Name: Terri Chalmers

Job title: Polar Travel Manager

Trip Name: Three Arctic Islands

Pre-post night city: Oslo/Reykjavik

Date of Travel:  Sept 4-17, 2012

1. How would you describe your personal travel style & why?

I’m always looking for excitement and something new.   I like to visit remote places.

2.  What were the weather conditions like during your trip?

It was a mix but was mostly sunny and mild temperatures. Not as cold as you’d think!

3. Best memory on the ship or your overall impression of the ship and/or staff:

I know I might sound biased but we really do have fantastic expedition staff – always striving to provide the best, most memorable experience possible.

4. Top 3 things you did or experienced on your Polar expedition: 

- Snuck up on a group of musk ox on the side of a hill in Greenland

- Saw a polar bear on an ice floe, with her fresh kill

- The Northern lights!

5.  Describe a wow moment or particularly special memory from your trip:

- Cruising in the zodiacs along the beach, watching a mother polar bear and her cub.

- The water was so cold during our Polar plunge, that they had to use a Zodiac to break the thin layer of iced that had formed at the surface before we could run in!  But don’t let that stop you from trying it – the warm ship and hot beverages are not far away!

6.  Sum up your trip in 3 words:

Breathtaking

Exhilarating

Emotional

7.  What would you say to anyone who is considering travelling to the Polar Regions:

Don’t let the thought of going to a cold environment dissuade you from visiting. The stunning landscapes and the immersion in nature and its wildlife are more than worth it.

8. Are there any other experiences, restaurants, food, people, places or sites you would like to highlight?

Reykjavik is a great city in which to extend your trip.  Easy to get around on foot, lots of interesting sights and culture, fantastic food.  Ask your polar travel adviser for details on extending your trip!

Leopard seals (named as such for their characteristic spotted coats), are one of the primary predators in Antarctica. In the wild they can survive up to 15 years, and are considered the most fearsome of all seal species.

In this video  from National Geographic Live, Photographer Paul Nicklen describes how he wanted to understand more about leopard seals. He headed to Antarctica and got right into the water to get up close and personal with these amazing creatures…and got a surprise!

Photo by passenger Melissa on our September 4, 2012 “Three Arctic Islands” voyage, named one of National Geographic Traveler’s “Tours of a Lifetime” in 2011.

Got an ice photo of your own to share? Post it to twitter and tag with #IcePhoto! Follow Quark Expeditions on twitter @quarkexpedition where we share photos and videos and chat about all things polar!

“The ship carried 114 passengers of which 49 of them were Australian. Being such a small group meant great friendships were formed early. We were all linked by the same thread – an adventurous nature and the desire to experience the Antarctic. I met people from all over the world. I  know I will remain friends with some of them forever. We all shared something very special.

Our voyage left from Ushuaia (the bottom of Argentina) and it was a two day trip to the Antarctic Peninsula across the Drake Passage. I loved watching the mainland of Argentina disappear behind us. To me it felt like a true adventure. We explored many bays, islands and channels of the Antarctic Peninsula over the 14 days of our voyage.”

 Click through to read more about Christine’s experience in the Antarctic!: The Antarctic – you absolutely have to go!!! | Bernasconiphotography’s Blog.

(sorry for that terrible pun!)

Gentoo Penguins can grow up to 30 inches tall and weigh up to 13 pounds. They tend to gather in large colonies of breeding pairs, sometimes many thousands of pairs! They are clumsy on land but speedy and graceful once in the water and can swim up to 22 mph, faster than any other diving bird!

The best time to see gentoo chicks is late January- February. They are quite curious by nature and if you stand still, they will approach you to see what/who the big yellow-clad penguin is!

See them for yourself with Quark Expeditions on one of our Antarctic voyages.

Photo from the Quark Expeditions passenger slideshow on our Fly the Drake voyage, February 2013.

Got an ice photo of your own to share? Post it to twitter and tag with #IcePhoto! Follow Quark Expeditions on twitter @quarkexpedition where we share photos and videos and chat about all things polar!

Stay cozy in camping equipment specially designed for cold temperatures, the soundtrack of seals and penguins lulling you to sleep (or perhaps keeping you awake!). Interested in this experience of a life time?
Contact one of our polar travel advisers for more details! 

Photo by Phil Wickens, Nov 2012.

Photo from the passenger slideshow, “Voyage to the North Pole” 24 June to 6 July 2011.

Be one of only 250 people to stand at the top of the world in 2013! Join us on Russian icebreaker 50 Years of Victory as we head to 90 degrees north.

Got an ice photo of your own to share? Post it to twitter and tag with #IcePhoto! Follow Quark Expeditions on twitter @quarkexpedition where we share photos and videos and chat about all things polar!

Crazy for Greenland? Quark Expeditions offers a variety of Greenland voyages which you can read about right here! Don’t forget to follow our Quark Loves Greenland board on Pinterest, and enter for a chance to win a Greenland voyage for two in our Quark Loves Greenland contest!

So you have made the leap. Congratulations, you have bought your ticket to Antarctica. Now the hard part starts. What camera gear are you going to bring to capture this beautiful landscape and its wildlife? I faced the same question before my own trip with Quark Expeditions. After endless days of research, talking to people who had been there and now drawing upon my years of expertise as a travel photographer and my own experience photographing images in Antarctica, I have put together this list of must haves for you camera bag. This list will allow you to bring back the best images possible from the most extraordinary trip you’ll ever take.

