“Every time I find myself in the Arctic, there’s a sensation of pure wonder that refuses to fade,” says Mickaël Peralta, a nature photographer who’s on a mission to help others cherish the wilderness, where “these vast, open landscapes and inspiring animals create a peace, solitude, and a rare and powerful sense of serenity.”

Mickaël’s three-week trip to Greenland’s frozen east coast had long been a personal goal and it was one that delivered everything he was hoping for. “After traveling multiple times through Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Svalbard, Greenland felt like the final piece of the puzzle for me,” he explains. “I joined an expedition on a ship called the Polarfront, a former meteorological research vessel from the 1970s. It was about 55m long, but small enough to access the most remote fjords. The trip was during the Arctic summer, and I was able to fully embrace the environment by swimming off the boat in 1ºC or 2ºC waters.”

“But even in those warmer months, one of my strongest memories of that trip is the sound of the sea ice breaking beneath the hull of the ship,” he remembers. “The cracking and groaning of the ice is one of the most intense and unforgettable sensations I’ve ever experienced. It is so alien to outsiders and so resonant of that place.”

“The goal of this project was to showcase the immensity of a still untouched wilderness,” Mickaël continues, “and we navigated through areas which most people have never seen, let alone actually visited. Greenland, and particularly its east coast, is extremely difficult to access, and I wanted to show landscapes that are still truly wild and untamed.”

“The journey allowed me to approach this incredible place as a documentary observer, not just a wildlife and landscape photographer,” he says. “We visited a Greenlandic village, which is surrounded by sea ice stretching nearly 80km and is completely isolated most of the time. Spending days with the community and documenting their daily life, you begin to better understand living with that remoteness, and the reliance on hunting for food.”

The splendor of Greenland’s environment and wildlife was on full display during Mickaël’s trip and across those three weeks, the two came together to form some spectacular memories. “Encounters with Arctic wildlife, especially polar bears, are always deeply moving,” he remembers. “One such moment let me illustrate the wonderful geology of those barren places. We saw a polar bear standing above us on ochre and brown rocks, and together that perfectly symbolised the character of those high latitudes.”

Mickaël’s other favourites included images of the island’s towering icebergs. “Discovering icebergs of such size was one of my main goals in visiting Greenland,” he explains. “Their scale was far beyond what I usually encounter in Svalbard. Within the protective slopes of the fjords, the sea is often incredibly calm, allowing pictures of them to include very smooth water and a minimalist atmosphere, even at high shutter speeds.”

Part of Mickaël’s desire to share these unspoiled places and unrepeatable encounters comes from his own introduction to the wilderness, and exposure to the wonders of the wild certainly influenced his photographic journey. “Everything changed for me during an incredible trip to Oregon, nearly a decade ago,” he explains. “It was my very first photographic adventure, 15 days on the road, living life at full speed with just one photographer friend. That journey changed everything and my passion for photography was born along at the same time as my love for wide open spaces.”

“Today, the mix of photography and wilderness gives me a deep sense of freedom, both physically and mentally,” he continues. “Trips like this one to Greenland are a form of meditation for me, a way to reconnect with something essential, but most importantly, it’s my chance to pass on that feeling of being out in nature. The beauty of the natural world was what pushed me to explore more and more, and I want others to have that same inspiration.”

To fill his images with their spontaneity and drama, Mickaël has developed a particular shooting style, backed up by his Sony cameras and lenses. “My goal is to tell the story of a journey in a single image and to convey the emotions I was feeling instantly to the viewer,” he explains. “All my photos are taken handheld, without filters and I usually travel with just one camera body and two or three lenses. For me, about 80% of an image is created in the moment of capture, with the rest shaped during post-processing, and I work with a deliberately limited colour palette, which naturally draws me toward Northern environments.”

“On a trip like this one, many photos are taken from the deck of the boat, and even on calm waters, this presents technical challenges,” he continues. “As the boat is constantly moving, slow shutter speeds are extremely difficult to work with, so I tend to work with settings from 1/250sec all the way up to 1/8000sec.”

Sony’s Steady Shot image stabilisation technology is on hand, both in camera bodies like the A7R V Mickaël used on this trip, and in lenses, helping to counteract the motion of the boat. “On this trip, I discovered the FE 28-70mm f/2 GM, which, along with my FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS, became my two most-used lenses,” he says.

“The 28-70mm was incredibly useful while shooting from the smaller Zodiac boats during short excursions near the glaciers,” Mickaël explains. “It’s very versatile, extremely bright and delivers outstanding image quality, while the 300mm allowed me to isolate wildlife such as the polar bears, musk ox, Arctic foxes and hares, as well as cropping in tight on the icebergs as though I’m taking their portrait.”

“Because I place so much focus on achieving the highest possible image quality in camera, the Alpha 7R V is the obvious choice for me,” he says. “It’s extremely responsive, lightweight and comes with an exceptional autofocus system, while the high resolution is perfect for making my large-scale prints. And Sony’s G Master lenses back up that performance, delivering exceptional sharpness, contrast and natural rendering, so I can create images that are as close to perfect as possible in the field.”

For Mickaël, the Arctic is a muse that keeps on inspiring him. “One of my greatest hopes for a future expedition would be to spend several weeks, or even months, living in a traditional Greenlandic village to truly document their way of life,” he finishes. “I’ll also be returning to Svalbard in 2026 to experience the transition out of winter. Everything will be white, silent and raw.”

“Every season offers something different and each journey is a completely new discovery that gives me the same childlike sense of curiosity. My Sony kit helps keep that feeling for even longer.”