Cruises to Antarctica

[anil_sud]

<p>I am interested in making a return trip to Antarctica on one of the larger expedition ships and wondered if anyone could provide advice as to what their experience with the various photo tour operators has been (nat geo, quark, cheeseman's, van os, etc). <br>

I was there this past season and travelled on a sailboat for 3 weeks which provided the intimacy of a small group and generous landing times. Unfortunately, I decided that the small vessel sailing was not for me. As well, we were not able to visit the South Georgia islands due to lengthy crossing times.<br>

Having plenty of time to shoot without being forced on a regimented schedule is important to me. I can spare up to 1 month for travel.<br>

In your experience, has the large group size been an issue with having photographers walking into the background of every image been a problem. Deploying large groups on and off the zodiacs resulted in "wasted time". Having to rush back to the ship for meals?<br>

Right now, Cheeseman's seems to be the best option and if anyone has direct experience with this group's service, I would love to hear some feedback. Of course, feedback on any other cruise options would help me to make an informed decision.</p>

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[goldbergbarry]

<p>You consider also posting your question on cruise critic. Believe they have a forum that focuses on this.</p>

[SteveH]

<p>I went to Antarctica with the Cheesemans last season. A number of years ago, I was also on their staff for several polar trips (in the interests of full disclosure), and count several of their current staff among my friends. I can certainly recommend their itinerary, and their very experienced staff. While this is not billed as a "photo" trip, there is plenty of time ashore. They use the M/V Ortelius, a comfortable ship, but certainly not a luxury liner: it carries about 100 passengers. This last year we had fabulous weather on South Georgia and made every planned landing, including all day at Saint Andrews Bay. Yes, with 90+ passengers on shore, folks can get in your frame, but everyone is polite about either waiting a bit, or moving. In contrast to 10 years ago, there are considerably more restrictions to time ashore and movement on the Antarctic peninsula, but these are because of IAATO restrictions, not the tour directors. This year, there was lots of ice and we could not make some planned Peninsula landings (e.g. Paulet Island) but got to see some unplanned ones, that were new to me and very nice. The staff and ship's crew were very good about responding to adverse conditions and revising plans so we had a great trip. Feel free to email me if you have any other questions. I suggest you also talk with Jim Danzenbaker at Cheeseman's - he is their director of polar operations and can give you detailed answers if you need them. I posted some images from the last trip here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/henryimages/sets/72157640428635593/</p>

[vivid_earth_photographics]

<p>I second Steve's recommendation of Cheesemans. As you know Ani from our private emails earlier this year, I was on the Cheesemans 1 month expedition this past Dec-Jan to Falklands-S.Georgia-Antarctica. The trip exceeded my expectations in all regards and for a photographer it was pretty perfect. About 80%+ of the approximately 95 passengers were hardcore photographers. The Cheesemans staff was replete with pro photographers and definitely was very attentive to the interests of the photographers on board. They were nimble in adjusting to conditions and were forever shifting things around to make the most of every possible photographic opportunity. For the most part, I had all the time I could handle on shore and in zodiacs, and I didn't really have any problems keeping fellow travellers out of my shots. Often I was alone with my dad (who travelled with me) or just one or two other people since landing sites had some parameters but most allowed for tremendous wandering exploration. As Steve said, the Ortelius was comfortable and able and clean with a wonderful crew, but it is a hardcore ice-hardened ship that is not at all about luxury. <br>

If travelling to Antarctica again, I would sign up again with Cheesemans without hesitation. My top four criteria were the operation had to be super organized, demonstrate ecological sensitivity, have the highest concern for safety, and have a seasoned staff that included many pro photographers. Cheesemans was all these things. Next, I wanted a group that emphasized time on shore and that chartered a ship that was rated as highly as possible for ice conditions so as to be more likely to get places that other ships might not. Cheesemans fulfilled those requirements too. Lastly, I wanted the trip to be a photographically oriented as possible. As it turned out, it was like a 1 month immersion photography workshop. Evenings were spent comparing shots and techniques, getting suggestions, teaching one another. There were lots of photo lectures about post-processing, composition, animalscapes, lighting, etc. And we had a number of photo slide show critiques consisting of the pros offering feedback on shots we voluntarily submitted. <br>

If you have any other questions, feel free to write or post. If interested, these are a selection of shots from the expedition: <a href="http://www.vividearthphotographics.com/p313980083">http://www.vividearthphotographics.com/p313980083</a> If you click "slideshow" in the upper right corner, you will then see an "options" pulldown menu that will permit you to see EXIF data for the shots if curious. Would love to see some of your shots, too!</p>