Antarctic Photo Tips

[RJ]

I found these photos of Antarctica, and tips on how to take them, yesterday. It was an off-shoot of my online research for tips to match my printer color putput, to my computer monitor output. The http://www.luminous-landscape.com/ site is a pretty impressive site with advice on such matters.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images65/penguin-swirl-9300.jpg
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Penguin Swirl. Antarctica, February, 2007

Canon 1Ds MKII with 100-400mm f/4.5L IS lens. 400mm @ ISO 320

"One of the challenges when shooting in Antarctica is in conveying the scale of what one is seeing. There are no trees or buildings to lend scale, so one is frequently not certain when viewing a photograph exactly how large or small things might be.

Penguins were therefore introduced to Antarctica early in the last century so as to provide photographers with something to have in their images to lend a sense of scale. This was done at around the same time that the intense out-of-gamut blues of the ice were also introduced.

Incidentally, there are rumours that Fuji was going to produce a film called Bluevia, which would do for Antarctic blues what Velvia did for greens. But the digital takeover lead to the abandonment of the project. Instead, nature increased the saturation of all blues in Antarctica so that digital as well as film photographers could cause their viewers to comment, "Boy, you really punched up the saturation slider on those blues, didn't you?" "

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I was surprised that first photo was unedited. The tips on how to take those photos is here:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/aa07-portfolio.shtml

[RJ]

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images64/ruins-and-building-2580.jpg
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Ruins. Grytviken, South Georgia. February, 2007

Hasselblad H2 with 35mm HC lens and Phase One P45 back @ ISO 100

On the island of South Georgia in the far South Atlantic lies the abandoned whaling station of Grytviken. The whale oil tanks and buildings have been made safe and may be visited, unlike some other locations which are off-limits to visitors.

The 2 hours or so which we spent at Grytviken were a frenzy of shooting for me, as I have an affinity for photographing ruins. In fact I have a portfolio of images in preparation from that morning's shoot, a testament to its richness as a photographic location.

The above image is somewhat disorienting – quite deliberately. The rusted forms and shadows merge, with just about the only recognizable thing being the boarded up barracks building in the background. The geometry of desolation.

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I'd seen some pics of Grytviken before, principally in Tom Waller's Antarctic Diary thread. However this photo perspective is quite different and interesting.

[RJ]

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images64/triangle-cloud-3044.jpg
Trangle Cloud. Antarctica. February, 2007

Hasselblad H2 with 55-110mm HC lens and Phase One P45 back @ ISO 100

"It's always about light. Always. Of course there needs to be a subject, but without interesting light even the most compelling subjects don't often succeed in creating strong images.

We had just spent the most incredible hour sailing up a narrow fiord, into gale force winds. The wind was so strong that waterfalls were actually falling upwards. It was like something from a science fiction movie. We all did a lot of shooting, but the environment was more visceral than it was conducive to strong photography.

As we sailed out of the fiord back into the Antarctic ocean a massive cloud bank descended onto the mountains behind us, but for a few moments before it disappeared the sun illuminated the ocean along with a single cloud. What startled me was the triangular shadow shape in the cloud, exactly mirroring the triangular mountain peaks below it."

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This reminds me of a picture I took of Mt McKinley/Denali from Talkeetna, Alaska in Sep 2001. A mountain n the distance, soaring high above the clouds, is an impressive non-delusion. However, in this pic above, I think it IS an illusion.

[RJ]

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images64/whale-3977.jpg
Humpback. Antarctica. February, 2007

Hasselblad H2 with 210mm HC lens and Phase One P45 back @ ISO200

"Pretty boring huh? Not !

Here's the thing. Subtle low contrast images with muted colours simply aren't very impressive on the web. But in a large print, this image, taken with a 39 Megapixel back, is highly compelling. The most minute detail on this Humpback whale's skin, and the tiniest ripples in the water as it slices through the Antarctic ocean are visible.

So why show it here? Simply to illustrate that when one views photographs online one is rarely seeing anything more than an modest interpretation of what a well made print can be like. A 24" print of this image will be featured in my gallery exhibit in Toronto in May, '07. Come see it and let me know what you think. "

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Well, okay, if you say so. In my experience over the last few years, pics I can post on the web are vastly superior to what I can print at home, even with an expensive printer with resolutions up to 2800 pixels and sizes up to 17 inches by 33 feet.

[RJ]

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images64/penguin-pool-3886.jpg
Penguin Pool. Antarctica – February, 2007

Hasselblad H2 with 210mm lens and Phase One P45 back @ ISO 100

"I am always on the look-out for images which are straight / literal representations of reality, but which cause the viewer to stop and ask themselves – what am I seeing? Not quite tromp l'oeil, but not just tricks either.

Penguin Pool above is one such. We were moving through a channel which had a number of large icebergs, and as we passed one we saw for a brief moment or two that a fresh water pool had formed, and four penguins were standing on the ice next to it. As the ship came closer the penguins startled and dived into the pool. I was able to capture this frame, with the penguins looking like carefully arranged cardboard cut-outs, and the pool a mysterious ice carving suspended over a deep aquamarine grotto."

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Wow, strang AND pretty at the same time.

[RJ]

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images64/tear-drop-65.jpg
Tear Drop View. Antarctica – February, 2007

Canon 1Ds MKII with 24-105mm lens @ ISO 200

"The environment in Antarctica is so unique, the light so extraordinary, and the scale so beyond normal experience that photographs from there often seem unworldly, or faked. No tricks are needed though because nature serves up so much remarkable landscape as to make it a dream world in its own right.

This photograph was taken from a Zodiac as we cruised a field of icebergs in a calm Antarctic Peninsula bay. I noticed that one berg had a window, and as we pulled close I was able to frame the distant shore and mountains through it.

