Crabeater seal on iceberg, Antarctica. Canon 5D Mark III, 24-105 f/4L IS (24mm), 1/800 sec @ f/13, ISO 400.
The voyages to Antarctica are lengthy and adventurous. The direct route there from the southern tip of Argentina in a large ship is about a two days, and longer if you visit South Georgia Island along the way. Once at the Antarctic Peninsula, daily visits are made to shore at a number of different locations. But often, cruising bays and coves in a zodiac is an option to actually going ashore. These little mini cruises are explorations on their own, while winding through ice-choked waters looking for wildlife and soaking up some amazing scenery. The many tidewater glaciers in the area fill the waters with floating ice bergs, and they are resting platforms for the seals that live in Antarctic waters. The crabeater seal is the most abundant seal species in the world, and it inhabits a large perimeter zone around all of Antarctica. I’ve photographed my share of close up shots of seals, but it is the wide angle photos that I like the most. The reason is that it gives the viewer a contextual reference of where the animal lives, and incorporates colors, shapes and lines, often offering more points of visual interest. Since floating icebergs are 7/8 underwater, looking through the clear water at the ice below makes a beautiful foreground. I used the 24-105mm lens to make this photo (24mm), while slowly drifting by in a zodiac.
