Alan Lichtenstein, QPSA  

Antarctic by Alan Lichtenstein, QPSA

February 2025 - Antarctic

February 2025 - Alan Lichtenstein, QPSA

Original

About the Image(s)

We visited Antarctica in 2007, when it was much less accessible and fewer people visited than do today. Visiting back then was quite a bit more rugged than now. We traveled on a Russian icebreaker, the Professor Multinovsky, with 47 other adventurous souls, where the amenities were nonexistent and the cuisine typical Russian. Nowadays, one travels to Antarctica on “Expedition” ships which are mini-cruise ships with white linen tablecloths on the dining room tables, elegant cuisine, other amenities, such as lounges, gyms and even pools, just as larger cruise ships have. However, we were rewarded for our rugged, perseverance with magnificent scenes of blue icebergs, landings, which lasted for up to 8 hours per day, where we walked among hundreds of seals, penguins and arctic birds. You’ll get those experiences even today, because tour companies taking tourists to Antarctica must be members of IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators), which restricts landings in order to preserve the pristine nature of Antarctica. But even today, as we did in 2007, one travels from ship to shore via Zodiac with “wet” landings, or for rides just taking in the scenery, which I can only term as beautifully desolate. Here’s an image of what it’s like to travel by zodiac throughout Antarctica.

Gear: Olympus E-500, Zuiko 40-150 mm opened to 53 mm
Data: ISO 100, f 6.3, 1/320 sec
Metering: Manual, Setting unknown
WB: Auto
EV: 0
Date Image Created: January 14, 2007

This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted

Dr. Isaac Vaisman   Dr. Isaac Vaisman
Alan, indeed to visit Antarctica is a challenge and a great experience. We did it back in 2013, and our parkas were red. We did enjoy of French cuisine instead.
Your image at first gave me the impression that this (not these) was just one gigantic zodiac with a lots of people, but after a couple of gentle touch ups, shows that there are several zodiacs. Lots of floating "ice cubes".   Posted: 02/01/2025 08:57:52
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Alan Lichtenstein   Alan Lichtenstein
Each tour company has a different color. We went with Quark and theirs were yellow, and yes, there were three zodiacs tied up, IIRC. I guess in 2013, expedition ships were sailing, but in 2007, only ships like the Professor Multinovsky were there. I had to call the 'waitress' over one dinner and ask her if I could have a little food with my salt. That was our cuisine.   Posted: 02/01/2025 09:48:30
Tom Tauber   Tom Tauber
I like the way Isaac lightened up the image.   Posted: 02/02/2025 17:32:58
Alan Lichtenstein   Alan Lichtenstein
This trip was the first ever use of a digital camera that I had recently bought, as described in my bio. The salesman told me to just shoot in AUTO, which I did, so I don't understand why the EXIF data shows manual metering. I didn't know enough about anything back then to put anything in manual. I'm surprised it came out as good as it did, considering what I didn't know back then.   Posted: 02/04/2025 07:26:58
Vinaya Mathews   Vinaya Mathews
Alan, you are so lucky to visit such a picturesque place & could see beautiful birds. your photo with Penguin gave me memories of the film 'Happy Feet".

Sorry, before seeing Isaac's version, I also worked on the photo as I liked it. (Opened up the main sub, added saturation to floating ice.). As I worked on it, attaching here, not much difference from Isaac version, though.

I feel, more breathing space in front of Zodiacs is desirable

  Posted: 02/06/2025 03:04:19
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Alan Lichtenstein   Alan Lichtenstein
As I said in my reply to Tom, this picture was virtually my first use of a digital camera and it was shot in complete AUTO because I didn't have any clue about the features back then. I had to put the other original because I wanted to show how close we got to the natural world.   Posted: 02/06/2025 06:11:50
Vinaya Mathews   Vinaya Mathews
No, Alan, though ur pic is virtually first pic, it is a good capture. whatever we have suggested are minor corrections at PP, that's all.   Posted: 02/06/2025 22:38:12
Pamela Liu   Pamela Liu
Alan, I envy you and thanks so much for sharing the wondering trip of Antarctica. You have a gifted talent as a photographer for the first image. I have done some PP, also readjusted the white balance to light up the floating ice.   Posted: 02/06/2025 23:12:12
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Alan Lichtenstein   Alan Lichtenstein
Pamela, my most sincerest thanks for your compliment. I'm just an amateur, nothing more, who may just happen to be in the right place at the right time. I like your edits; they make the image better, no question about it. But those edits would render it unsuitable for competition ( I have entered it a couple of salons) in PTD, because those didn't depict the natural conditions at the time. I may make your edits and enter it in PIDC, where there are no restrictions. The natural conditions were gray overcast, as the original image shows. You WB adjustment, however, does enhance the floating ice and would be permitted. But as ai said, I took this image when I knew relatively nothing about how the features of the camera worked, and was just shot in total AUTO.   Posted: 02/07/2025 05:32:04
Pamela Liu   Pamela Liu
Alan, there are few tricks eliminating haze while shooting, bigger aperture , slower speed if you can get steady, and higher ISO to make camera absorbing more light, adding filters is another alternative. In my PP, I did not adjust your saturation but only readjust WB for the ice,adding a gradient filter on the sky to adjust the haze, nothing more. I think your image is well done but only needs a little PP.   Posted: 02/07/2025 18:16:29