Antarctic Landscapes from the Sea

This was my first experience with the IRB's Inflatable Rubber Boat. At Casey we have 4 that are used for various tasks such as refueling, rescue, research and photographic recording. They are powered by 40 and 50 hp outboards which push 4 - 5  people along at a good rate of knots. There's not a lot of room in them as we have to carry our survival packs along with other water immersion survival and rescue gear. On this particular day we had perfect weather. Observed were pods of killer whales and minke whales. We also had the pleasure of leopard seals. We spent the entire day out, having lunch at a favourite spot called Peterson Island. From a photographic point of view, it can be difficult to get that shot with 3 other big dudes in the boat plus two other IRB's running around, but they can also had to the interest factor to the pic. I mainly used my point and shoot for the landscape shots and the Canon 5D with a 500mm for close wildlife. I did find it difficult to stablize the bigger lense with movement in the boat. I did use the survival packs as a means of support. As this was my first time out, I was reasonably happy with my efforts. The one thing I would do more often is to check my lenses for water residue, especially on the water proof camera.

Watch this short slide show on A Few Icebergs

I have posted other shots of the day at

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078809&id=1178881068&l=f5a1de3dfe

See also my blog on Antarctic Landscapes and Antarctica by Air