Iceberg, Montagu Island, South Sandwich Islands
Phase One XF 150MP, 110mm Schneider Kreuznach, f2.8 @ 1/1000 second, ISO 160
On my last voyage with Aurora Expeditions to Antarctica, we did a long circuit which not only included the Falklands and South Georgia, but the South Sandwich Islands. I'm not sure if I heard it right, but we were either the first passenger ship to be there this season or in three seasons. Suffice to say it is not regularly attended, part of the reason being it adds four days to the timetable.
When the voyage was announced, I was very keen to give it a go. In some ways, it was a little disappointing for photography, in other ways it was everything you would expect in what is perhaps the remotest place in the world. Sure, Easter Island sits further away from land, but it's an easy 5 hour flight from Santiago. To get to the South Sandwiches takes weeks by ship and a lot more effort (at least for the crew)!
While we all hoped for fine weather and good visibility, that's not what we got! In fact, we spent a whole day sheltering behind Montagu Island because of ferocious winds, low rolling clouds and huge swells. And it was perfect! Exactly what you'd expect, tucked away safely.
Towards the end of the day, the wind abated and the ship drifted down towards this iceberg stranded not far from the shore. Now, I have hundreds of photos of icebergs and it's trite to say they are all different, but if you want an object to sit underneath an interesting sky, there are few to match one!
In editing, I have removed a lot of the coloured evening light from the iceberg, but hopefully not too much. However, it's that breaking sky behind I relate to - the opening of the heavens after a day locked away from the weather. No doubt I have some personal baggage with this photo, but I'm not sure where the almost green sky in the background came from. Some readers will suggest my editing... but maybe not. The light can be very strange in the deep south.