Photographing the Falklands

The Falkland Islands Tourist Board has just launched a brand new photography competition called Falklands Exposed.  Comprising six categories, for amateurs and professionals alilke, this is a great chance for you to submit your own photos and be in with a chance to win some fantastic prizes including cameras and camera equipment, annual subscriptions to Outdoor Photography and specialist travel photography books.

The competition is running throughout this ‘summer’ season, until March 2010, and the resulting images will showcase the best that the Falkland Islands have to offer - abundant wildlife, stunning landscapes, fascinating locals and an ever-changing light from sunrise to sunset.  Our Peninsula, Falklands & South Georgia voyage offers the ideal opportunity to take your own incredible photos, but if you're unable to travel this year then the winners' pictures should certainly inspire you to make your own trip next year!

For full details – and some helpful tips from renowned photography expert Steve Davey – visit the Falklands Exposed website here.

Polar Bears of the Northwest Passage

‘Is it an Arctic Hare?’ someone asked, ‘No, it’s an Arctic Fox’ said someone else as we walked towards two white fluff-balls in the distance. Cameras in one hand and binoculars in the other, we all tried to focus on the white spots about 100 metres in front of us. Suddenly a Polar Bear Cub and Mother rose from their rocky habitat to enquire about their visitors…. Adrenaline rushed through my body instantly…. how exciting! If being in the Arctic and sailing the Northwest Passage wasn’t enough, we were now about 80-90 metres away from 2 beautiful Polar Bears! 

The sheer size of the bears, the fact that we were on their land and how close we were became apparent very quickly. We had been told in one of the many informative presentations onboard that Polar Bears can run 100 metres in 7 seconds…. That’s fast and 100 metres has never seemed so close! The bears became curious, as any human would, and started to walk towards us to find out more. Jamie, our expedition guide, kept us calm and gathered us all together in a tight group, we were instructed to walk in the opposite direction to the bears, back to our base and as we did so the bears decided that we weren’t that interesting after all and sat back down to bask in the sun. Exploring this vast and remote area in the Northwest Passage will stay with me forever and coming across two of the largest land predators on earth today will always remind me how unique and fascinating our world is! 

By Lauren Brewer

Shipmates ahoy...

We've just spent an enjoyable few days exhibiting at Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show. It's always great to have the opportunity to meet so many people passionate about travel and all it entails - and it gives us a chance to share our own passions!  One of the questions that kept cropping up was about who you're likely to be sharing your voyage with - so here's a brief profile of some of my ship-mates that shared my recent Antarctic adventure:

The ages ranged from early 20s (an Israeli backpacker) to a number of passengers well into retirement.  There was also a large number in their 40s.  They were of all different nationalities and backgrounds - lawyers and doctors, students and teachers, American, Australian, Taiwanese, Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, German, English...  Of particular relevance to some of our favourite destinations was Pall Steingrimsson, a charming Icelandic film producer, and Linda Besse, a successful wildlife artist (take a look at some of her Arctic studies, including some life-like polar bears - penguins to follow shortly!).   The one thing we all shared, regardless of age, nationality, status and wealth, was a passion for Antarctica, for the wildlife, the scenery and the adventure, and sharing such a unique experience brought us all together in a way that few other experiences could.

Extreme Tourists - The Richard & Judy Show

Antarctic tourism really is a hot topic at the moment (no pun intended on global warming - *groan*)!   Earlier this week Patrick Barkham from the Guardian quizzed Discover the World on how a desire for 'extreme adventures' draws polar travellers to the Antarctic continent. Read the article here. Then we were called by a researcher from the Richard & Judy Show,   looking to unlock the minds of so-called 'Extreme Tourists' (a bit media-speak for me to be honest!). 

We were only too pleased to assist with putting them in touch with our past passenger, the bubbly and friendly Dawn Collins, who is a true polar aficionado. Dawn, together with her husband Sean (a fantastic amateur photographer - see his pictures here), has travelled both to Spitsbergen in the Arctic, and the Antarctic Peninsula.  I'm sure Sean was delighted to see his pictures of a polar bear and penguin on national television, courtesy of the Richard & Judy Show!

It was Dawn however who took the limelight with her 15 minutes of fame 'on the box' last night (Channel 4, at 5pm), talking about her polar experiences and how it was possible to find her own space behind a piece of ice, and reflect on the reality of visiting the stunning Antarctic continent. 

Times Online - Awestruck in Antarctica

You can always rely on the Times to feature some inspiring travel.  Here's a great online piece by Gareth Jenkins, who is  'Awestruck in Antarctica', having decided to quit the daily grind and trot off around the globe with his trusty camera. 

Gareth travelled onboard the 46-passenger former research vessel, the Aleksey Maryshev, and recounts his experiences in an article that brings the experience of visiting the Antarctic Peninsula vividly to life.  Having been privileged to travel onboard the sister vessel to the Aleksey Maryshev, the Grigoriy Mikheev, he took me right back there to the peace and tranquility, and astounding beauty of the area.  Take a peek at his image gallery - some truly breathtaking shots on there.....

Other Antarctic blogs....

Thought I'd share with you some choice Antarctic blogs you may like to dip into:

My absolute favourites, from the guys down at Port Lockroy (Base 'A' now run as a living museum and post office by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust) - http://www.ukaht.org/portlockroydiaries.htm and http://rachelhazellisaway.wordpress.com/ and http://helen-in-antarctica.blogspot.com/ - they're just about at the end of the season down there now...

http://antarcticjournal.blogspot.com/ - written by a graduate student who is resident on Ross Island, studying penguins.

http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_stations/halley/halleyvi/ - the British Antarctic Survey's blog featuring a Halley Station webcam.

http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2008/nov/blog111607.html - University of Delaware blog from the South Pole.

http://web2.clarkson.edu/projects/antarctica/blog/ - John Bean's Antarctic blog from the US base McMurdo.

