We're Still Dreaming Of Antarctica

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After a whirlwind tour of Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina and Torres Del Paine, Chile, Seth Resnick, Eric Meola, Arthur Meyerson and I are finally on our way home from our recent Antarctica voyage. (Check my Google+ , Twitter, or Facebook streams for a collection of quotes on travel and home.)
We’re all still dreaming of Antarctica. Whether for the first time (Arthur and Eric) or for the fourth time (Seth and I) Antarctica touched us all very deeply. We all had unique experiences. We all made compelling images in our own unique ways. And we were able to share the experience together. And yet, no matter how hard we try to put those experiences into words, something about the place defies description. Antarctica is a profoundly mysterious place. Antarctica is so exotic that when you’re there you often feels like you’ve visited another planet.
Here are a few quick thoughts from each of us.
“I saw deeper shades of blue than I’ve ever seen before. And I was able to get closer to it and find more dramatic angles than ever before. Every time we go back there are new surprises to discover.”  – Seth Resnick
“Antarctica was the fulfillment of a life time dream … the magical mystery tour. The light, the landscape, the color blue – otherworldly. I have never experienced anything like this before. I felt as though I was on another planet.” – Arthur Meyerson
“What impressed me most about Antarctica was the silence. I’ve never been anywhere as spiritual. Most places are spiritual because of their religion. This was a place that is spiritual because of its natural beauty. I sensed that everyone around me felt the same way. Although photographers become mesmerized by their subjects, for the first time I sensed that the spirituality of the place affected them very deeply. All of us were absorbing the beauty around us.” – Eric Meola
“Antarctica is never the same twice. It’s like a mirage that never fades. It seems simultaneously eternal and ephemeral. It’s as if spirit took shape – and when you got there you get to touch it, immerse yourself in it, and take it into you. You cannot go to Antarctica and return unchanged.” – John Paul Caponigro
Digital Photo Destinations is planning a new Antarctica workshop voyage for 2013.
Sign up for our pre announce list to be among the first to hear about it.
Email jpc@digitalphotodestinations.
Find out more about Antarctica here.

Drake Passage

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Two full days of rolling seas? Give me light on the water in the day, give me color on the water at twilight and dawn, give me dramatic clouds, give me white caps, give me ice – not this incessant gray.
Today I presented a seminar on dodging and burning. Seth presented a seminar on key wording.
 
Find out about our next Antarctica digital photography workshop here.
Sign up for the pre-announce list for our next Antarctica voyage.
Email jpc@digitalphotodestinations.com.

Danco Island / Melchior Islands

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At last! A sunny day! Sunshine energized us on an extended visit to Danco Island. Some made the trek up the mountain to a high overlook of the surrounding glaciers and bays. Others went on extended zodiac cruises through fields of ice. We made our way from one end of the island to the other as brash ice and bergy bits swiftly swept away in the strong current, while large water carved tabulars slowly drifted and shifted. The ice that was transparent glowed unimaginable shades of blue both above and below the waterline.
We moved on through the Gerlache Strait to the Melchior Islands, a small dramatic chain of islands at the edge of the southern ocean. After a hot chocolate party on the upper decks we turned out to the ruling seas for our return voyage. Once again, the seas were high and rolling and the low lying clouds swept in once again. Sea birds chased the boat, gliding at the water’s surface to skim for krill stirred by the boat’s passage.
Phone calls home and to my father on his birthday were much appreciated.
This evening, all of the instructors processed one of their new files and discussed why they made the decisions they made along the way.

Find out about our next Antarctica digital photography workshop here.
Sign up for the pre-announce list for our next Antarctica voyage.
Email jpc@digitalphotodestinations.com.

