Monday, January 28, 2013

Sky drama, Port Charcot, Antarctica

Categories: Antarctica, Beyond Alaska2 comments

Iceberg in Port Charcot at sunset, Antarctica. Canon 5D Mark III, 24-105mm f/4L IS, (24mm), 1/50 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 400.

In contrast to the last photo I shared from Port Charcot, on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, this image was taken in the opposite direction, about 15 minutes later. The sun had just set and we were closing out the night at about 11:40 p.m. One general piece of advice for landscape photography is don’t put your camera away when the sun sets. If the conditions are right, and there are clouds in the evening sky and it is clear enough in the west, a lot of color can happen at that point. Especially in far northern and southern latitudes when the sunset takes it’s leisurely time. For the curious minded, there is zero saturation and zero vibrance applied to this image in post production. Just a basic white and black point set, with some shadows boosted in Lightroom 4. How I would have loved to be in a skiff and buzz around those giant icebergs at this moment, but this was essentially a grab shot on the way back to the ship.

Categories: Antarctica, Beyond Alaska

by Patrick Endres

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steve greer - It would be wonderful to have boats standing by, weather permitting, so photogs could cruise around the icebergs to their hearts content. And somehow, I don’t know how, to be able to make a stable platform in the water to use tripods and long exposures – imagine star trails with a big chunk of blue ice in the foreground!

Jean McKinstry - Stunning, and great that you give the settings. Yes, sometimes the colours are there when you think they have gone for the night or morning,here in NZ I find that in the early morning, I am lucky if I am there at the right time, a few minutes and they are gone.Your photo is truly beautiful, thank you for sharing so much with us. Cheers from Jean.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Antarctic Solitude

Categories: Antarctica, Beyond Alaska5 comments

Lone penguin on iceberg, Antarctica Peninsula. Canon 5D Mark III, 100-400mm f/5.6L IS, (370mm), 1/250 sec @ f/8, ISO 200

This image invokes the great expanse of ocean wilderness and the solitude of a lone penguin, preening itself on a floating iceberg. Antarctica, because of it’s great remoteness and unique and extreme environment is a true wilderness. Moving through it’s waters on an the deck of an icebreaker is one continuous amphitheater experience. With a few lenses and camera bodies, the photographic options are many. I used the 100-400 often in situations like this for its great compositional flexibility with the zoom range of the lens.

Categories: Antarctica, Beyond Alaska

by Patrick Endres

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Skip & Gayle - Ohhh, to have been there with you.

Phyllis Burchett - Beautiful shot Patrick, hope that little penguin isn’t all alone. WOW -45 I sure hope it warms a bit by March.

Mark Van Bergh - I love these type of shots. Shows just how expansive Antarctica is, and just how small the inhabitants are and, by implication, we are as well. Also looks like you had some great ice on the trip.

As for your -45 below, I thought Alaska was having a bit of a warm streak recently, at least according to something I heard on the radio (admittedly I have not been checking the weather in your part of the world, and maybe that was a while back). Antarctica must have been a sauna by comparison. :-)

P.S. Hi Sue.

Patrick Endres - Hi Sue, still here, enjoying the -45 below in Fairbanks today!!!

sue rakes - scale, Patrick! always being brave dropping that looooong lense to tell the story. thank you. LOVE this one!

so glad to hear you are still out there somewhere … worried you might be one of 3 in plane accident recently.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Giant icebergs – Port Charcot, Antarctica

Categories: Antarctica, Beyond Alaska3 comments

Icebergs, Port Charcot, Antarctic Peninsula, 11:15pm. Canon 5D Mark III, 24-105mm f/4L IS (40mm), 1/800 @ f/10, ISO 200.

As a long time Alaska resident, I’ve spent a lot of time around glaciers and icebergs. Antarctica however, is Alaska on steroids plus a little more. The size and quantity of icebergs seem unending, and beautiful. I took this photo about two weeks ago, at 11:15 p.m., along the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula in a location know as Port Charcot, off Booth Island. That late evening, the passengers made both a shore landing and went exploring the ice choked waters in small inflatable boats. It was a magical night that began to glow with a warm color pallet as the sun neared the horizon. In spite of the late hour, many wanted to stay on shore and continue to enjoy this amazing evening, including myself  But….sleep was elusive for most of that journey, and there comes a time when the mind must close down for the sake of the body. I spent most of the night driving inflatable boats, but hopped on shore for just ten minutes at the close of the night. When I ascended the first small hill, this is what I saw!

