Greenland Night Landscape Photographs: Presentation, Steve Giovinco

I am a photographer who has been spend two month-long grants in Greenland. My work often involves taking long-exposure night photographs, sometimes lasting an hour or two or more. Many of my photographs of Greenland’s landscapes include subtle traces of human intervention.

Here’s part of my process and ideas:

• I use a high-resolution camera mounted on a tripod.
• Illumination comes solely from the Aurora Borealis, the moon, the sky, or subtle traces of artificial light.
• The resulting images often display strange but beautiful color casts.
• Some parts of the image may be blurred, indicating movement, while other sections remain in sharp focus.
• I feel the image and intuitively frame it because it is nearly impossible to see through the viewfinder.
• My photos emphasize subtle colors, shadows, and light.
• I draw inspiration from landscape painters and nineteenth-century photographers.
• Research and engagement are essential to my projects, even if they are not directly visible in the photographs.

Working in the dark is a process I find beautiful, meditative, and terrifying. I hope my photographs serve as both a metaphor and a literal visualization of climate change. During my travels to Greenland, I interviewed natives, farmers, and other locals to understand how climate change has impacted their land.