South Georgia
5:15 AM. A brief and softly spoken wake-up call reminds photographers of the possibility of pastel light at Gold Harbor, where the beach is alive with wildlife awaiting our arrival by zodiac. Tens of thousands of king penguins stand shoulder to shoulder, showing off their brilliant heads. Black, yellow, orange, and white markings fill our viewfinders and collectively we make thousands of images. Elephant seals push and shove one another with their bodies, mouthing and biting to establish dominance while cameras click away on “burst.” Light-mantled sooty albatross nesting were part of the more rare photographic opportunities in the foggy morning light, taken with wide-open apertures blurring the tussock grass in the negative space.
7:15 AM. An enthusiastic wake-up call invites those still slumbering as National Geographic Explorer rode on her anchor line, gently rolling starboard then to port, to join the early expedition with cameras in hand. King penguins, juveniles in their final molt, were the characters for our portraits. A landscape blurred by brilliant colors at the warm end of the spectrum allowed for auto white balance. Baby fur seals, quick on their flippers, demanded faster shutter speeds to stop their antics.
3:15 PM. Kayaking around Ocean Harbour where an old steel whaling bark called Bayard, shipwrecked in the early 1900’s, is now home to nesting blue-eyed shags on her deck. An exceptionally large colony for South Georgia emerges from the mist at New Fortune Bay. Reindeer grazing near a rusted locomotive that carried coal for the whaling station crossed the valley, running into our lenses. Green panoramic views interrupted by snow and waterfalls gave hikers a spectacular opportunity to shoot wide-angle, apply the creative techniques we have learned from the photographic team, capturing the essence of this place. Light rain misting put camera gear into dry bags giving all of us moments to take in the serenity of this protected harbor.
8:15 PM. Sunlight warms South Georgia as NG Explorer sails toward Fortuna where we will anchor again, tonight. Evening light is soft on the wings of kelp gulls and Antarctic terns dancing for photographers still enjoying the challenge of making images. A rising quarter moon over the mountains, reflecting on the water made for final photographic challenges on the back deck. A picture perfect day, with thousands of images recorded in both our minds and cameras.
5:15 AM. A brief and softly spoken wake-up call reminds photographers of the possibility of pastel light at Gold Harbor, where the beach is alive with wildlife awaiting our arrival by zodiac. Tens of thousands of king penguins stand shoulder to shoulder, showing off their brilliant heads. Black, yellow, orange, and white markings fill our viewfinders and collectively we make thousands of images. Elephant seals push and shove one another with their bodies, mouthing and biting to establish dominance while cameras click away on “burst.” Light-mantled sooty albatross nesting were part of the more rare photographic opportunities in the foggy morning light, taken with wide-open apertures blurring the tussock grass in the negative space.
7:15 AM. An enthusiastic wake-up call invites those still slumbering as National Geographic Explorer rode on her anchor line, gently rolling starboard then to port, to join the early expedition with cameras in hand. King penguins, juveniles in their final molt, were the characters for our portraits. A landscape blurred by brilliant colors at the warm end of the spectrum allowed for auto white balance. Baby fur seals, quick on their flippers, demanded faster shutter speeds to stop their antics.
3:15 PM. Kayaking around Ocean Harbour where an old steel whaling bark called Bayard, shipwrecked in the early 1900’s, is now home to nesting blue-eyed shags on her deck. An exceptionally large colony for South Georgia emerges from the mist at New Fortune Bay. Reindeer grazing near a rusted locomotive that carried coal for the whaling station crossed the valley, running into our lenses. Green panoramic views interrupted by snow and waterfalls gave hikers a spectacular opportunity to shoot wide-angle, apply the creative techniques we have learned from the photographic team, capturing the essence of this place. Light rain misting put camera gear into dry bags giving all of us moments to take in the serenity of this protected harbor.
8:15 PM. Sunlight warms South Georgia as NG Explorer sails toward Fortuna where we will anchor again, tonight. Evening light is soft on the wings of kelp gulls and Antarctic terns dancing for photographers still enjoying the challenge of making images. A rising quarter moon over the mountains, reflecting on the water made for final photographic challenges on the back deck. A picture perfect day, with thousands of images recorded in both our minds and cameras.