Lemaire Channel / Plenneau Bay / Petermann Island

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Lemaire Channel was socked in with heavy snow as we passed through it. Only those who had been there before, knew the soaring majesty of the peaks above hidden by the low lying clouds. Having been through the Lemaire Channel four times now, our 2005 expedition passage, which was full of hours of riotous color, was clearly an exception, not the rule.
At the far end of the Lemaire Channel we turned into Plenneau Bay, the iceberg graveyard. The ice was good, but not extraordinary like our 2007 cruise. Snow filled the air making shooting conditions challenging. We traversed the bay for hours in separate zodiacs exploring the largest masses of ice that weren’t surrounded by brash ice. Snow covered, this ice, grounded in the shallows of the bay, offered altitude and a side variety of shapes, lines, and textures.
After lunch, we moved on to nearby Petermann Island, the area’s largest colony of Adelie Penguins at the gateway to the Pennola Strait strewn with large masses of ice. The sun made a feeble attempt to come out for the following hours, a tiny omnipresent spot, making a wonderful counterpoint in the otherwise flat gray skies, still capable of casting light upon the watery sculptures we chased so feverishly. Again, those of us who elected not to land enjoyed the luxury of extended zodiac cruises. For hours, we chased pyramids, caryatids, griffins and a riot of other fantasies frozen in ice.  This afternoon and Paradise Bay were the best sessions of the whole trip.
Incoming sea ice forced us to carve our way back through the Lemaire Channel through more katabatic winds, gusting up to 50 mph. With an eye to our voyage home, we moved north west to find an evening’s shelter and position ourselves for our final day of cruising.
Andy Biggs made a quick presentation on integrating NIK software into a digital workflow. Seth followed with an extended presentation on advanced Lightroom processing techniques and leveraging the power of Presets.

Find out about our next Antarctica digital photography workshop here.
Sign up for the pre-announce list for our next Antarctica voyage.
Email jpc@digitalphotodestinations.com.

Neko Harbor / Paradise Bay

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Katabatic winds gusting up to 50 mph delayed our landing at Neko Harbor, our first continental landing. The classic walk to the overlook of the glacier and the zodiac cruises were cancelled in favor of ice cruising with the ship. There’s more ice this year and 2011 is becoming known for it’s inclemency. The winds died down by the time we arrived in Paradise Harbor. Patches of calm water created exquisite symmetrical reflections. Looking down into the water you could simultaneously see both the white ice above the waterline, it’s reflection on the surface of the water, and the aqua ice below the waterline. This was the best zodiac cruise of the day. The cloud ceiling came down upon us once again as we left to our next location. Thick sea ice choked the channels before us. Images of historic expeditions becoming ice locked flashed before us. We plowed slowly through sea ice throughout the night to our next location.
I presented my seminar Tell Your Story and Seth covered Lightroom’s Develop module.

Find out about our next Antarctica digital photography workshop here.
Sign up for the pre-announce list for our next Antarctica voyage.
Email jpc@digitalphotodestinations.com.

Enterprise Island / Wilhelmina Bay / Cuverville Island

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We wandered all day, shooting from the decks and reviewing images, through ice-choked fjords scattered with intermittent cloudbursts, alternating between rain, sleet, and snow looking for dramatic ice. The ice appeared to be younger, lumpier, flatter, snow laden, rather than the older more dramatic blue striated and scalloped masses that contain cracks, crevice, windows, arches and seemingly infinite blue masses below the waterline. We used the larger ship as a zodiac, keeping us and our equipment warm and dry and giving us a higher angle of view. Our captain, Alexi, the man who got us through The Gullet in 2009, impressed us once again with his daring and extraordinary skill. He made it look so easy that new passengers didn’t notice the artful way he wove through the ice fields. Masters make sophisticated tasks look easy. We hear the Lamaire Channel is still choked with ice and few if any ships have made it through. We’re hopeful that we’ll be among the first, because our captain is Alexi.
At the end of the day we landed at Cuverville Island, one of the largest Gentoo penguin colonies sheltering thousands of birds amid a series of dramatic peaks. Our Quark expedition leader Graham found out how ice obsessed our group was when twenty people opted to go zodiac cruising amid the most impressive ice field we’ve encounter yet on this trip. Rain hampered our efforts making it more difficult shooting but we soldiered on. Though many images were lost due to the adverse conditions, no one lost a camera. First-timers were wowed. Veterans knew that this was only the beginning.

Find out about our next Antarctica digital photography workshop here.
Sign up for the pre-announce list for our next Antarctica voyage.
Email jpc@digitalphotodestinations.com.