Surreal Photos of Gigantic Icebergs Looming Over a Tiny Village

Jul 16, 2025

Matt Growcoot

Two large icebergs float in deep blue water near a rocky coastline, with low clouds partially covering the background and some small buildings visible on land. The sky is partly cloudy. — Dennis Lehtonen flew his drone to capture epic shots such as this one.

When a remote settlement in Greenland woke one morning last week to find two giant icebergs looming over them, one of the villagers, Dennis Lehtonen, grabbed his cameras and started shooting this highly unusual event.

The icebergs had been visible to villagers in the settlement of Innaarsuit for several days. Photographer Dennis Lehtonen, who works in the fish factory there, tells PetaPixel that he had been secretly wishing that the huge icebergs would reach the village.

“I even told my co-workers that for an early Christmas present, I’d like those icebergs in front of the village,” jokes Lehtonen. “I guess Santa heard my wish, as a few days later, they had parked right in front of the fish factory. That must have been the biggest Christmas present ever.”

A red wooden house and a blue house sit on a rocky slope overlooking calm water with large icebergs floating nearby, under a cloudy sky in a remote Arctic coastal landscape. — Dennis Lehtonen

A small blue cabin stands on rocky ground with patches of green grass, set against a massive, towering white iceberg under a clear blue sky. — Dennis Lehtonen

Lehtonen is from Finland but currently resides in Innaarsuit, Greenland. When he arrived in the settlement, he was told a story about an enormous iceberg that threatened the village in 2018, and the townspeople had to evacuate.

“The icebergs were a real threat as they could collapse and cause a mini tsunami,” says Lehtonen. “For the second time, a warning was issued, and the fish factory was closed. We were told not to go in big groups to the shop and not to be around the coast.”

The icebergs were in a “critical location” for two full days, floating menacingly next to the town. Eventually, the danger passed — not before Lehtonen was able to grab some epic photos.

“The local people who have lived here for years, even all their lives, said they’d never seen a tall iceberg like that rising so far above the houses,” says Lehtonen. “I focused on photographing the iceberg mostly with my Sony Alpha 7 IV and a Sony GM 70-200mm f/2.8 lens as I thought they looked best with the houses in front.”

A small, weathered red house stands on a rocky hillside with scattered debris, while a massive blue iceberg towers in the background under an overcast sky. — Dennis Lehtonen

“I was also blessed with the lighting in my opinion as there were moments with fog, which added a lot to the photos,” continues Lehtonen. “The drone I am using is a DJI Air 2S.”

More of Lehtonen’s work can be found on his Instagram and website.

Image credits: Photographs by Dennis Lehtonen