2013 is reported to be a great year for aurora borealis photography because the sun is at a peak in the 11 year solar cycle. This has inspired many to make quests to destinations that offer high aurora viewing probabilities. In Alaska, Fairbanks becomes a landing point for many because of its northern latitude and…
Both the patterns in the clouds above and the ice below create an interesting presentation of a penguins habitat – life on icebergs. Photographing with wider angle lenses help show the environment. Tunnel vision is a common propensity when photographing wildlife and it is a learning process to back off a bit and show the viewer what…
In keeping with the theme of penguins, per my post a few days ago, here is another photo from a favorite encounter I had a few years ago. Adelie penguins seem to be the most curious of all the penguins I encountered in Antarctica. When photographing, it is both a challenge and a concern of…
Penguins are funny to watch. There is something intrinsic about their movement on land that seems awkward and humorous, yet at the same time, they are remarkably mobile. In the water, they are nothing less than amazing as they seem to move with effortlessness, efficiency and grace. This Gentoo penguin was one of many that…
Warm evening light bathed this distinctive mountain ridge near Booth Island on the Antarctic Peninsula. Two gentoo penguins are standing on the rocks in the foreground, showing the drastic contrast of size and the unique habitat in which these birds live. The mountains had been in flat light until the clouds along the western horizon…
This was home for a few weeks while venturing the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Peninsula. The M/V Ortelius was built in Poland in 1989 and it was designed for polar expeditions. I took this photo at 11:10 p.m., and it shows the scale of the environment of Antarctica, with the 302 foot ship situated among the icebergs.
While cruising through the ice late one evening in Antarctica, I tried to communicate a sense of movement in this image, as the viewing experience of watching pans of ice separate before the ice breaker’s bow was both mesmerizing and other-worldly. I used a 16-35mm lens and experimented with many shutter speeds. While the horizon in the picture is…
I took this photo from the top of Danco island, of a small island on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula, at approximately 9:45 p.m. Like Alaska in the summer time, Antarctica enjoys a lot of daylight. I did not visit this location on my last excursion to Antarctica, but when looking at this…
Penguins and icebergs must be the two greatest hallmark subjects of Antarctica, and they are fun to photograph. We only saw one Chinstrap penguin in Paradise Harbour during an afternoon of exploring the region in a small zodiac. In some regions of the Antarctic Peninsula, populations are declining, although the reasons why are not yet fully understood.
Mixed clouds and sun is my favorite type of weather for landscape photography. It creates a dynamic light that often affords something interesting. The top and back light falling on this group of Adelie penguins gives contrast and separation, and the clouds add a sense of drama to the scene. Placing wildlife contextually in their…