Photography Gear for Antarctica
DSLR vs P&S
I personally would recommend both. After all this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I took 2 DSLR Bodies (Canon 5D MKII and a Canon T3i) as well as a P&S (Olympus Tough 810).

The two DSLR bodies worked well as I was able to have a wide lens on one and a zoom lens on the other. In that environment you want to avoid changing lenses if you can and this configuration allows you to be ready for any situation.

The P&S worked best for some happy snaps and was great for video when we were kayaking, but I was not overly satisfied with the image quality. I would recommend something a little more robust like the Canon G12 with a waterproof housing (If you are kayaking). It takes great images and fits in your pocket.

Lenses
This is the hardest decision and is pretty personal depending what you already have in camera bag. But if there ever was a time to get some new gear this is it. Ideally you would carry one wide angle and one long zoom lens. Here is what I brought:

Wide Angle: 16-35mm F/2.8. For me, as a professional travel photographer, this has been my go to lens for years. Fast and sharp it is perfect for those sweeping landscapes of the Antarctic. It is a perfect combo with the FF 5DMKII. If you only have crop sensor bodies, like a 60D, 7D or a T3i, and plan on sticking with them, I would recommend something like the EFS 10-22 F/3.5-4.5. Great quality for a non-professional lens and gives you the equivilent of 16-35mm on a cropped sensor camera.

Long Zoom: 70-200mm F/2.8. I love this lens. Though it may be heavy, it is a top perfomer and sharp as a tack. I put this on the T3i which gave me a reach of approx. 320mm, which for me was plenty as you can get fairly close to the wildlife. If you wanted to get some extra reach I would recommend getting a 1.4 Telecoverter. If you are visiting the Falklands and have some extra cash you might want to rent a 300mm F/2.8 or 500mm F/4 lens but these will probably be too long for South Georgia or the Antarctic Peninsula.

**Option** If you only have a budget for one lens I would recommend the Canon 24-105mm F/4. It performs well and will get you through most situations.

Batteries
I brought 3 batteries for each body which was plenty. I never went through all of them in one day. Just be sure to keep them close to your body when not in use and they will last at least a day. I chose not to use a battery grip on this trip as I wanted to eliminate any unnecessary gaps that water or condensation could sneak in to. I know one person who was using his, and his camera failed. We thought this could have been the reason why.
Filters
I brought a polarizing filter which I used a few times. It helps with reflections on the water and improving the saturation. I would recommend bringing one. It doesn’t weigh much and there are definite situations you can use it in. Just remember to put it on outside of the ship so no condensation builds up between the lens and the filter.


Tripod
This is another difficult question as weight is such an issue. I brought mine as I was shooing video and some time lapse sequences, but overall I shot a lot handheld. When I did use my tripod on land it was mostly for HDR shots. If you are looking for extra stability I would recommend bringing a Monopod instead, It is lighter and more versatile.
Camera Bag
If you are going to bring all this gear, you’ll need a place to put it all. I personally use F-Stop Gear. There stuff is made for adventure. I used a F-Stop Loka with a large ICU. This works nicely to fit all of my gear and is comfortable to wear as well. I also brought an F-Stop Dry Bag that I used for all my needs in the kayak and zodiac.

Necessary Accessories
Ziplock Bags: These are perfect for protecting your camera when coming in from a cold environment to a warm ship. I saw condensation kill at least 3 cameras. I found these really large ziplocks that I could fit the whole ICU in and zip it up. This allowed the cameras to warm up at there own speed. Just make sure to put the cameras in the bag while still outside and dispell all of the air out of them.

Plastic Rainsleeves: You can use ziplock bags with a whole cut in them but I found these to be much more convenient. Especially when it was snowing like crazy while we were touring on the Zodiac one day. It was covered in snow but kept the camera and lens dry while I was shooting.

Laptop & External HDD: I brought my laptop and two external HDD. I am very careful about backups so I make sure there are minimum 2 different places my images are stored. You will be taking a lot of photos so bring a lot of memory cards and download and back up your photos. You would hate to have that memory card fail with all of you images on it right?

Conclusion: The ideal setup for me would be Canon 5DMKIII, Canon 7D with 16-35, 24-105, 70-200, 1.4TC.

So that about does it. With these suggestions and tips you should be able to come back with some amazing images. Enjoy your experience and remember to take that eye away from the eye peice once and a while and enjoy the natural beauty that is Antarctica.

Dave Bouskill is a photographer and the male half of the travel couple The Planet D. Married for 15 years, he’s visited over 80 countries on 7 continents with his wife Debra inspiring people to follow their dreams and push their boundaries. Currently he’s a 2013 American Express Ambassador and Real Life Potentialist. He’s also a part of the F-Stop Photography Pro-Team.He’s been featured in the Expedia Find Yours media Campaign and is a Travel and Escape New Nomad. Dave’s appeared on TV as a regular travel expert, been featured in such publications as Men’s Health, Lonely Planet Traveller, The National Post, BBC Travel, National Geographic and has spoken around the world about pursuing your passion.

To check out more of my images from Antarctica please visit my Gallery . You can also follow Dave Bouskill on Google+ and Facebook.