Ice Worlds 2, a photo from Antarctic Peninsula, Lesser

Photographer's Note

Just returned from an incredible trip to the Antarctic Peninsula. Without exception the most beautiful place I have ever visited. The landscape is simply awesome - huge jagged mountains everywhere you look, thousands of icebergs of all shapes and sizes, penguins, whales, seals etc. Mindblowing.

Very very difficult for landscape photographers though. If you are used to using a tripod and going for wide angle big foreground shots, then its a big challenge. 90% of my shots came from either the ship or the smaller Zodiac inflatable boats, so all handheld. No filters except polariser. So it was a huge challenge for me, but a bloody enjoyable one!

This shot was taken handheld from our moving ship on a rare moment of beautiful light. This was the only day that we had such quality of light, and it only lasted about 10 minutes so I had to make the most of it. Of course, it happened during dinner time, so I left my full plate and rushed up on deck and took as many photos as possible. The black dots on the berg are Gentoo Penguins, to give you an idea of scale.

Canon 1DSMk3, Canon 24-70L, F11, 1/125 sec, ISO 400

Vato_Law, chicken, Floydian, johnfreeman, jonathan_hart, Matthew-Watt, tehanu_f, gneufeld, wishlist, Corthyll, whereami, Dyerco, luisafonso, jammer79, linask, vikous, danielswalsh, jean11-3, lucasgalodoido, marrty, lilimih33, ruisc_pt, afshin339, andywo, Herquin, wag, WelshTraveller, salvator, g_panakia, LinKuei has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Vato_Law (12732) 2008-01-05 3:17

Hello Adam,
I surely understand your excitement there looking at this amazing landscape.
Reading your note and looking after at the photo again seeing the black dots you speak gives me the perfect sense of the size of the things there, you shoould have felt very, very tiny there.
The light as you say is really amazing, as amazing are the tones of the photo and the reflections on water.
I keep on waiting for more on this serie.
Cheers.
Paulo

chicken (1557) 2008-01-05 3:21

A great trip for sure, and even with a new toy I see ;-)

I love the very soft light on the foreground and the mountains.

Floydian (30970) 2008-01-05 3:38

Hi Adam,
High on my list, planning is Jan/Feb 2010. I see you were in Dec, but it does not really matter from what i have heard, it's the light what brings the luck. How long have you been there exactly?
Also congrats on the mkIII, the only tool that belongs in your hands...what's the first impression?
The image...well what can i say...stunning of course. I have seen so many books about Antartica that this one could also be in one of them. The light in the water is simpley awesome, truly wonderful blue. The penguins are a nice detail, also for scaling, but it's the whole surrounding what makes the most impression...
Despite the bad weather in light, how many pictures survived?
Regards, Henk

johnfreeman (2274) 2008-01-05 3:50

Hi Adam,
This is really stunning! The mountains shrouded in cloud are wonderful but what really makes it is the amazing colour of the water littered with bergs and lumps of ice. I'm glad you mentioned the penguins in your note. I would not immediately have imagined that the berg was so big and that really gives a sense of perspective to the whole landscape. Will you be posting more in spite of the scarcity of good light? I certainly hope so!
Regards
John

ryno (6869) 2008-01-05 3:54

Hi Adam, you've captured this beautiful scene with great skill. I like the light management and the subtle reflections & shades of blue and white. A part of the world not many of us are fortunate to see. Good work!
Regards,
Ryno

teutza (10590) 2008-01-05 4:22

wow..this why i love this site..it shows so manny places amasing ones..in wich i probably never arive..
have a great year!!!
teo

grantlp (2113) 2008-01-05 4:47

Hi Adam,
An amazing image of this harsh location, and I must say that although I've not visited any area remotely like this, it's probably exactly as I would envisage. The chromatic tones are superb and your use of the little sunlight you experienced was fantastic. Those penguins definitely provide a vital representatioon of scale.....initially that foreground iceburg looked to me, to be about a metre wide. Absolutely wonderful. Excellent job.
Cheers Grant

jonathan_hart (21276) 2008-01-05 5:25

the Gentoo Penguins you speak about changed totaly my perception of the size of this berg and the others...
the tones are good looking, the view is magic :)
regards
jo

Matthew-Watt (5934) 2008-01-05 5:39

G'Day Adam,

One of the most impressive photographs I have come across on Trek Earth. It would be difficult to choose a favourite image in your gallery, but I would guess this one to be it. While appreciating the overall view of the scene I overlooked the Gentoo Penguins. They offer the best possible size comparison, proving that the landscape is indeed immense. I can only imagine the hardships you would have faced as a photographer in this journey; from the glare on the ice, to the movement of the vessels, extreme cold, and precipitation falling on the lens - plenty of things to try and hinder you from taking shots of this elusive place. But you have persevered and provided us with a gorgeous piece. I can not comprehend the startling beauty of the infinite hues of blue. I will particularly enjoy critiquing any future shots you bring us of this dazzling place. Exceptional.

