Benjamin Hardman

Fine Art

Expeditions

Online Workshop

Benjamin Hardman

Fine Art

Expeditions

Online Workshop

Instagram

Instagram.

Instagram

@benjaminhardman

A moment from the spring season.
After coming across this beautiful bear playing around on the sea ice, I ended up in such a trance while focused on creating images that I forgot my golden rule - always take some time to put the camera down and process the moment with your own eyes. Thinking back on it, it feels like I wasn’t really ‘present’ in the memory, almost like trying to remember a dream. Out of all of my experiences in Iceland and the Arctic over the years, it’s always those times when you’re locked in with your eyes, aware of your surroundings and being totally immersed in the moment that have the most meaningful memories attached.
Really excited to be back in Svalbard this week. The plan is to head to the north of the archipelago. There shall hopefully be lots of these moments! Back online in a week, cheers ✌🏼

The valley where it all began.

Not Ok. ⁣
After a rocky climb to the summit of Ok yesterday, I stood amidst a vast field of newly exposed volcanic rock, staring at this icy blue puddle in the central crater. It was hard to fathom that just a few years ago, a glacier named Ok (pronounced ‘awk’) existed right here in the surrounds of this crater. ⁣
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In 2014, Okjökull was first Icelandic glacier to officially lose its glacial status as a result of human induced climate change, and is now considered only as a mountain. A new memorial plaque will soon be placed at the summit with the following words: ‘In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it’.

A portrait from the North.
Seeing these two beautiful Polar bears playing peacefully at the edge of the sea ice, it was hard to imagine how dangerous they could be. Though I must admit, looking at those sizeable canine teeth through the viewfinder at 500mm, the danger quickly became apparent.
@visitsvalbard

One from the archives.
Summer memories from an underwater ice photography project that I worked on with my good friend @donalboyd back in 2017.
Good times.

Nearing midnight in the highlands, the darkness is slowly returning.
Heading up onto this mountain pass last week, the fog was so thick I was forced to navigate with my gps to keep on the track. Being in such a remote area with minimal visibility in the dark, it felt like driving into a Stranger Things episode.
Here in Iceland we face the same issues every summer with visitors driving their cars onto delicate and unspoiled ground outside of marked tracks, usually out in the highlands. I really don’t understand the urge to rip up the ground in a car, but it happens almost every day and it’s taking a heavy toll on the highland landscape. Many incidents have left a permanent scar in the land, impossible to cover up by our National Park rangers. If there’s one rule I would love for you all to abide by while travelling here, it’s to please stay on the tracks and don’t drive off-road 🙏🏼
@vatnajokull_national_park

After spending a lot of time in West Greenland where the land is relatively flat around the glaciers, it was a huge contrast to head south and see these towering peaks appear in every fjord we visited. ⁣I found the shapes and textures in the mountains to be really unique from what I’be seen elsewhere. ⁣
After arriving back in Narsaq, we crossed paths with a group of geologists. They’d spent the last six weeks camping on an island to collect rock samples from the landscape - serious dedication right there. We learned that the South West of Greenland contains very rare types of rock and minerals. It was interesting to hear of future plans for mineral mining in the area, it sounded like many of the local farmers were not too happy with the idea.
#greenland

A portrait of the bluest iceberg I’ve ever seen.
For a brief period of time, glacial ice that has recently flipped over will usually display extremely vivid hues of blue on its underside.
#greenland

The disappearance of ice.
On the same date in July for the last two years, I’ve photographed the Qaleraliq outlet glacier in South Greenland. This year I had the opportunity to travel with a local captain named Jørgen, born and raised in the nearby town of Narsaq. On our approach the glacier, he stopped the boat in the middle of the fjord. We sat floating in open water, puzzled by why he’d stopped. He then shared a childhood memory from this area, drifting along the edge of a towering glacial wall that once existed in right there in that open water, almost 5 kilometres further out from where it sits today. It was almost unimaginable to hear how much the glacier had retreated in his lifetime, from one huge outlet in the fjord to what is now three smaller and disconnected outlets, two of which are now considered as dead-ice.
He told us that the retreat has accelerated drastically over the last few decades, and that this year was the first time he’d heard the ice cracking in the middle of winter, a clear sign of rising temperatures.
As we left the area, he made a note that we were potentially documenting the final years of existence for this glacier. That thought hasn’t left my mind since.

