Peter Eastway's Better Photography Magazine

After a week of low cloud and snow, grey skies and choppy seas, it was a surprise to track back through the Lemaire Channel past Booth Island with such beautiful weather.

It was our last day in Antarctica and when I woke up for the fifth time, I was resigned to poor light and probably no landings. I'd been waking up on the hour since 3.00 a.m., hoping for the light to improve and the conditions to abate. But at 7.00 a.m. (or thereabouts), I was standing on the deck of the ship with a strong wind ruffling the waters and low clouds skimming the nearby peaks.

Breakfast was sounding good.

At breakfast, Woody our expedition leader said that the ship's captain thought the conditions would improve and within an hour, we were sailing into smooth, glassy waters. The sky was still overcast, but as morning turned past noon, the sun peeped through and by the afternoon it was almost full sunshine!

In fact, when we pulled anchor for the last time in Antarctica and headed north, the light was at it's absolute best. There was a very light cloud cover which was softening the direct sunshine.The wind had dropped to nothing more than a half-hearted zephyr. And we were cruising towards the Lemaire Channel and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world.

Landscape Photography Tip

If you find yourself in front of an amazing scene, don't take one or two photos, take hundreds! There is no cost to shoot more frames, but to find something wasn't quite right when it's all over can be heartbreaking.

It probably took us half an hour from our anchorage to reach the Channel. Distances in Antarctica are deceiving because the air is so clear. I can remember thinking we were in a bay with the opposite shores one or two kilometres away. Then I saw a small spec in the distance - another vessel which was significantly larger than our own and suddenly I realised the far shore was probably ten or more kilometres away!

As we sailed toward Booth Island, I photographed it with every lens, at every aperture, at every exposure I could think of. I shot it with the Phase One P65+, and I also photographed it with the Lumix GF1, plus a little HD video as well.

This was a really beautiful scene, chocolate box to the nth-degree no doubt, but beautiful nontheless.

When downloading the images, I had lots to choose from, but the shots I thought were going to be the best when I was shooting, turned out to be inferior in comparson to some of the others. I find I'm not the best judge of what I am shooting when the adrenalin is pumping and I'm near euphoric! Much better to shoot lots and then when my head is clear, edit the images later.

Phase One 645AF with P65+ back + 75-1500mm @ 75mm

f16 @ 1/125, EV -0.33, ISO 50

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