Matt

jjcordier (79299) 2008-01-05 5:40

Quelle beauté, Adam! Un lieu magique et un photographe de talent, voilà la recette d'un petit chef d'oeuvre.
Bonne année 2008 avec mes remerciements pour la création de ce site si apprécié.
JJ

tehanu_f (6896) 2008-01-05 7:09

I've been waiting for you Antarctica shots since I read in Photographers Monthly that you were going on a trip. I can imagine what a mindblowing place it is and you are so very lucky to have been there. Your photo is excellent as usual. Congrats.
Fusun

Cormac (26565) 2008-01-05 8:59

Wow, what a landscape this is! It looks absolutely primordial, like stepping back into the ice age. Huge chunks of ice and dramatic rock faces, and no sign of man. The light is extraordinary, you were right to abandon dinner to be able to catch this. Amazing, and I can't wait to see more from this place!

rgarrigus (0) 2008-01-05 9:14

Welcome back Adam!

I have been checking daily for new posts from your Antarctic trip after seeing one you posted to ePhotozine. Very grandiose scene beautifully seen and captured. The colors are ethereal and the penguins in the foreground really add life and scale.

I am envious!

Bob G.

capthaddock (28790) 2008-01-05 10:03

Oh my. The most fascinating continent and Adam Burton make an explosive combination. I can't wait to see the rest. The tiny penguins add a punch disproportionate to their size. Is it me or is the horizon slightly tilted ccw?

gneufeld (15890) 2008-01-05 15:03

Hi Adam,
Awesome shot of what looks like an absolutely awesome place to visit. I am in disbelief as to the magnitude of the glaciers given the size of those penguins! Great colors and superb composition in spite of working hand held. Great work and TFS. Gerald

wishlist (4133) 2008-01-05 15:19

Hi Adam,
I've bought today the book "Landcape photographer of the year" and seen a couple of your pictures..so I guess I'll see this one in the next book! :o)
Stunning picture; the view is just breathtaking with all the iceberg floating on the placid water. Amazing colours and tones as well as the amazing quality you've delivered!
Thank you

Igor

michael625 (0) 2008-01-05 20:10

great. a pleasure for the eye.

m

Corthyll (90) 2008-01-05 23:22

An excellently framed and composed image. I have been obsessed with Antarctica for many years now and will get there some day even if it kills me. The only thing I might change with this image is the saturation in the sky. It has a tendency to overpower the clouds and affects the detail within them. Clarity in the rest of the image however is perfect.

bbortacina (30) 2008-01-06 4:01

very ımpressıve

Dyerco (10185) 2008-01-06 8:27

Wonderfully composed with the ice floes in the FG. Marvellous colour and reflections.
Great shot Adam. Hope your dinner didn't get too cold.
Phil

regis (2058) 2008-01-06 16:06

Congratulations on your trip Adam
Amazing place and amazing scale.
I remember a lot of your wide-angle shots but this one is also a great one.
I like your composition but I have two remarks :
1) I think your photo is slightly titled to the left (if you check some reflections on the water you'll notice a slight tilt)
2) The sky part in the upper left corner doesn't look good. It's too noisy to my taste, which is quite dissapointing taking into account the equippment you've used.
Beside that a very nice shot Adam
Regards, Piotr

DLM (6479) 2008-01-08 9:11

Hi Adam,
Sounds like you had a wonderful trip ,this image is wonderful, theres always a buzz when you post an image here on TE, i cant wait to see the others,TFS
Dave.

miketelemark (2785) 2008-01-08 11:45

WOW!!! Awesome photograph! I appreciate this even more after understanding the conditions there. What a great experience that must have been.

vikous (2217) 2008-01-09 4:48

Hello Adam,
how are you keeping after such a great trip? I believe it must have been amazing experience! This photo is stunning, penguins perfectly give me the scale and only thanks to them i can really appreciate the enormousness of this place. I can see in your equipment Canon 1DSmkIII...is this your new camera? If it's, congratulations and i'm wishing you countless number of great shots!
best regards,
viktor

westernisles (740) 2008-01-09 5:29

Hi Adam,
great shot as usually.
I read about your trip in Antrctica and I was wating your pictures!!!!!
I hope you will send more.
Regards
Christian

flatwin (2181) 2008-01-11 0:34

bonjour,

magnifique prise de vue - décor rare et immaculé -
Merci de ce partage

westozman (0) 2008-01-12 22:06

G'day Adam!
I wouldn't have expected anything less from the hands of a true landscape artist: where's the rest of the pics, please - don't keep us waiting!!!
Warm regards,
Jeff

