Benjamin Hardman

Instagram

Instagram.

Birkenstocks and wool socks, drinking some coffee and looking out to this view of the sea ice at 80° North. Portrait by my friend @stevenherteleer 🙌🏼
A winding valley of red rock in East Greenland. This valley was such a unique sight, it really didn’t fit in to the rest of our surroundings. The variance of rock over there really shows how volcanically active this land once was. If you look real close, you’ll see our sailing boat at the waters edge 🤘🏼
Rising out of the ash.
Towers of ice and near endless repetition in form. One of the many wonders of Mýrdalsjökull. #iceland
Natures contrast. First signs of snow over a dark volcanic landscape. Disappearing just a few hours later, these temporary and unique moments in the highlands are always worth the chase. #Iceland
Venturing onto a glacier on one of those rainy days. Seeking new perspectives is something that often brings @siggiworld and I together. We’ve had some amazing missions over the years, but this was for sure one of the best moments. This remote glacial landscape is an area that very few people have ever visited on foot, and neither of us had ever been here before. On our approach to the waterfall, I found myself constantly stopping to photograph the intricacies of the ice, and eventually looked up to see Siggi had ventured far off into the distance. You can see that moment in the second image, all of a sudden I felt so small. From there on we each traversed the glacier alone, both astounded by our surroundings. When we reconnected at the base of the falls, we shared an amazing moment of silence before talking, almost as if we were bringing ourselves back to reality. What a day. #iceland
Battling the storm. One of my most memorable days this year began by waking up to a fierce winter storm over our ski camp on the slopes of Tindfjöll. We’d driven our modified 4x4’s high up into the mountains and then traversed on skis for a couple of hours to establish the camp. Getting back down was a huge challenge, our climbing skins kept flying off the skis and the spitting blizzard snow made everything freeze. After reaching the cars, it took us 9 hours to drive the five kilometres through the snow at 3psi back down to the base. Being a Land Rover owner definitely has its pros and cons. The heater doesn’t get hot until you’re moving at road speed, so it was a freezing cold ride for those long hours down, the door seals also completely suck. I remember my friend saying he was colder than he ever was as a diving guide at Silfra in winter haha. But I still love my Landy, it’s a beast and can take me anywhere in any season. This day showed me that positivity, a strong group mindset and hard work as a team can really go a long way. It also proved to me that you really do learn something new with every mission in the mountains 🤘🏼
Autumn reflections. Couldn’t believe my eyes when I passed this highland lake. It’s usually a really windy location, so I’ve rarely seen the water as still as this. The strange patterns reflected from the mountain above really put me in a trance. #iceland
The ice wall.
An incredible encounter with a Polar Bear at edge of the Spring season fast ice. @visitsvalbard
A window into the earth. There’s still time to apply for my upcoming photography expedition here in Iceland this November. Alongside my friend and mountain guide @siggiworld, I’m really excited to head deep into the mountains with our team of eight photographers and artists to capture the transition into the winter season. During our nights at @midgard.base.camp, my partner @brokensundowns and I will be there to guide you through the camera techniques and post processing methods that you can use to create a cohesive style in your work. Head to the link in my bio for all the details ✌🏼 #iceland
The ice pillars of Falljökull. High up in the icefall, where the glacier warps and bends over a steep mountain face, these intriguing structures balance against each other amidst their final stages of existence. The thunderous sounds of cracking ice put you right in your place and remind you of the immense scale and power of your glacial surroundings. It’s sad to see such a magnificent landscape of ice fall apart at such a rapid rate, we must cherish its presence while we still can. @localguide
Sailing back from Pyramiden, @astromadman and I crossed our fingers for the clouds to wrap around these intense cliff formations in Billefjorden. Drifting closer to the area, we realised the conditions had lined up. Always crazy to see such a rugged coastline high up in the Arctic. #svalbard
Looking up to tens of thousands of Brünnich’s guillemots taking refuge on the jagged cliffs of Alkefjellet in Svalbard. @visitsvalbard
A galaxy of ice. Shapes emerge as the waves from distant calving events roll through. These scenes represent a small window into the rapidly changing landscape of the Polar regions.
Layered basalt rock formations. With a sheer drop down beneath the oceans surface, we drifted along in our sailing boat just meters away from the base of this mountain wall in East Greenland. With strange rock formations stretching hundreds of meters across the wall, it was hard to focus the camera on one specific area. This particular section caught my eye however, with bright orange lichens and autumn foliage contrasted against the hexagonal rocks. What a place.
Winter Begins | Photo Expedition. ⁣ Stoked to announce my next photography expedition, this time set in the mountains at home in Iceland. ⁣ ⁣ For five days this November, you will be able to join myself, my partner @brokensundowns and our great friend and mountain guide @siggiworld for a dynamic trip, full of interesting experiences around the first snow and change of seasons. ⁣ Based out of @midgard.base.camp in Hvolsvöllur, we’ll be positioned at the edge of the Fjallabak region and keep our daily routes flexible to head wherever the conditions are best for photography. ⁣ ⁣ We’ll also spend one night immersed in the highland landscape by staying in one of Fjallabak’s wooden mountain huts, far away from civilisation. I’m really excited @siggiworld in our team, as with his guidance we’ll be able to access some extremely remote areas and collectively create something truly unique.⁣ ⁣ Head to the link in my bio or swipe up in my story to check out all the details 🤘🏼 #iceland
Last light over Vatnajökull. The summit of Pálsfjall rises out of its glacial ice surrounds, while the first snow of winter settles over the three scientific huts above Grímsvötn - a volcano situated high up on the ice cap. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to travel up to the camp in person. It was such a surreal experience, it really felt like the earth was a living being, awoken from the within the ice. #iceland
From an afternoon around the abandoned buildings of Pyramiden, Svalbard. While on a hike around the outskirts of the settlement, we came across this beautiful Arctic Fox in its summer coat. @visitsvalbard
The Laugavegur trail covers 55 kilometres across the Icelandic highlands. This summer I set out to hike and experience the whole trail within one day. Together with @66north, I documented my journey, hiking solo through some truly beautiful and harsh environments with the aim of exposing myself to as many different types of landscapes and weather conditions as I could within one day. You can read about my journey on the @66north blog, which I’ve linked in my story along with a special code for their site. Cheers to good hikes!