I'll be looking forward to reading Ben Saunders' SOUTH expedition blog - http://www.bensaunders.com/south/ SOUTH will be the first return journey to the South Pole on foot, and the longest unsupported (human-powered) polar journey in history.

http://www.dumont-durville.ift.fr/ - a blog from the French base Dumont d'Urville (amazing photo of the southern lights on there at the moment) - this is very close to where March of the Penguins was filmed...

Any other recommendations are most welcome!

Taking Photographs in Antarctica

It's definitely not going to be a problem finding absolutely breathtaking subject matter in Antarctica, but how do you go about capturing it on camera?  Well, for starters, it's best not to place too much emphasis on trying, as there's no way you can truly capture this vast and beautiful continent. Just absorb the peace you feel sitting high up on a bank of snow looking out at what looks like hundreds of mountain peaks stretching as far as the eye can see, or the smell, sound and shere numbers of a nesting ground of gentoos on Aitcho Island, or the gentle plink plunk of melting ice when your zodiac driver cuts the engine and you drift slowly alongside a mammoth iceberg the size of a house..... You can't capture that in a picture, but I still can't help but break into the hugest smile when I flick through my own Antarctic photos.   

Aside from remembering to look at Antarctica not just through a lens, you'll no doubt take some amazing shots to reflect on at home.  There's a great website I found giving some really useful tips and hints at taking photographs around the white continent.  Michael Reichmann gives some useful overviews of what equipment he found worked best in Antarctic conditions. It's worth remembering however that all expedition voyages take place during the Antarctic summertime - when temperatures down there are at their warmest and the coastline becomes alive with breeding wildlife (not the howling blizzard conditions of the South Pole that you so often see in the documentaries).  Anticipate an average of around zero degrees.  Still - you'll need to allow for some possible blizzards (it really is known as the windiest continent for a reason!), cloudy weather and also spells of bright blinding sunshine (don't forget your T-shirts - layering is the way to go)! 

Most people take two cameras (incase one fails), and use extensive zoom lenses for wildlife pictures, as well as polarising lenses (that soak up the colours).  Zooms aren't always necessary, as penguins are absolutely everywhere (even if you try your hardest to stay the specified distance away from them).  Chicks in paritcular can be fearless and curious and often feel the need to check that your Wellington boots really aren't edible (and that goes for coat and rucksack toggles too!).  Zooms are of course very useful for capturing close-ups of seals on ice floes or other wildlife best seen at a distance. I kept my camera warm by stuffing it down the front of my parka - remember that batteries run down more quickly in colder conditions, and mechanics can jam. Also ensure that you have your camera in a waterproof bag to keep out any salt spray thrown up on zodiac rides to the landings.  Take a BIG memory card too- you don't want to be limited and have to cull your images half-way through your trip. Click here for a report by Andrew Curry on professional photographer Rosemary Keogh's experiences - somewhat more extreme than many of our passengers will experience! 

Passenger Annie King's blog - Classic Antarctica

So - you've read the brochure, been scanning through the website, have watched the films March of the Penguins and even Happy Feet - now's your chance to read an entertaining first-hand account from one of our passengers  who travelled aboard the 110-passenger M/V Orlova on the Classic Antarctica voyage (visiting the South Shetland Islands and the Peninsula) starting on 10 November in Ushuaia last year. 

Many thanks to Annie King for allowing us to post this link - looks like she had a wonderful time - we're of course not jealous at all!!!  Annie's blog starts in the UK - with the flight over to Argentina, and then begins in earnest in Ushuaia at Tierra del Fuego (the end of the world...).  Read on and you'll learn about Annie's relatively calm crossing of the dreaded Drake Passage (renowned as one of the roughest stretches of water in the world), leading on to the first sightings of Antarctica and her amazing experiences exploring the wonders of the white continent.

It was lovely to see my colleague Rachel's name mentioned - we were delighted that Discover the World was able to assist in the planning of Annie's trip of a lifetime. Not a bad job that we have - helping make experiences like Annie's happen!

Antarctic video footage on Youtube

If you're considering booking a voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula, why not have a look at one of our past client's videos on Youtube and see what you could experience yourself - this fantastic footage was taken aboard the Aleksey Maryshev, on a 12-day 'Antarctic Peninsula' voyage which set sail from Ushuaia on 16 Dec 2006 (see the itinerary here).    Highlights include comical gentoos playing around icebergs and on land, an Adelie penguin and tiny chick, amazing footage of a leopard seal swimming around and under a zodiac, a crabeater seal moving across an iceflow, and elephant seals sparring on a beach.  Plus stunning mirrored mountains reflected in the glass-clear waters of the Antarctic.  This really is such a special place....

March of the Emperor Penguins - Successful first voyage!

The first ever Emperor Penguin Safari to Snowhill Island, in the Weddell Sea has just returned safely to port, with an extremely satisfied shipload of adventurers! The skill and experience of the Expedition Team and Kapitan Khlebnikov's officers and crew enabled travellers to spend three full days at the Snow Hill rookery in Antarctica. The combination of almost perfect weather and young chicks in the care of adults provided unparalleled photo opportunities.

The second voyage aboard the icebreaker, which is currently underway, arrived at the rookery a day ahead of schedule. Indications are that this will be another smashing success!  Can't wait to see the photos.  Early booking is definitely advised as these voyages are ultra-popular, largely due to the Oscar-winning documentary film, March of the Penguins.