lucinka (9976) 2008-01-13 7:55

Hello Adam, Welcome back from your travels !! I'm still jealous but still have a hope I'll make it there myself. I've seen this shot on facebook already and it is definitely my favorite one. Amazing light, colors and place !! Great you could bring it back and share it with us. All the best with all future projects. Lucie

arturo (31) 2008-01-13 14:16

Hi Adam,

a dreamlike place...superb reflections in water...prime elements at play...this image just asks to grab some of the floating ice to put it into a glass and pour some vodka over it;-)...i really hope that despite the rather odd remark to you other post you won't be "hanging your boots up" on TE...cheers, arturo

danielswalsh (13597) 2008-01-13 16:52

Wow- you DO get around Adam, don't you!

Antarctica- amazing choice for a photographic voyage- yet I'm not too surprised that you'd take on such a mission. I've seen some NAT GEO shots from Antartica, and it looks truly amazing.

I find it interesting to hear your insight into shooting without the tripod, as you mentioned- you specialize in landscape photography with a tripod in most instances.

Wow, I only now just noticed the small penguins on the forground ice- that really brings things into scale!
Maybe it's just me Adam, but is this shot slightly tilted to the left?

All the best for 2008 Adam!
- Dan

P.S.- I hope you stick around here on TE Adam. Don't let the comments of a few, get to you mate...

Stepan (27210) 2008-01-14 22:05

It must be so amazing to discover this frozen world... Simply impressive, simply attractive...
Stéphane

jean11-3 (2799) 2008-01-15 11:50

Hello Adam,the colours in this shot are incredible.The penguins really help us to appreciate the scale of this place.Beautiful highlights on the mountains and wonderful reflections.
Your excitement for the place comes across in this shot.
Tfs, regards Jean.

Signal-Womb (13048) 2008-01-15 14:20

Well this one is awesome and very much the Antarctic mood to it. The little details of Penguins is a fantastic bonus and more so if viewed as a large print I would imagine. Excellent work.

lucasgalodoido (27698) 2008-01-16 20:06

Olá Adam,
muito bonita essa captura suas, as cores formam um belo contraste e o refelxo ficou maravilhoso, ótimo trabalho no continente do gelo!
Parabéns e Abraço!

jsec (2154) 2008-01-16 20:59

One of the best I've seen here. Well done Adam.

humayun (3129) 2008-01-17 6:44 [Comment]

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marrty (235) 2008-01-20 3:36

Hi Adam,
Wow, this one is really nice. The landscape is huge and overwhelming, as the penguins indicate. Well done. Martijn

aswat (53) 2008-01-22 0:14

Whouah !

this is a great composition ! And the scale is incredible. If you had not mentioned it, I wouldn't have realized there were penguins.

I particularly enjoy the reflexion of the mountain in the water and the many details that you've captured.

Thanks a lot for sharing with us such a great moment...

Regards,

Adrien

Ann75 (0) 2008-02-03 22:04

Hi Adam,

Wow, what can I say about such a stunning shot? It has everyting: beautiful sky, some clouds, mountains, ice, reflections, etc. Great POV with amazing light, colors and details! Excellent work, Adam!

Greetings,
Ann

PS: A very belated Happy New Year to you and your family! May 2008 bring you luck, happiness, good health and many photo opportunities! :-)

anes_lc (14968) 2008-02-13 14:29

hi adam
for sure was a challenge ...but with such beauty around hard to not try the best
if we aspect to see great shot from this places ..couldn't be someone else able to do better job then you :)
is a dream for me to have the chance to see with my eyes this place ..but until then i must thank you for such fantastic picture
best regards,anes

lilimih33 (9918) 2008-02-17 12:30

Hello Adam!
Wowww! Incredible this place!!!!!
Fantastic colours and great detail and clarity!
Lovely reflexion!
Just amazing!
Best regards!
Lili

XavierJamonet (2213) 2008-02-21 14:56

Hi Adam,

Amazing picture with great colors and composition. Without the Penguins, I wouldn't have imagined that the icebergs were so big!
Thanks for sharing!
Xavier

ruisc_pt (11590) 2008-02-26 10:11

Incredible and stunning images you got there Adam
It's astonishing the way one can see the ice underwater in the "small2iceberg with the penguins..
TFS really
H
Rui

ViktorVaughn (1525) 2008-03-23 21:04

I don't know if I've ever seen so many shades of blue in one photo before Adam. This is definitely a beautiful place, and I like the scale shown from the penguins. This is much better than eating dinner, so thanks.

