Ilulissat—Greenland’s shimmering jewel on the Disko Bay—calls out to photographers with its otherworldly landscapes, luminous icebergs, and ethereal Arctic light. To truly capture the grandeur and subtlety of this region, choosing the best lenses for photographing Greenland is essential.

In this article, I’ll share my experience photographing around the Ilulissat area with three Tamron lenses: the ultra-wide 16-30mm G2, the versatile 28-75mm G2, and the telephoto 70-180mm G2. Each lens brought its own perspective, opening up unique opportunities on this unforgettable Arctic destination.

By Guest Contributor Ken Hubbard

What You’ll Learn In This Article:

• How to choose the best lenses for photographing Greenland
• Why a wide-angle lens is essential for Ilulissat landscapes
• How a standard zoom captures town life, culture, and food
• Using a telephoto lens for iceberg details and distant vistas
• Pro tips for photographing Greenland’s icefjord, icebergs, and Arctic light

Ilulissat: A Photographer’s Dream in Greenland

Located 155 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Ilulissat is world-renowned for its proximity to the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site where massive icebergs calve from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier and drift slowly through Disko Bay.

The town itself is a colorful patchwork of Greenlandic houses, set on rocky shores overlooking a landscape sculpted by ice and time. Photographing here isn’t just about capturing pretty scenery; it’s about telling the story of a land in constant flux. Light changes rapidly, clouds race across the sky, and the ice itself is never the same from one hour to the next.

Pro Tip: Always carry extra batteries and memory cards—Greenland’s conditions can drain batteries quickly, and photo opportunities come fast and unexpectedly.

The Tamron Trinity: The Best Three Lenses for Greenland Travel

Traveling to Greenland means packing light but smart. Tamron’s “trinity”—the 16-30mm F2.8 G2, 28-75mm F2.8 G2, and 70-180mm F2.8 VC G2—covers almost every photographic need, from sweeping vistas to intimate wildlife portraits.

All three are compact for their class, weather-sealed, and fast enough for the low-light conditions common during the winter season in the Arctic.

• 16-30mm F2.8 G2: Best wide-angle lens for Greenland landscapes, environmental portraits, and Icefjord views.
• 28-75mm F2.8 G2: Perfect standard zoom for town life, food photography, and flexible compositions.
• 70-180mm F2.8 VC G2: Best telephoto lens for photographing icebergs, compression effects, and distant Arctic scenery.

Embracing Greenland’s Immensity with a Wide-Angle Lens

Tamron 16-30mm G2: Best Wide-Angle Lens for Greenland Landscapes

There’s no better way to capture the scale of Greenland’s ice than with an ultra-wide lens. The 16-30mm allows you to foreground intricate ice textures while still fitting in towering bergs and dramatic skies.

Hiking the Ilulissat Icefjord with a Wide-Angle Lens

Start your hike at the Ilulissat Icefjord Center, where you’ll find three trails of varying lengths. In summer, arrive early or late in the day for the best light. Highlights include:

• Panoramic views of Disko Bay
• The old Ilulissat Cemetery
• Café Asimut and Sermermiut, an ancient Inuit settlement

Pro Tip: Get low and use foreground elements like stranded ice chunks, graveyards lichen-covered stones, or boardwalks as leading lines to add depth.

The Versatile Storyteller: Standard Zoom in Greenland

Tamron 28-75mm G2: Best Lens for Ilulissat Town Scenes and Food

If I could only take one lens to Oqaatsut, is a small settlement north of Ilulissat, it would be the 28-75mm. This lens shines for capturing village life, colorful houses, local meals, and portraits.

Photographing Disko Bay Icebergs on a Boat Tour

A boat tour of Disko Bay is a must. The 28-75mm allows you to:

• Capture full icebergs at 28mm
• Zoom in for cracks, patterns, and hues at 75mm
• Adapt quickly while moving between icebergs without changing lenses

Pro Tip: When photographing icebergs from a boat, keep your shutter speed high (1/500 sec. or faster) to counter both water movement and boat vibrations. Use burst mode to capture multiple frames—waves and shifting light can make each shot unique.

Capturing Intimacy at a Distance with a Telephoto Lens

Tamron 70-180mm G2: Best Telephoto for Icebergs and Landscapes

Greenland’s grandeur is vast, but sometimes the magic is in the details. The 70-180mm lets you:

• Isolate patterns in the ice
• Capture seabirds and distant landscapes
• Compress layers of icebergs for dramatic effect

Pro Tip: Use telephoto compression to layer elements, like a boardwalk leading to the Icefjord Centre, to create a stronger sense of scale.

Tamron G2 Trinity: Wide, Standard, and Telephoto for Greenland

Photographing Ilulissat with Tamron’s G2 trinity—16-30mm, 28-75mm, and 70-180mm—proved to be the perfect lens kit. Together, they covered the wide-angle drama of Greenland landscapes, the versatility of town and cultural photography, and the telephoto detail of drifting icebergs.

Each lens offered a unique perspective, helping me capture the endless photographic opportunities that Ilulissat and Disko Bay present.

Ready to up your travel photography game with the Tamron G2 Trinity? Learn more at an authorized Tamron dealer near you or shop now at the official TAMRON Store.