia and the ambitions of the Moscow government, it has ultimately been regularly shelved.

Encounter with polar bears

On the more than 400 islands and skerries belonging to Svalbard, polar bears can be expected to "cross paths" at any time. Therefore, hardly anyone is seen outdoors without a firearm. Although there are no designated "problem bears" in Norway – in contrast to Bavaria – one should always be prepared for a spontaneous attack in case of an accidental encounter.

For the residents of the Arctic Circle, this necessity is as much a part of everyday life as the polar night and the harsh climate. Polar bears, for their part, generally use the predominantly human-free zones to carry out their daily duties as calmly and peacefully as possible. In the local branch of the Norwegian SpareBank, however, great importance is understandably attached to ensuring that no firearms are brought into the building.

Main shooting

The main shooting of the second day in the eternal ice was to take place in the evening, or rather, at sunset. With the practiced eye of a long-time filter photographer, Thomas Güttler had already discovered the day before that the setting sun bathes the peaks of "Hiorthfjellet" mountain, located directly opposite Longyearbyen, in an overwhelming pink light. The town itself remains largely in the shadow of the valley.

Using the right filter

To prevent the lower part of the image from being completely "washed out" in the dark, the Rollei Managing Director used a Soft GND filter . This darkens the upper area with a smoothly transitioning, color-neutral gradient, while preserving the details in the surroundings of the settlement.

The filter's effect showed the desired results throughout all phases of the sunset. The gradient from pink to violet in the completely cloudless sky is reflected in the clearly visible snowfields in the foreground of the first photo.

The gigantic Hiorthfjellet, compared to the houses huddled in the valley basin, takes up its well-deserved "pole position" in the picture, shining in full splendor.

The color mood of the second shot is already strongly moving towards blue/violet. Nevertheless, the short focal length ensures that all details of this impressive panorama are rendered razor-sharp.

On the right side of the picture, you can see the towers of the coal mining cableway, which could easily and quickly transport the desired raw material, similar to a ski lift, from the seams in the mountain to the collection and transport point in Longyearbyen, even over the sometimes very high snow drifts in the valley basin.

The last "shot"

The last "shot" almost presents itself as a night shot, whereas the 928-meter-high mountain features much more detailed shadow drawing. In the town, the lights have already been switched on in all houses. The inhabitants of Longyearbyen are gradually preparing for the biting cold evening and night hours.

After these spectacular shots, the team packed up their Rollei Lion Rock tripods, stowed away the Rollei rectangular filters and made their way back to the hotel. A hearty dinner awaited the photographers, to tackle the challenges of the next day refreshed and well-rested.

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Day 4: With Rollei in the eternal ice of the Arctic

In the first three parts of this blog post series, you landed with Rollei CEO Thomas Güttler in the eternal ice, rode a snowmobile to the dilapidated emergency hut, and explored Longyearbyen and its surroundings extensively. The fourth part focuses on the dilapidated ghost town of Grumant and the unforgettable impressions on the icy fjord beach of the Arctic Ocean …

After a largely snowmobile-free day in the immediate vicinity of the main town of Longyearbyen, the Rollei team's bones had recovered somewhat. Nothing stood in the way of the excursion to the former Russian mining settlement "Грумант" – "Grumant" in German.

The Ghost Town

On the very first day on Spitsbergen, the team passed this picture-book "Lost Place", got a brief overview, and due to the already late hour, decided to schedule enough time for an extensive inspection the day after next. The direct linear distance between the ghost town and Longyearbyen is "only" 12 kilometers, but these have to be covered on the rather uncomfortable saddle of a snowmobile and in biting cold.

However, by now the participants of the Rollei Polar Expedition had already gained some routine in handling the main means of transport for the inhabitants of Svalbard, as the archipelago is called in Norwegian. Upon arrival, they first looked around the ruins of the houses, which at first glance appeared to have been abandoned quite hastily. In fact, the Soviet coal mining company Arktikugol ceased coal mining as early as 1962. However, the remaining inhabitants only finally withdrew in 1965.

In its "heyday" in 1951/1952, Grumant was home to 1106 people. More than in the current main town of Longyearbyen at the same time. Of most buildings, not even the floor plans can be guessed anymore. More or less intact, only a few walls bravely withstand the arctic wind, in which Thomas Güttler found rusty bed frames, dysfunctional fire extinguishers, worn-out miner's clothing, and rotten furniture.

These objects created an atmosphere that was equally eerie and rich in history, but they did not move the designated landscape and nature photographer to set up his camera and tripod inside the ruins and look for suitable motifs. After the brief inspection, which also served to classify the area as reliably "polar bear-free" for at least the next few hours, the Rollei team also left the crooked walls.

