Filmmaker and Photographer Daniel Haussmann captured gorgeous footage of Greenland, including footage of an iceberg as it collapsed.
Haussmann’s unique adventurous flair is expressed through the use of drones. His produced works also often induce the fluctuating feelings of dread, excitement, and awe that any thrill-seeking adventurer encounters.
In Haussmann’s smartphone video footage, which is shown along with drone footage of the aftermath below, he is on a boat–joined by a few other companions–observing the massive structure. A portion of an iceberg begins to shatter, and then crumble in what may be the best of serendipitous events. The video shows people marveling at what they see, then quickly changing their tone when a small ripple waves moves in their direction. The boat speeds away to avoid the oncoming waves, leaving the fractured structure in the distance.
Haussmann’s aerial drone footage of the aftermath of the event resembles a sort of acrylic paint pour of white and azure waves marbling on top of a cerulean blue ocean canvas.
Haussmann’s stunning first-person footage requires careful planning.
“I brought, in total, five drones to Greenland. Especially, [since] FPV is kind of an equipment killer, I wanted to make sure and brought two DJI FPV drones [as well as] one Nazgul5 V2 and for regular footage my DJI Mini 2 and the DJI Mavic 2 Pro.” Haussman said, speaking with PetaPixel.
Considering the fate of his last piece of equipment that was knocked out of the sky by a flying chunk of lava, Haussmann has accepted the possibility of casualties and has cooled things down a bit with the footage from the Greenland tour.
“I think it’s always good to come home with all equipment unharmed and great footage, then losing thousands of dollars to the ocean.”
Haussmann was drawn to Greenland in order to document its current state. Given the effect that climate change is having on several wilderness fronts, he wanted to create a record of the breathtaking landscape of the Greenland ice sheet today.
No one can predict what these areas will look like in the future. He explains that due to recent record highs in temperatures ice [that] has been melting in Greenland. This makes it even more crucial to document.”
Haussmann explains that although the collapse event his party witnessed was not any direct proof that climate change was the cause, there still was feelings of uneasiness surrounding the collapse.
“In any case for me, this was still an amazing but also scary experience. It is sad to see these mountains of ice melt slowly. But at the same time seeing the (relatively moderate) tsunami wave rolling towards you and the boat captain going full speed away was also a little nerve-wracking.”
The Germany-based visual artist harnessed his drone piloting skills and continued his journey, capturing the various hues of blue and navigating labyrinths of massive chunks of ice.
I had to adjust to the conditions that were presented to me.
“I had to adapt to the circumstances I found on site.” Haussmann shows how icebergs sink into ocean waters and then dip into blue slopes.
Hovering over waters with angles that mimic a kind of space flight, he then shows a series of icebergs that resemble pyramids basking in golden sunlight.
For more from Haussmann, make sure to follow him on Instagram.
Image credits: Photos by Daniel Haussmann.