Back online after a few weeks off the grid in Greenland and Icelandic highlands. Before I left for this trip, I teamed up @inspiredbyiceland for their #kranavatn project. Collectively we are raising awareness about Iceland’s incredible tap water, known here as Kranavatn. By opting to fill up your own bottle with Icelandic tap water instead of buying water at the store, you are helping us to minimise the usage of single use plastic bottles in Iceland, which has surged with the rapid growth in tourism. The water that comes from our taps is some of the purest on earth, sourced through both glacial and ground water that naturally filters down through lava rock over many years before eventually arriving in your bottle. One of the best feelings about getting home is filling up my water bottle, and I encourage you to do the same while you’re here 💧
Skál!
#iceland

A local onlooker at the edge of the fast ice in Svalbard. Always an incredible experience to be in the presence of a Polar bear and quietly observe as they roam the Arctic landscape.
@visitsvalbard

While approaching an outlet glacier on our zodiac in SW Svalbard, this Walrus appeared from behind an iceberg in the distance. They’re such interesting creatures, diving down to the depths of the fjords to suck up thousands of mussels from the seabed every day. Captured at 500mm & f4.0.
#svalbard ↠ #walrus

Waking up to a dark and cloudy day over Greenland’s icefjord will be a disappointing sight for most folks in town. For me, the diffused light that falls through the clouds will produce the absolute best conditions for photography, leading to the most vivid blue ice conditions one could find.
Excited to head back to Greenland in a few days, this time to sail around the South.
#greenland

Stoked to announce that I’ve launched an Iceland road guide for all of the students in my online photography workshop. To celebrate, @alexstrohl and I are offering the whole course at 45% off and we’ve reopened access to our community forum for all new students for the next five days.
For those who haven’t checked out my workshop before, it’s a 5 hour educational video series about finding your own style and aesthetic in the photography industry. Throughout the series, you’ll join me and Alex on six shooting assignments, showing you what gear I use most and heading deep into the post-processing phase to break down my editing techniques. It’s been amazing to hear such positive feedback from our hundreds of students who’ve already taken the course, thanks to all of you!
Head to the link in my bio for all the info and to enroll in the course 🤙🏼
#HardmanXStrohl

East Greenland ↠ Sailing Expedition.⁣
There are just two seats remaining on my upcoming Arctic photography workshop with @fursty and @hannes_becker this August.
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Over the course of seven days and living on board a wooden sailing vessel, we’ll be exploring the worlds longest fjord, Scorsbysund in the East of Greenland. We’ll spend our days surrounded by icebergs, towering granite mountains and the resilient Arctic wildlife that live around the fjord.⁣
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Head to the link in my bio if you’d like to check out the details on how to join us 🤙🏼
#greenland

A glacial pool emerges from the volcanic ash covered surface of Kötlujökull. Exposed sections of ice reveal what lies beneath, a vast outlet glacier that exists in a relentless battle against our changing climate and the giant volcano known as Katla.
#iceland

Late winter in the high Arctic.
After two days of intense wind and blizzard whiteouts, these Greenland sled dogs in the small settlement of Uummannaq finally woke to calmer weather. With a well deserved feed for the dogs in hand, the sled mushers made their way down to the ice. The dogs quickly picked up on the action and their howls echoed across the fjord, making their presence known to all.
#greenland

Approaching cloud level with @localguide high up on a Nunatak, a ridge between two outlet glaciers.
Documenting this rarely traversed area with my friend @snorrisv, we reached a small plateau just under the clouds and discovered a huge crack in the mountain, a potential cause for concern in the future. He turned to me at one point and made note that we may have been the first people to ever stand there. That was a pretty special moment.
#iceland

Planet perspectives.
After my recent project with @bbcearth to showcase otherworldly images from my archives for their new series The Planets, I’m feeling really inspired to continue this theme into the summer months. Living in such a young volcanic country, less than 20 million years old, the landscape of Iceland is filled with scenes that truly make you feel like you’re standing on another planet.
Here’s one I captured a few days ago, it’s an aerial view of a volcanic crater row in the Fjallabak region.
#iceland