Prominent Structure

For Thomas Güttler, the most striking structure of today's ghost town remains the wooden jetty, which ends with a simple, now completely tile-free, shed. In combination with the bizarre and rugged surface of the frozen waters of Isfjord and the setting sun, a very atmospheric scene unfolded. This was immediately pragmatically used by the participants of the Rollei Expedition as a suitable background for product photos of the enormously resilient and cold-resistant Lion Rock tripods.

The Lion Rock Tripod

In particular, the specially shaped steel spikes of the professional tripods are ideally suited for use on granite-hard glacier ice. Each spike tip drills into the ice at the correct angle, ensuring a truly rock-solid stand even under the most adverse environmental conditions.

"Slow Photography"

For the shots on the fjord beach, Thomas Güttler deliberately took his time – first enjoying the advantages of "slow photography", but then surprisingly noticed that he was not disturbed by any of the usual noise sources during his activity.

In the vicinity of the ruined ghost town, no car drives, no train rushes past, no smartphone begs for attention given the dead zone. No birds are around either, and the polar bears keep a respectful distance. If you also remain silent, you are almost "overwhelmed" by the absolute silence – but if you bravely endure it for a while, a few natural sounds creep into your ear after a while.

Thomas Güttler first heard the very faint crunching of the ice, gently pushed against each other by the movements of the fjord water below. But then he also noticed the almost imperceptible lapping of the waves. The Rollei CEO will never forget this impressive absence of civilizational distractions for the rest of his life.

In combination with Spitsbergen's almost infinite snow and ice desert, the tranquility almost moved the experienced globetrotter to tears. Nevertheless, the professional photographer still took a few impressive product photos and soon started the return journey, as even the thickly padded Arctic overall was simply not made for hours of enjoying the moment, and the biting cold eventually found its microscopically fine ways through the material.

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Day 5: "Arctic Silence"

After Rollei CEO Thomas Güttler was able to enjoy almost perfect "Arctic Silence" near the abandoned former Russian mining settlement of Grumant in the fourth part of this blog post series, on the fifth day he encountered the ultimate and undisturbed silence on a glacier near Svea ...

Day Expedition to Svea

After the first four days on Spitsbergen, the Rollei team now had enough routine in handling the somewhat idiosyncratic snowmobiles. Thus, on the morning of the fifth day, after a hearty breakfast and the careful packing of the valuable photographic equipment, a quite demanding excursion across the frozen Arctic Ocean ice could be undertaken.

The destination of the day expedition, the southernmost settlement on Spitsbergen, like all places on the archipelago, has no direct road access. The easiest way to get to Svea is by snowmobile – the standard individual means of transport for Spitsbergen residents – over the consistently load-bearing ice of the Van Mijenfjord. Although the team, led by an experienced guide, regularly checked the thickness of the ice, Thomas Güttler sometimes felt a little queasy at the sight of some cracks and holes.

The Town of Svea

Unlike almost all other places on Spitsbergen, Svea is not located on the Isfjord. Until the "provisional" cessation of coal mining in 2016, Svea housed up to 200 people who worked three weeks at a time in the "Svea Nord" mine and then could spend two weeks of leisure time with their families in Longyearbyen.

Today, only a few people live in the town. The harbor, however, is still in operation. The team documented the rapid journey across the seemingly endless expanses of the ice desert of the Van Mijenfjord with the Rollei Actioncam 560 Touch, which features a sophisticated image stabilization function and a robust remote control with a wrist strap. Perfect for intuitive and safe operation at the controls of a snowmobile.

Upon arrival in Svea, the participants of the Rollei Arctic Expedition immediately found two very promising photo spots: directly on the "beach" of Svea, an overwhelming view of the fjord's foothills opened up to Thomas Güttler's team, over irregularly distributed mirror surfaces of the frozen water surface, which then, with the expert use of appropriate rectangular filters, could unfold its full potential.

Icy Silence

After an extensive shooting, the team set out, with the approaching sunset in mind, to reach the plateau of the local glacier on time. Here, Thomas Güttler encountered the next level of "Arctic Silence".

While in Grumant the crunching of the pack ice and the gentle lapping of the water could still be heard, the members of the Rollei team were now literally surrounded by the uncompromising silence of the surroundings. Below them, masses of polar ice, above them the aircraft-free and, in the truest sense of the word, "bird-free" infinity of the sky. Around them, no other living creature – it is hardly possible to prepare for a majestic and immensely colorful sunset more silently and solitarily.

Colorful Sunset

After the cameras were "positioned" on the robust Rollei Lion Rock tripods and fitted with professional rectangular filters in the rapidly diminishing daylight, the scheduled departure of the polar sun immersed the supposedly monochrome snow and ice landscape in rich orange, blue, and violet tones.

According to Thomas Güttler, this sunset was one of the most moving and impressive moments he had ever experienced as a photographer.

