Luminous Landscape
Crossing the Antarctic
Circle 2009
In February 2007 I had the pleasure of participating in
a Luminous Landscape Photographic Workshop to Antarctica. The trip also included locations
such as the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Orkney and of course
the Antarctic Peninsula. Unfortunately, crossing the Antarctic Circle
was not part the itinerary. So, when Michael Reichmann contacted me to
ask if I was interested in completing the journey my reply was a swift
- Yes, please!
As with the first trip, Jeff Schewe, Seth Resnick, John Paul Caponigro, Stephen Johnston
and Kevin Raber would accompany us. We would also have the pleasure of Thomas Knoll's
(author of Adobe Photoshop) company. We set sail from Ushuaia on board the MV Ocean Nova and
crossed the dreaded Drake Passage. Our first stops after crossing the
Drake were the South Shetland Islands, but the weather wasn't
particularly
for good photography. Weather conditions didn't improve much as we
travelled south into the Gerlache Strait and the Lemaire Channel. So,
Michael spoke with the expedition leader and agreement was reached that
we cut loose
and head as far south as ice conditions would allow rather than follow
the planned route.
We crossed the Antarctic Circle (66deg, 33min) and then some, which
brought us well down into Marguerite Bay. We had gone pretty much as
far south as it's possible to go at this time of year and a lot further
than most from the expedition team had ever been. We struck real lucky
in Marguerite Bay as a high-pressure system brought much improved
weather conditions. Many photos were taken from the ship and zodiacs,
and we even managed a few
island landings. With 24hr daylight and lots to photograph we didn't
get a lot of sleep ;-)
The Captains' next trick was to navigate "The Gullet", which is an ice
crammed channel between the mainland and Adelaide Island. It took us
about 6 hours to make our way through. Again, except for the Captain
who had done it once before, this was a first for everyone on the ship.
Actually, we were told that it's VERY rare to get near "The Gullet",
let alone through it.
Going through "The Gullet" gained us an extra days shooting, which all
but made up for the loss at South Shetland. We made many stops and
zodiac cruised a lot for the next 3 days before heading back up through
the Lemaire Channel and Gerlache Straits. Unfortunately, by this time, the weather was
again closing in on us, but we did manage to see lots of Humpback and
Orca whales on the way through. We also spent a couple of days cruising
the Errera and Neumayer Channels, and again had the opportunity to land
on islands such as Petermann Island, Useful Island and Port Lockroy. Overall the trip was a great success with the poor weather
at South Shetland being more than compensated for by everything that
followed.
In each location we had the opportunity to explore
and photograph the unique landscape and wildlife found at the bottom of
the world. The following images are a small selection of the
5500 plus images I returned with. Images from my 2007 trip to Antarctica can be seen at http://www.computer-darkroom.com/antarctica_2007/antarctica_thumbnails.htm
To access the images imply
click on the thumbnail and a larger version will appear. Use the
browser Back button or the one provided at the bottom of each page to
return to this page.
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Ice Arch, Errera Channel |
Iceberg, Neko Harbour |
Ice Blocks, Andvord Bay |
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Castellated Berg,
Andvord Bay |
Evening Light, Neko
Harbour |
Iceberg and Bergy Bits, Errera Channel |
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Cloud Patterns, Neny
Island, Marguerite Bay |
Millerand Island, Marguerite Bay |
Blackwall Mountains, Marguerite Bay |
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Lenticular Clouds, Marguerite Bay |
Sunrise over Red Rock Ridge, Marguerite Bat |
Red Rock Ridge, Marguerite Bay |
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San
Martin Station, Marguerite Bay |
Sunset, Debenham Islands, Marguerite Bay |
Sunset, Powell Channel, Marguerite Bay |
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Cloud Patterns & Pack Ice, Horeshoe Island |
Pack Ice, Horseshoe Island |
Pack Ice & Reflections, Horseshoe Island |
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Ice Arch 1, Prospect Point, Fish Islands |
Ice Arch 2, Prospect Point, Fish Islands |
Ice Arch 3, Prospect Point, Fish Islands |
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Reflections, "The Gullet", Laubeuf Fjord |
The Chair, Marguerite Bay |
Ripples, "The Gullet", Laubeuf Fjord |
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