At the time we remarked how the colour temperature of the berg and that of the snow on the glacier were so different (even though it was mid-morning), but no one had a convincing explanation of why this was the case."

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Now if that was up on Long's Peak in Colorado, where I was in 2004, that could be labeled "the key-hole route".

[RJ]

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images64/penguin-sunrise-9814.jpg
Penguin Sunrise. Antarctica, February, 2007

Canon 1Ds MKII with 24-105mmL IS lens @ ISO 100

"A major advantage of visiting Antarctica on an expedition ship dedicated to photography is that we have the opportunity of making pre-dawn landings to catch the most dramatic light. In this instance we were ashore just at sunrise and were able to take advantage of a lovely dawn and some accommodating residents."

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Nic pic, but I think it impressed the photographer just to be there, more than it impresses subsequent viewers. I found that out when I returned from Alaska. I managed to get to some places that almost no humans ever get to see, which were just spectacular. Almost any healthy human would've been stunned, entranced and overwhelmed by the magical environs in some of those places at the right time. But upon viewing a photo of such scenes, many if not most had reactions ranging from "that's nice - yawn", to "ho-hum - time for my nap".

[RJ]

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images64/jellyfish-berg-penguin-big.jpg
Lion's Mane Medusa, Iceberg, and Penguin. February, 2007
Paradise Bay, Antarctica

Canon 1Ds MKII with 24-105mm lens @ ISO 400
1/125 sec... f/5.6

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At first glance here, I noticed the ice berg & penquin. Then on 2nd glance, I thought the unique aspect was the giant jellyfish alligned center bottom. But on 3d glance, I wondered what the heck is that penguin doing? It looks like it's jet-skiing or walking on water. rj

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"It was late afternoon and we were nearing the end of our third zodiac excursion of the day. The light was dimming and a light snow had started. As we moved away from the foot of a glacier and started back toward our ship our zodiac driver Christian, a marine biologist, spotted a Lion's Main Medusa, a large venomous jellyfish. This particular specimen must have been about three feet wide, with tentacles of six to eight feet in length.

We spent several minutes floating close to it so that everyone aboard could have an opportunity to photograph it in the crystal-clear Antarctic water.

At one point I managed to line up a shot with a small iceberg above it, and just enough head-room to include the horizon line and a second larger distant berg. At that moment I was aware of some movement in the frame and fired a shot, though I have to admit that I wasn't really aware of what had actually happened. I simply kept on shooting, trying to get a good close up from various angles. A few minutes later we had to move on, returning to the ship, a warm shower, and dinner.

That evening back in my cabin, I imported the files into Lightroom and started scanning through them. When I saw frame #480 (my camera had just rolled over past 10,000 frames earlier that afternoon, and was now numbering again from zero) I hooted with excitement as I went from thumbnail to full frame. I couldn't believe that I had captured the jellyfish and berg with a penguin also jumping in the frame. A few people passing by in the corridor heard my chortles and came into the cabin, and there were lots of high-fives and jokes about how fast I must be in doing high quality Photoshop composites.

The truth of course is that this is a straight photograph, with only some traditional luminance adjustments and dust spot removal. The frame isn't even cropped very much, and then simply to straighten the horizon a bit.

It's regrettable that there is so much Photograph leger-de-main to be seen that when a remarkable image like Lion's Mane Medusa, Iceberg, and Penguin is made, most people's first response is to assume that it was created with Photoshop rather than being an actual scene in nature. Since there were eight other people in the boat who saw the shot being taken there is no question as to its veracity, even if I was prone to commit a fraud. But I have to admit that even now after living with it for a week or so, I sometimes scratch my head in amazement, along with no small amount of satisfaction."

[RJ]

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images64/penguins8130.jpg
King Penguin Conference. South Georgia. February, 2007
Canon 1Ds MKII with 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens at ISO 100

"What is it about Penguins? They are so easy to anthropomorphize, I suppose, looking so much like a bunch of self-important politicians in tuxedos.

What more can one say? The world doesn't need a single additional penguin photograph added to its vast collection, but they are so damn photogenic (especially Kings and Emperors) that a few more shots surely can't hurt – can they?"

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That's a fine photo. But it's not the first of it's kind I've seen or posted.
http://www.shaniafans.com/mb/showthread.php?t=12137&page=12&pp=15
Post # 168, 171, 175 & 178 are related.

[RJ]

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images64/blue-lace-berg-3408.jpg
Blue Lace Iceberg. Antarctica – February, 2007
Hasselblad H2 with 210mm lens and P45 back @ ISO 100

Some images need to be seen as prints – preferably large prints. Photographs with subtlety of detail and tonality are disadvantaged on the web, where bold images with strong form and colour are more eye catching.

Blue Lace Iceberg is one of the photographs taken hand-held with the H2 and P45 from the deck of the ship that convinced me that working this way was indeed possible. It also will be one of the featured large prints at my gallery show later this spring.

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Interesting. I've not seen any pics quite like that before. I did not know icebergs were that intensely and darkly blue. This one must have rolled part way on one side, for the color zone to come up like that. rj

[Alex]

Amazing pics. I woul love o stay at Antrtica someday, it'd be an awesome experience. Thanksso much for sharing these wonderful pics:D:up:

[ELEANOR MAW]

Thank you R.J for the Antarctic Photo's and info, A woundefal treat.

[SevenUp!]

Thanks for the posts RJ!! Pictures are awesome!! :D

[Troll]

Cool pics Bob.

[Charly]

Amazing pics!!!!!!

The Antarctic is a different world, beautiful colors, love the first pics.. i'd rather a cozy place instead LOL

[Troll]

Amazing pics!!!!!!

The Antarctic is a different world, beautiful colors,

You got that right.