Regards,
David

afshin339 (306) 2008-04-18 12:13

Hello Adam
I'm exciting when I look to your shot!!.That is amazing and beautiful shot.Details in your shot are wonderful and nice.Also contrast and colors are excellent.Also clouds over mountains are perfect.
I really like your beautiful shot.

Well done.
afshin.

Rodrigues (1035) 2008-04-28 1:43

Amazing landscape. Glad you brought us this world, so different from what we're used to.
Yeah, different of what I've got used to from your shots, but amazing too.
I'm green of envy of your 1DSMk3, but happy, once it will help you to show us the world...I'm egger to see those Patagonia shots, my "wish to visit" nº1 place.

andywo (4725) 2008-05-09 13:24

Hi Adam
What a picturesque view! The sky, sea and mountains are very beautiful. I like the colours and composition too. Well done.
TFS!
Andy

Herquin (7789) 2008-06-01 12:21

Bonjour Adam,
une vue tellement rare de notre planète que tu as le mérite de nous la partager .
Comment ne pas tomber d'une telle beauté ?
Bonne soirée .
Christian .

jasmin (4) 2008-06-09 6:43

amazing photograph! i'm going on an antarctica trip in jan 09 and can't wait for it! thanks for sharing and about the tripod and all. i'm gonna take my nikon d40 with me and hope to get some nice shots as well.

thanks
jasmin

wag (659) 2008-06-17 13:09

Hello Adam, very nice note and I love those penguins, great for comparasion, tfs.

BoisBarb (10369) 2008-06-26 8:00

L'Antarctique grandiose comme dans un rêve...
BoisBarb

WelshTraveller (354) 2008-09-24 5:34

What a lovely experience of visiting Antarctica!

Excellent shot!

TFS

David

zahoor_salmi (1053) 2008-09-25 10:13

great. a pleasure for the eye.

salvator (19110) 2008-09-25 10:24

Hi Adam,
Absolutely superb. The way you have composed the photo, the pale blue, the reflections on the still icy water and the sharpness is just superb.
Best regards. Salvator.

g_panakia (4031) 2008-10-09 4:25

hello adam,
wow...a really amazing and worth visiting place!!!
it must have been a really beautiful experience...
i like you photo very very much...everything is just perfect...the ice, the light, the reflection and the penguins figures over there make it so lovely...
congratulations!
georgia

Didier38 (710) 2008-11-05 12:47

Bonsoir Adam,

J'aime cette composition avec les morceaux de glace au premier plan et la montagne au fond. La lumière est particulièrement belle aussi.

Didier

federico (6109) 2008-11-12 7:29

really amazing photo, wonderfull light, clouds, reflections, you really caught the right moment best regards fred

Silverkey (1435) 2008-12-03 9:49

Hi Adam
Just amazing!!!
The colors (in fact the blue) are wonderful, giving a cold effect, and the mountains and Iceberg are amazing. The little pingouins help to guess the extraordinary dimension of this place.
Mickaël

npecanhuk (79329) 2009-03-31 15:26 [Comment]

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hugeknot (310) 2009-11-15 5:58

Such an incredible location. I am so envious. This is a fantastic capture and the penguins are so useful to show the actual size of the scene.

newtintin (1876) 2009-11-21 2:23

salut ,
c'est magnifique comme photo ,
ca nous rappelle que notre terre est bien fragile ,

je trouve que le faite qu'on apprecoie les Pinguins
est vraiment sublime et donne un grandeur a l'image
bravo a toi

LinKuei (3609) 2009-11-26 8:27

!!! Amasing landscape. Love youre photos. CU.

CyrilleGrillere (425) 2009-11-26 9:40

It's a beautiful landscape with great colors!!
Congratulations

Cyrille

TopGeo (38220) 2009-12-02 8:00

Hi Adam! I feel lucky that I saw your pictures in your gallery of parties not imagine I ever visit. Wonderful reflections paints landscapes that give so many difficulties with weather.That is amazing and beautiful shot!
ciao
Thanks for sharing!
Georgios

PainDivine69 (1) 2009-12-14 2:17

Wonderful picture, Adam.
Everything seems to be perfect. Really well done. I hope to get there in a few years, too.

Regards, Björn

Phil77 (76) 2009-12-29 2:12 [Comment]

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Vague (307) 2010-07-05 23:58

What a great photo! I love it. Technically brilliant! But much of my admiration also comes from my dreaming of visiting this marvellous place...

Congratulations.

tiagoalmeida (1475) 2010-07-06 14:17

hello,
nice shot very beautiful landscape
congratulations
tiago

LondonBoy (2466) 2012-03-15 16:42

Adam,

I find it a privilege to be able to see these photographs- not just the perfect composition, but hte location is simply magical!

TFS, Alex

redlassie (0) 2012-03-18 4:40 [Comment]