Seeing and photographing icebergs was one of the experiences on the top of my wife’s wish list when we recently visited Newfoundland. This article shares some of our images and discusses a few things to keep in mind when photographing icebergs.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

One of the challenges when photographing icebergs is trying to incorporate some sense of scale into a composition. We can get a sense that the iceberg in the above image isn’t huge… but without a frame of reference the size is difficult to properly assess.

By changing our shooting position we can incorporate some people in the foreground. This very quickly establishes the relative size of the iceberg. This one happens to be quite small and compact.

Above is a third photograph of the same, small iceberg. By adding a strong corner anchor in the bottom right we were able to add some drama to the composition. This corner anchor serves as a partial reveal for the subject iceberg and helps direct a viewer’s eye to it.

If you examine the EXIF data you’ll see that I used a longer focal length of 100 mm (efov 200 mm) to bring the background closer and create a feeling of compression in the image. These composition techniques help to create a more interesting composition, even with a smaller sized iceberg.

We can also use icebergs to add some interest to a composition, even if it is not the primary subject. The colourful chairs in the photograph above are looking out towards the horizon where some icebergs create context.

Let’s have a look at three additional photographs that incorporate icebergs as visual elements. All of these images were captured from shore.

The photograph above is a typical image that can be captured from shore. I moved around on the top of a small knoll until I could find a shooting position that allowed me to frame the iceberg with some trees on the left hand side of the composition.

I had to drive down from the main road, and then hike part way down a hill to get the right shooting angle for the image above.

As the iceberg drifted out of the bay, I changed my physical position and got closer to the water’s edge. This enabled me to use a white boat in the foreground as my main subject, while still incorporating the iceberg to add some context.

My wife really wanted to get up close to icebergs if possible so we booked a 2 hour long iceberg viewing ocean excursion that departed from Twillingate. This proved to be a great experience as we had good, sunny weather, and calm seas.

Getting within 20 metres (~65 feet) of a large iceberg to create some photographs is an interesting experience. The challenge is that there really isn’t much else around that can be incorporated into a composition to create a sense of scale.

During our viewing excursion we had the opportunity to view 6 to 8 icebergs. The captain would slow the tour vessel down, then sail completely around each iceberg. This gave all of the passengers opportunities to capture a range of images. I tried to capture photographs of each iceberg as we approached them from a distance.

I was able to grab a quick image of a Zodiac that was touring near one of the smaller icebergs. This certainly helped to create a sense of scale. My wife was able to capture a few images that did a better job with scale… as you can see with the two images that follow.

Another way to create some scale with iceberg photographs is to incorporate birds or mammals into a composition.

If you look at the right hand side of my wife’s photograph above, you’ll see a gull in flight, which helps to create a sense of scale.

I made a point of capturing an iceberg image showing a small flock of gulls perched on top of it to illustrate scale.

One of the more obvious challenges is getting a good, balanced exposure when photographing icebergs in bright sunlight. To accomplish this I had my E-M1X set to base ISO-200 and shot in manual mode.

I set my aperture to f/8, then used my shutter speed to adjust for proper exposure. Since I have the highlight/shadow warnings engaged on my E-M1X I would watch for the red warnings in my viewfinder that indicated blown out highlight areas. I’d also have to be aware of any blue warnings that indicated blacked out shadow areas.

I didn’t utilize my E-M1X’s on-screen histogram as I was using the leveling gauge. This was important to use to help me time my shutter releases. As the vessel bobbed about on the surface of the ocean, I waited for moments when my camera was in a level position to fully depress my shutter release.

When I processed my iceberg images in post I used the DxO Smart Lighting Spot Weighted tool to help retain as much highlight detail as possible. This also helped to balance out the overall exposures on the various subject icebergs. I used matrix metering and a single, small auto-focus point.

I have been prone to motion sickness in the past so I’ve been using ‘sea wristbands’ (illustrated below) for many years. In my experience they are much more effective than taking medication.

There was no issue with rough seas on our iceberg tour. The captain did mention that during the cruise on the previous day many passengers suffered from nausea due to the chopping seas.

Seeing and photographing icebergs is one of those experiences that is on the bucket list for many people. Newfoundland is one of the areas in Canada where this bucket list item can be achieved.

Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data.  Images were produced from RAW files using my standard process. This is the 1,290 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

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