September 2025: Photographer of the Month

Tom and I celebrate great photos from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For September we chose an image from our Greenland Photography Workshop. The image was taken by Eric Lacey in the Greenlandic town of Ilulissat. Eric is a landscape and travel photographer from Boston.

Congratulations to September 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Eric Lacey

Eric sharing his portraits with the locals

The Storyโ€ฆ 


We were out walking the town of Ilulissat with Tom and Odd. We photographed whatever caught our eye. The colorful buildings were interesting and we tried to compress them. We came down to the bottom of the hill and we could see the water. There was a dog kennel nearby. I was looking at the puppies.

I heard the words, “Take Picture.” I turned around and there were two little girls behind me. I said “Oh, do you want me to take your picture?” and she said, “Yeah!”

So I started taking pictures of her and her friend. I went over and sat down to show them the photos. I started taking more photos and more children started coming out of the houses and they all wanted to have their pictures taken.

The girl who I first heard, was the only one who seemed to have any English skills. She understood me pretty well. I tried to get her name, but I couldn’t understand what she said.

I am very intimidated by taking pictures of adults. But it is very easy for me to interact with children. The interaction with the kids was very unexpected. It was spontaneous. I wouldn’t have asked them to pose, but since they raised it first, I was very willing.

The photo may not be my favorite photo of the trip, but it is the one I will remember the most. I really enjoyed the interaction.

I wasn’t exactly sure what reception we would get in Greenland. I learned that the Inuit are a very proud and open people. They were very respectful. We were in a taxi and the driver said, “We respect everyone who respects us.”

September 2025 Photo of the Month by Eric Lacey

EXIF Data:

Camera: Canon R5

Lens: 100-500mm at 100mm

Aperture: f10

Shutter: 1/1250

ISO: 400


Arches of Ice near Ilulissat, Greenland

About Photographing in Greenland


Greenland was never on my bucket list…..until I saw the photos that you and Tom got on your last trip.

The icebergs were phenomenal. The shapes of the iceberg were surprising and beautiful. We got one night of sunset, as opposed to dimer light. Most of my favorite photos came in the sunset. It was an unforgettable trip for us.

The landscape is beautiful but kind of sparse. The tundra is different for those of us who do not get up North regularly.

After showing my photos to other people, they all want to go there now. It is only 3.5 hours from Newark to get to Nuuk.

Fall colors in the tundra near Ilulissat

Eric’ s Tips for Photographing Icebergs

My #1 tip is to shoot wide. I did not own a super wide lens. I bought one two days before going on the trip. I did not think I would use it that much.

In the past I have been disappointed because it makes everything look so small. With the icebergs they are so big, and you can get so close that it works great. I am usually a big scene landscape photographer and use the 24mm range all of the time.

2) Shoot in high speed. Because we were on a moving boat we were shooting very fast. The foreground ice chunks in the scene would move by very quickly. I shot regularly at 10 frames per second. This helped me to position the foreground elements in my final selection.

3) Look for foreground icebergs with a submerged portion. The water is so clear that you can see the definition in the underwater icebergs. Tom brought up a photo during the image review with a beautiful submerged iceberg. This became one of my focuses for the rest of the trip.

4) Not about icebergs, but engage every child you see when walking by.

Iceberg Arch with Foreground Ice

On Eric’s Horizon:

South Georgia, Antarctica, Falklands

South Africa

Peru

Utah Landscapes

Japan

Workshop Openings:

Join us for more Coastal Photography on the Alaska Kenai Explorer July 7-12, 2026. Calving glaciers, Sea Otters, Whales, and beautiful scenery near Seward and Homer, Alaska. 4 Spaces Available. Learn more

Check out other openings on our Upcoming Workshops Page

Thank you for taking the time to read our posts!

Tom and Cree

www.tombolphotoworkshops.com

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