I used the 24-105mm often in Antarctica, for two reasons mainly. One, it is a very versatile range, and I tend to prefer the open contextual space of a wider angle, than zooming in tight all the time. And two, as staff I simply did not have the time to dedicate to more calculated work with other lenses. I would have enjoyed having the Nikkor 14-24mm, but left it at home due to weight and simplicity.

Categories: Antarctica, Beyond Alaska

by Patrick Endres

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Patrick Endres - Randy, Yes, surprised as well. That lens does not handle flare well. Overall the trip was great.

Mark, This was a different part of Booth Island, Hugh had visited there on previous trips. It is a great spot, I think perhaps my favorite due to the angle of the light that falls on the area.

Mark Van Bergh - Nice Patrick. I remember on the trip a year ago, when we had a last-minute, unplanned itinerary deviation that took us to Booth Island, that we did a similar late landing or zodiac excursion and had some great light, just as in your photo (perhaps our only/best late light of the trip). I wonder if Booth Island was added as a planned destination in light of the success we had there last year (pun intended). We also had a great encounter with a pod of orcas on the way there. I look forward to your further posts from the trip, and repeat that I wish I could have been there. :)

RandallS - Nice shot Patrick, the 8blade diaphragm on the 24-105 handled the sun really well (surprised). Mark says you guys had a really good trip, wish I could have come along…

Monday, January 21, 2013

100 Favorites from 2012

Categories: 100 Yearly Favorites5 comments

The final days of 2012 left no time for the gathering of favorite images, so it comes a few weeks late, in the wake of my 3 weeks of travel to Antarctica. 2012 offered some great views and experiences, and I’ve grouped them here, many of which have been posted on my blog throughout the year.

Categories: 100 Yearly Favorites

by Patrick Endres

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Patrick Endres - Thanks Milo, yes perhaps we vary in our preferences. I’ve always tilted toward landscapes, but still love shooting wildlife. Happy shooting for you in 2013!

Milo Burcham - Great year Patrick. I love the diverse locations. Of course I gravitate to your wildlife images: the grizzly in front of Denali, brown bear and lupine (tight), and the polar bear images are my favorites… sounds like I gravitate toward bear images! Happy 2013.

Inge - Beautiful photo’s Patrick, thank you for sharing. I miss Alaska!

Joani White - Over the top fantastic, not a boring year at all! Looks like 2013 is off to a stellar beginning ~

Lois Bryan - breathtaking!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Antarctica’s luminous night light

Categories: Antarctica, Beyond Alaska, Landscapes3 comments

Southern giant storm petrel soars over the iceberg laden waters of the western Antarctic Peninsula. Canon 5D Mark III, 100-400mm f/5.6, 1/500 sec @ f/14, ISO 400.

I’ve just returned from a 16 day voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula with Cheesmans’ Ecology Safaris. As staff for Cheesemans on board the Russian Icebreaker “Ortelius”, the days were long and jammed full of logistical preparations and shore landings at many well known, and many less frequently visited landing sites. Overall, the weather was luminous, with many sun spangled days. The 2 day crossing from Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula, including the potentially formidable Drake Passage was very calm, as we just squeezed through between storm spells. Besides an unfriendly sickness that dented 8 of our 12 staff (including me), it was another great experience of a truly wild and magical landscape. As is often the case in life in general, and certainly in nature, being there is the gateway to experience. The more time one spends exploring the natural world, the more the odds go up for those highly memorable moments. I’ve had a few special ones in my life and this trip to Antarctica included another one to add to the list. One of those sacred experiences where animals seem to be communicating with you. I’ll share about that in a later post as the endeavor of processing images unfolds.

Categories: Antarctica, Beyond Alaska, Landscapes

by Patrick Endres

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Kathy Webb - Patrick, we just got your newsletter on another incredible trip down to Antarctica, and I got goosebumps reading about your whale encounter! Oh I know I would have reached out to just touch a little bit of that whale! lol
Awesome photos as always!! Congratulations on a wonderful expedition!
Kathy

Patrick Endres - Mark, you missed a good one indeed. Lots of new sights and some pretty amazing weather. The staff ran hard and Hugh did an exceptional job.

Mark Van Bergh - Welcome home Patrick. So that’s what a nice sunrise or sunset looks like in the Peninsula area. :-) I look forward to reading about and seeing your latest adventure. Wish I could have been there with you. How did Hugh handle the responsibility of “fearless leader” role? :-)