The Arctic
In
2000, my wife and I were fortunate to travel to Antarctica and The
Arctic twice each. I began the year shooting print film, ended the year
shooting slides and having my first introduction to digital imaging -
from my then 25 year old son who brought his new digital camera and
displayed his shots as slide shows each evening on my wife’s laptop for
those who didn’t make the day’s landings and for the rest of us who were
most curious about this emerging technology. Not yet fully committed to
photography, I had made a start and met a number of professional nature
photographers who became mentors and friends. The photography,
about ice and light, often days of 24/7 daylight, polar bears and
penguins (never together of course), making landings with armed guards
where bears lived in the North and into the midst of numerous penguin
rookeries,
both on the continent of Antarctica and on some of the Australian,
British and New Zealand sub-Antarctic islands. Helicopter rides far into the fast ice, sunsets that
seemed perpetual, whales of many species in all waters, seals both north
and south, Walruses in the North, icebergs and glaciers, ice tongues
stretching thirty miles into the surface frozen sea, icebreakers backing
and filling for hours fighting for forward progress, were all part of these
experiences. I hope you enjoy sharing some of them with me.
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