Uummannaq, Greenland
Fujifilm GFX100S II, Fujifilm Fujinon GF80mm F1.7 R WR, f4.5 @ 1/500 second, ISO 160.

What's the first thing you notice about this photograph? My guess is your eye was drawn immediately to the red house. It makes sense because red is such a strong colour, it has no trouble dominating a composition. However, how strong would the hut be if the other huts were also red or if it was shot with a red sunset behind? It's not just the hue and its quality, it's also the quantity.

Greenland is full of quaint coloured huts like this. Of course, when I say 'full' I am being a bit disingenuous because Greenland is the largest island in the world with fewer than 60,000 residents, so let's just say that when you find a town or village, they are full of colourful houses. These were found on the remote island of Uummannaq, itself a location straight out of a fairy tale. Situated in the middle of a huge bay, it comprises a towering mountain with a small settlement scattered around its base. If you only did a North West Passage voyage to visit this island, it would be worth it. I'd love to return.

And interestingly, a friend of mine from the Aurora ships settled here. He has some fascinating stories. All the homes are very basic inside and very small. I guess you don't want to be warming up large spaces in the middle of winter! So if you're thinking of raiding your superannuation fund and buying a holiday house, this might not be the easiest place to visit! But I digress.

The colourful huts are simply made for photography and I spent a wonderful few hours wandering the streets, looking for angles. There are a lot of angles that don't work, even with such great subject matter, but when you find an angle that does, it stands out. What I like about this composition is the repetition of shapes (the houses) and the reduction in scale. I don't need all of the blue house for the viewer to know what it is, and I like the overlapping of the houses as they spill down the hill.

The red hut is the main story, the yellow hut a punctuation mark. And the large blue hut with the blue landscape behind is the canvas. Soft overcast light was helpful in maintaining detail throughout the composition, although I'm sure there are some amazing shots to be found in different light and climate conditions. Our four hours on shore was simply not enough!

And if you're interested in seeing more of this series of photos, I have a 100-page ePortfolio available for sale on the on website. It's titled North West Passage. You can see more details by clicking here.