Environment

The Iceberg Series chronicles the sublime shapes of Greenland's sea ice

The Iceberg Series chronicles the sublime shapes of Greenland's sea ice
These incredible iceberg images investigate Tom Hegen's fascination with the shapes, texture and appearance of broken off ice masses from the Arctic Ice Sheet
These incredible iceberg images investigate Tom Hegen's fascination with the shapes, texture and appearance of broken off ice masses from the Arctic Ice Sheet
View 40 Images
The Iceberg Series II, a visual study of shapes, patterns and luminosity
1/40
The Iceberg Series II, a visual study of shapes, patterns and luminosity
The Iceberg Series II, looks directly down on icebergs, marveling at their abstract patterns and shapes
2/40
The Iceberg Series II, looks directly down on icebergs, marveling at their abstract patterns and shapes
The Iceberg Series II, taken on the west coast of Greenland
3/40
The Iceberg Series II, taken on the west coast of Greenland
The Iceberg Series II, around 250km north of the Arctic Circle
4/40
The Iceberg Series II, around 250km north of the Arctic Circle
The Iceberg Series II, looks at sea ice calved from the glacier Sermeq Kujalleq
5/40
The Iceberg Series II, looks at sea ice calved from the glacier Sermeq Kujalleq
Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea
6/40
Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea
Sermeq Kujalleq annually calves over 35 cubic kilometers of ice
7/40
Sermeq Kujalleq annually calves over 35 cubic kilometers of ice
Hegen started his flights from the small town of Ilulissat in Greenland
8/40
Hegen started his flights from the small town of Ilulissat in Greenland
The Iceberg Series II, a visual study of shapes, patterns and luminosity
9/40
The Iceberg Series II, a visual study of shapes, patterns and luminosity
The Iceberg Series II, looks directly down on icebergs, marveling at their abstract patterns and shapes
10/40
The Iceberg Series II, looks directly down on icebergs, marveling at their abstract patterns and shapes
Sermeq Kujalleq annually calves over 35 cubic kilometers of ice
11/40
Sermeq Kujalleq annually calves over 35 cubic kilometers of ice
The Iceberg Series II, taken on the west coast of Greenland
12/40
The Iceberg Series II, taken on the west coast of Greenland
The Iceberg Series II is Hegen's most recent set of images from his aerial work in Greenland
13/40
The Iceberg Series II is Hegen's most recent set of images from his aerial work in Greenland
The Iceberg Series I is the first set of images from the Greenland journey
14/40
The Iceberg Series I is the first set of images from the Greenland journey
The Iceberg Series I looks at these calved chunks of glacier from a more horizontal perspective
15/40
The Iceberg Series I looks at these calved chunks of glacier from a more horizontal perspective
This perspective examines the sheer size and scale of these giant icebergs
16/40
This perspective examines the sheer size and scale of these giant icebergs
In the lower left-hand corner of this image one can spy a ship giving a sense of scale to these massive icebergs
17/40
In the lower left-hand corner of this image one can spy a ship giving a sense of scale to these massive icebergs
Hegen describes these icebergs as, "breaking through the fog like giant white castles"
18/40
Hegen describes these icebergs as, "breaking through the fog like giant white castles"
The Iceberg Series I
19/40
The Iceberg Series I
These incredible iceberg images investigate Tom Hegen's fascination with the shapes, texture and appearance of broken off ice masses from the Arctic Ice Sheet
20/40
These incredible iceberg images investigate Tom Hegen's fascination with the shapes, texture and appearance of broken off ice masses from the Arctic Ice Sheet
The Iceberg Series II, a visual study of shapes, patterns and luminosity
21/40
The Iceberg Series II, a visual study of shapes, patterns and luminosity
The Iceberg Series II, looks directly down on icebergs, marveling at their abstract patterns and shapes
22/40
The Iceberg Series II, looks directly down on icebergs, marveling at their abstract patterns and shapes
The Iceberg Series II, taken on the west coast of Greenland
23/40
The Iceberg Series II, taken on the west coast of Greenland
The Iceberg Series II, around 250km north of the Arctic Circle
24/40
The Iceberg Series II, around 250km north of the Arctic Circle
The Iceberg Series II, looks at sea ice calved from the glacier Sermeq Kujalleq
25/40
The Iceberg Series II, looks at sea ice calved from the glacier Sermeq Kujalleq
Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea
26/40
Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea
Sermeq Kujalleq annually calves over 35 cubic kilometers of ice
27/40
Sermeq Kujalleq annually calves over 35 cubic kilometers of ice
Hegen started his flights from the small town of Ilulissat in Greenland
28/40
Hegen started his flights from the small town of Ilulissat in Greenland
The Iceberg Series II, a visual study of shapes, patterns and luminosity
29/40
The Iceberg Series II, a visual study of shapes, patterns and luminosity
The Iceberg Series II, looks directly down on icebergs, marveling at their abstract patterns and shapes
30/40
The Iceberg Series II, looks directly down on icebergs, marveling at their abstract patterns and shapes
Sermeq Kujalleq annually calves over 35 cubic kilometers of ice
31/40
Sermeq Kujalleq annually calves over 35 cubic kilometers of ice
The Iceberg Series II, taken on the west coast of Greenland
32/40
The Iceberg Series II, taken on the west coast of Greenland
The Iceberg Series II is Hegen's most recent set of images from his aerial work in Greenland
33/40
The Iceberg Series II is Hegen's most recent set of images from his aerial work in Greenland
The Iceberg Series I is the first set of images from the Greenland journey
34/40
The Iceberg Series I is the first set of images from the Greenland journey
The Iceberg Series I looks at these calved chunks of glacier from a more horizontal perspective
35/40
The Iceberg Series I looks at these calved chunks of glacier from a more horizontal perspective
This perspective examines the sheer size and scale of these giant icebergs
36/40
This perspective examines the sheer size and scale of these giant icebergs
In the lower left-hand corner of this image one can spy a ship giving a sense of scale to these massive icebergs
37/40
In the lower left-hand corner of this image one can spy a ship giving a sense of scale to these massive icebergs
Hegen describes these icebergs as, "breaking through the fog like giant white castles"
38/40
Hegen describes these icebergs as, "breaking through the fog like giant white castles"
The Iceberg Series I
39/40
The Iceberg Series I
These incredible iceberg images investigate Tom Hegen's fascination with the shapes, texture and appearance of broken off ice masses from the Arctic Ice Sheet
40/40
These incredible iceberg images investigate Tom Hegen's fascination with the shapes, texture and appearance of broken off ice masses from the Arctic Ice Sheet
View gallery - 40 images

