Publishers note: Luminous-Landscape is obviously closely tied to the Luminous-Endowment. The Endowment gives grants so that photographers can pursue special projects related to their photography. One of these grants is the Antarctica XXI Grant. The winner of the 2015 Antarctica Grant was Vincent Woolley. Below is his short story about his experience on his trip to Antarctica.
If you want to explore Antarctica then do so with Luminous-Landscape. We still have a few berths left for our Ultimate Antarctica Adventure this November.
Almost seven months ago I learned I had received a grant from The Luminous Endowment to go to Antarctica. Over the next few months I gathered gear, read information, looked at photos and learned all I could about the white continent, but nothing really prepared me for the experience and landscapes I was about to see.
Words can not describe the beauty and solitude of Antarctica and I hope in some way, the pictures I brought back will. I know this place will live in my mind and in my memories forever.
Photographing here was a bit of a challenge. More often than not you were shooting from the moving ship or zodiac rafts and things happened very quickly. Using a tripod was impossible unless you were on shore.
The days were very long which allowed for more pictures, the light was gorgeous and the colors of the ice was unlike anything I have ever seen. We were blessed with wonderful weather, bright overcast light and one day of clear blue skies.
The crew aboard the ship and everyone else involved with Antarctica XXI were top notch, including all the unbelievable food around the clock.
Because of approaching inclement weather at Frei Station Base we had to end our journey one day early so we could keep our scheduled connecting return flights, but in turn allowed us to spend an extra day in Punta Arenas as we headed home. This was truly an experience of a lifetime and a dream come true for me.
I want to thank Michael Reichmann, Kevin Raber and Antarctica XXI for making this trip possible and I look forward to producing a limited edition portfolio and an E-Book which will be available in the Spring 2016.
Although I went to Antarctica as a photographer, there were many things that made this trip special;
One… Meeting people from all over the world who were very kind and sharing this wonderful experience with them.
Two… Having to transfer to another zodiac mid ocean because ours quit.
Three… Sharing a bottle of very old Scotch with 30,000 year old ice we picked up on
Christmas eve with newly found friends.
And lastly, sitting in sun on the deck of the Sea Explorer with a pair of shorts on watching icebergs float by. These are things I will never forget!
Vincent Woolley
February 2015
Author
Elevate Your Vision
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