Toby Harriman and Jussi Ruottinen of Planet Unicorn are two amazing photographers who’ve created a visually stunning new project called Paddling Tranquility. This breathtaking project follows them trekking along Alaskan glaciers, capturing awe-inspiring images of a paddleboarder navigating through the frozen landscapes.
Paddling Tranquility | An Alaskan Short from Planet Unicorn on Vimeo.
An Idea Crazy Enough to Work
Back in 2017, Harriman and his friend, Kyle took a trip out to Inner Lake George near Knik Glacier. They had found an old canoe, and this gave Harriman a crazy idea. There was broken ice everywhere on the lake, and Harriman wanted to get shots of Kyle paddling through it.
Since that day, Harriman has had a true passion for exploring remote, glacial areas. Harriman strives to “keep creating abstract, adventurous aerials and stories,” he says. Especially, with the way things are going, these places may not stick around much longer.
Photos from a Frozen Wonderland
For their first trek through the glaciers, Harriman, Ruottinen, and the rest of the team backpacked with 50 pounds of camera gear and an inflatable paddleboard for 3 miles, looking for the perfect glacial pool. They had to backtrack a mile due to making a wrong turn, but finally, they had found it: the most beautiful glacier lake they had ever seen!
The group decided to get dropped off by helicopter at Bear Glacier Lagoon for the second expedition. No more trekking through the ice with all the gear. Harriman said, “Getting dropped off [at Bear Glacier] to hang out for the day was definitely a dream that finally happened.” He said, “We paddled around for hours listening to the glaciers calve in the distance and the icebergs flip over in front of us. It was an incredible experience and one of the most surreal moments we have experienced in a while.”
Paddling Tranquility is one of the most gorgeous photography projects we’ve seen this year. Such stunning views of an environment that is slowly starting to disappear.
If you like what you’ve seen here, you can purchase the fine art prints of these images on Planet Unicorn’s website. You won’t be disappointed!
