South Georgia Island - Perspective

[Alan Milnes]

When we traveled to Antarctica it was to honour Ernest Shackleton's 1914-18 expedition to reach the South Pole (which he unfortunately did not). We retraced his hiking route across South Georgia to Stromness in his ultimately successful attempt to rescue the majority of his men who had remained on Elephant Island. The landscape on South Georgia, like so many wild places, is enormous.

I am certainly no expert but I have learned over time how perspective can dramatically alter an image. These two images of the same scene illustrate this concept. Let me know what you think

 

[AlanLichty]

I really love the shot with the penguins in the foreground but the first image evokes a better sense of scale of the mountains and glacier behind. Especially true once you spot the penguins in the first image. That said I still like the penguin shot best

 

[Alan Milnes]

Thanks Alan. I agree. The foreground in the first is empty and could be cropped out were it not for the tiny penguins

 

[Michael13]

The second image is perfect! They don't seem to be distressed by your presence.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Really dig the second image with the penguins up close with the glacier in the background.

 

[JimFox]

How interesting that you guys were tracing Earnest Shackelton's steps. That's a very unforgiving land, and in 1914 even more so as they had even less resources we would have today.

I like the comparison images with the change in perspective! That's really cool.

 

[John Holbrook]

Wow! I especially love the “line-up” in the second image—a beautiful image and as I said, love the penguins!

 

[Alan Milnes]

Gorgeous photo!!! I had seen a photo of lady's slippers by Doug Sherman before, but your photo inspired me to research more about them and I discovered something fascinating about orchids. All orchids rely on fungi to grow, especially during their early stages. Orchid seeds are incredibly tiny and lack the nutrients most seeds have, so they depend on a symbiotic relationship with specific fungi. These fungi break down organic matter in the soil to provide the nutrients orchids need to germinate. This relationship, called mycorrhizal symbiosis, is vital for orchids to survive in the wild. Interestingly, some orchids rely on this partnership for their entire lives, while others need it only in their early stages.

Sounds like quite an amazing journey with some seriously nice opportunities for wildlife photography. Good trip for carrying around a long lens for shots like this one. How far away from the bear were you while shooting this?

Nice image Alan. I did the same trip on 2009. Same boat I believe. We first stayed in Prince Rupert for a few days to photograph bald eagles at numerous locations. The Khutzaymateen is one of the most remote and pristine places to be. The water level changes from the tides was amazing!

Thanks everyone for the interest and comments.

 

[Beth]

that's a bit of a change between frames. i missed the penguins in the first photo until i saw them in the second and went back to look. both photos are fantastic.