Seascapes to Seashores

For the month of March, the City of Santa Clarita has an exhibit on the First Floor Gallery of City Hall called "Seascapes to Seashores". This exhibit is presented as an extension of the Santa Clarita Public Library reading program of the book In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Phillbrick.

If you are in the area, check out the many talented artists that have art in the exhibit. I am so excited to see my image Antarctic Sunset printed on metal for the first time. Below is a photo of me standing next to the 12 x 18 metal image. If you are interested in having this image of an Antarctic sunset in your home, you can order it here. Thanks to fellow exhibitor and Antarctic traveler Joel Bareng for taking this photo.

The exhibit ends March 31, 2015.

World Whale Day

February 14 celebrates World Whale Day in Maui to raise awareness of these magnificent creatures. It has been a while since I have seen the majestic Humpback whales in Maui, but I was able to spot Humpbacks in the Southern Hemisphere last summer.

Humpback whales in Dallmann Bay, Antarctica

Being among these whales was magnificent- there were so many spouting and diving around our ship, it was hard to keep up with clicking the shutter.

This was the last day my group was in the Antarctic. I like to think that this was our grand send off - at least until next time!

Port Lockroy

Penguin Post Office, a Nature production about the Gentoo penguins of Port Lockroy, Antarctica, airs on PBS in the USA this evening. I am especially excited to see this documentary (having waited over a year for it) because I was in Port Lockroy, while the crew was filming last Antarctic summer. Check your local listings - it should be fun to see the daily lives of these penguins.

How I wish I could be back on Port Lockroy, and really savor each moment. Because of timing issues with being on a guided tour on Quark Expeditions, I felt pretty rushed to get through the gift shop (yes, I needed to buy souvenirs on the continent), take in the museum, write and mail post cards from...the post office...and savor all of the Gentoo penguins that reside there, all while trying to capture the experience with my lens -- the opportunity to just take my time had to give.

In the spirit of Penguin Post Office airing tonight, here are some photos taken last year from Port Lockroy --  on January 1, 2014, to be exact.

A Gentoo penguin gets its close up with the film crew of Penguin Post Office

Passengers from Quark Expeditions Sea Spirit arrive at Port Lockroy

One of the few buildings at Port Lockroy.

Thanks to Lisa Kim and Joel Bareng for this photo of me.

Thanks to Lisa Kim and Joel Bareng for this photo of me.

I left my my mark on new Year's Day in the Port Lockroy guest book.

Of course I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to even be here. Make sure to check your local listing and set your DVR, and please let me know what you think of the show in the comments.

Elephant Seal Snuggle

Last year, I was able to travel to the Antarctic region - an amazing and unforgettable experience. One moment stood out to me, and luckily I was able to catch all three minutes of it on my GoPro camera.

While in Gold Harbour on South Georgia Island, a juvenile elephant seal lumbered up to me (and others) looking for affection. This was a wonderful moment that I am lucky to have experienced and am honored to share with you. Please enjoy!

This particular day was the day after Christmas, and was an amazing gift.

World Oceans Day

The United Nations has been recognizing June 8th as World Oceans Day, a day to help people "celebrate and honor the ocean, which links us all".

I am pretty lucky to live on the West Coast of the Pacific Ocean. I benefit from the wonderful temperatures that the ocean provides (even though living in "the valley" gets pretty warm). I usually vacation somewhere along the Pacific Ocean- either up the coast, down the coast, or an island in the middle.

I had a chance to cross oceans and make it down into the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Sound. While I think the ocean in general is amazing and historical (people have been crossing them for centuries and have some terrifying stories), there was something about the Southern Ocean that was especially magical. It's pristine beauty was just stunning-- and to see penguins on ice floes while cruising down the Antarctic sound was just an amazing experience.

Antarctica Interview with GeoLounge

I was delighted and honored to be interviewed a few weeks ago by the wonderful blog about all things Geography -- GeoLounge.

This was a great forum to talk about the geographically important Antarctic and sub-Antarctic region, as a geographer and photographer. I must say, it was interesting to bring those two interests together in this capacity, and I had to put a lot of thought into what it means to my vision as a photographer with my background in geography -- and how that manifested during my trip to the bottom of the world.

Check out the full interview here -- I thoroughly enjoyed being able to share my thoughts as well as my images of Antarctica in this way. Thank you to GeoLounge for the feature!

Thank you to my fellow passenger who too this picture!

Thank you to my fellow passenger who too this picture!


Why Antarctica?

Last month, I booked the trip of a lifetime to the "White Continent". More often than not the question, "Why Antarctica?!" comes up.

Well, why not Antarctica?

Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to visit all seven continents, and have wanted to reach the tips of South America, Africa and Antarctica. This trip will satiate two of those life goals, as I will be departing by boat out of the tip of South America.

I am envisioning the bluest of blues, the tealest of teals, and the whitest of whites. As a photographer, I cannot wait to interpret these things (Photographer David DuChemin set me straight that I would not be able to capture these things). To be among penguins is something that I have only dreamed of for years. To stand on ice that has been forming for millions of years is just beyond my comprehension.

The voyage is slated to travel into the Antarctic Circle, a dream that I hadn't quite realized would be a part of this expedition cruise. As a geographer, this will be really exciting to see the latitude change. Of course, the itinerary is subject to change depending on weather conditions. I know it will be amazing.

I'm so excited to experience these things, and I am so excited to bring back images of a part of the world that I have only dreamed I would ever visit. I hope that I will be able to post a few photos here and there, but of course that depends on internet availability.