A new series of photographs from award-winning aerial photographer Tom Hegen explores the abstract beauty in icebergs. Shot off the west coast of Greenland, Hegen's work captures the majesty of these giant white castles.

While much of Hegen's prior work has explored the astonishing interactions between humans and nature, this new series takes him to Greenland investigating the incredible scale of icebergs as they calve off Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world.

This new project from Hegen follows on from an earlier series exploring the effects of global warming and sea level rise on the Greenland Ice Sheet. That series, titled The Two Degrees Series, explicitly looked at melting glaciers from above. His new work however is a little more interested in the aesthetics of icebergs.

The Iceberg Series II, a visual study of shapes, patterns and luminosity
The Iceberg Series II, a visual study of shapes, patterns and luminosity

"The Iceberg Series highlight shapes, texture and appearance of broken off ice masses from the Arctic Ice Sheet," Hegen explains to New Atlas. "I wanted to show from an aerial perspective the sheer size and fascination of them."

Spanning two different photo sets, the Iceberg Series' took Hegen to a small town in Greenland called Ilulissat. From here he started his flights, so far producing two sets of images, one highlighting the incredible scale of these icebergs from horizontal perspectives, and the other looking down from above at the stunning shapes and patterns they form.

In the lower left-hand corner of this image one can spy a ship giving a sense of scale to these massive icebergs
In the lower left-hand corner of this image one can spy a ship giving a sense of scale to these massive icebergs

"Greenland is a very remote place which means you really need to plan a lot in advance," Hegen says. "In Greenland, there are no roads connecting the towns, the only ways to come around are by water or air or feet. As for most of my aerial photo projects, I did a lot of research on the locations beforehand. Being prepared is key when it comes to aerial photography. I need to consider location, time of the year, daylight, wind, altitude and so on. But once everything is set, it's an absolute pleasure working in such environments."

Take a look through our gallery at more of Hegen's spectacular Iceberg photographs.

Source: Tom Hegen / Instagram

View gallery - 40 images
2 comments
2 comments
Paulinator
Climate alarmists in 3...2...1
ljaques
Kudos to Tom Hegen. That's quite an intriguing series. Some pics are dreamy and beautiful. A couple reminding me of working with styrofoam insulation on trash day. Pics with trashy ice chunks making the water look dirty.
I'll never forget the beautiful blue hue of a chunk of arctic ice when I was in Anchorage. It's similar to the light blue of the iceberg through the water in your vertical pics. Breathtaking.
Note to Paulinator: I'm glad we beat 'em here. <giggle>