Being in a seemingly endless natural landscape, almost untouched by humans in all directions – and yet having found the perfect camera location for unique shots and long exposures – filled the entire team with such deep satisfaction that the arduous journey back through the Arctic cold of Spitsbergen seemed to fly by.

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Day 6: Farewell in Harsh Weather

 

The sixth and already last travelogue in this blog post series about the Rollei "Arctic Expedition" in spring 2018 shows the polar weather at its most inhospitable and wildest. This makes Rollei CEO Thomas Güttler bid a somewhat wistful farewell to this truly unique landscape...

The Last Day of the Expedition

For the first five days, the Rollei team members were lucky enough to experience the unpredictable polar weather almost continuously from its more pleasant side. Spring-like lightheartedness and temperatures in the double-digit plus range are not even to be expected during "mid-summer." As a rule, even in August, the mercury columns of local thermometers do not climb above 6 to 7 degrees Celsius.

Nevertheless, the snowmobile excursions until then were accompanied by photography-friendly sunshine or scattered clouds. On the sixth and last "full" day on Spitsbergen, it almost seemed to Thomas Güttler as if the Arctic Circle did not want to release the Rollei team for the return journey without at least giving them a little taste of the power of the weather.

On Day 6, an excursion with snowmobiles was also on the agenda. Conveniently, the tour led across the frozen waters of the "home fjord" of the main town of Longyearbyen. Routinely – again after a very hearty breakfast and several cups of coffee – the photo equipment was packed into the Rollei backpacks. The temperature-insensitive Rollei Lion Rock tripods were folded up and stowed in their transport and storage bags. And then, as snow began to fall and with truly Arctic sub-zero temperatures, the snowmobile engines could be started.

By now, Thomas Güttler and his companions were almost effortlessly proficient in operating the preferred means of transport for Spitsbergen residents. However, when driving on the ice of Isfjord, regardless of personal snowmobile experience, one should always drive very cautiously and concentratedly. A frozen fjord arm is simply not a developed and regularly maintained six-lane highway.

Ice tension or other causes can regularly lead to cracks or holes that can bring a promising snowmobile excursion to an abrupt and catastrophic end. The Rollei team was accordingly cautious and – thanks to the experienced guide – reached the various spots unscathed.

Capturing a Stormy Day Photographcally

As a passionate nature photographer, Thomas Güttler was actually relieved that on the last day he "just barely" had the opportunity to experience the full range of Arctic weather. Although a decent wind was "whistling" with ample snow support throughout the day, and temperatures dropped considerably further.

Due to their good preparation and the quality of all the material – from the photographic equipment to the transport containers and the impressively "cuddly" overalls – the Rollei team was able to concentrate exclusively on the motifs and their most spectacular possible depiction.

At the end of the trip, Thomas Güttler surprisingly noticed that he probably sweated more often than he froze. To capture the special atmosphere of this last stormy day in the eternal ice of the Arctic Circle photographically, filter-assisted long exposure was an excellent choice. This is one of professional photographer Thomas Güttler's declared favorite disciplines. The wind speed creates exciting structures in the sky. The snowfall is completely eliminated by the longer exposure time:

Unexpected Spectrum of Colors

Another phenomenon that presents itself to many Spitsbergen visitors during the "white" season is precisely the color range of the supposedly monochrome snow and ice landscape. Depending on the sun's position, cloud cover, or weather, the actually "colorless" environment transforms into a canvas capable of displaying the entire color spectrum, including all pastel shades.

In combination with the deep silence and solitude in the vastness of the "deep-frozen" archipelago of Spitsbergen, this unmistakable perception burns itself firmly and permanently into the memory of visitors:

Conclusion

Even after almost a year, Thomas Güttler's eyes still light up unmistakably when he talks about this overwhelming expedition to the Arctic Ocean. The Rollei CEO and well-travelled landscape photographer was also impressed by the surprising simplicity of this trip in retrospect.

Admittedly, the planning, preparation, and the flight with several stopovers to Longyearbyen were considerably more elaborate and complex than an all-inclusive weekend on the most popular Balearic island among Germans. Nevertheless, according to Thomas Güttler, nobody needs to "fear" a comparable tour.

With the support of an experienced island guide and by taking advantage of the legendary ingenuity and helpfulness of the Svalbard population, even photographers who normally feel more at home in tropical regions should get their money's worth. Those who prepare early and well, value robustness and a minimum quality standard in all their equipment, and are also willing to be surprised again and again, will bring back similarly unforgettable memories from a trip to Svalbard.

Conclusion

The actual "travel report" unfortunately ends here. However, we don't want to just have "whetted your appetite."

So that you can put your enthusiasm for these unique photo spots in particular and photography in the cold in general into practice, we have prepared an additional "goodie" for you – next Wednesday you will find a special article on the topic of "Photography in bitter cold" here.

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Arctic Special: Photography in bitter cold