Antarctica is a real photographer’s paradise. Its raw beauty, wild landscapes and incredible wildlife offer a perfect canvas for amateurs and professional photographers to take their creativity to the next level. The pictures from Antarctica you’ll capture on an expedition cruise are likely to be some of the most dramatic you’ll ever take: everywhere you point your camera you’ll find something amazing to take a photograph of. The biggest problem you’ll have is sorting through your camera’s memory card at the end of the trip.
In this article, we’ll list some of our favourite places where you’ll be able to capture some of the beautiful Antarctica pictures,
The Top Places for Beautiful Photography in Antarctica
All across the White Continent, you’ll find photogenic landscapes and wildlife. However, there are places that we regard as some of the very best to snap some Antarctic photos. Many of these are regularly visited as part of a classic Antarctic Peninsula cruise, though the unpredictable polar weather means that visits can never be guaranteed.
Lemaire Channel
The Lemaire Channel on the Antarctic Peninsula is truly one of the most breathtaking places in Antarctica. It’s nickname of ‘the Kodak Gap’ or ‘Kodak Alley’ leave you in no mistake about its photogenic attractions: a narrow channel nearly seven miles (11 km) long, where ships squeeze between high mountains and glaciers that pinch so closely together you almost feel as if you could touch with side.
Often littered with icebergs, the Lemaire Channel is an exceptional place to capture beautiful photography in Antarctica. On a clear and calm day, the sea forms a perfect mirror, offering some particularly stunning vistas. The chance of sighting humpback and minke whales here only adds to the excitement if your visit to Antarctica offers the chance to sail through this spectacular strait.
Port Lockroy
Nestled on Goudier Island, Port Lockroy is better known as the home of the ‘Penguin Post Office’ – the southernmost post office in the world. Once a British research station, it’s now maintained by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, and a very popular place for photography in Antarctica, including a snap of you sending a postcard home.
Port Lockroy’s red and black building is instantly iconic and makes a great centrepiece for photos, not least when it’s seen against the great amphitheatre of snowy mountains that serve as the island’s scenic photography backdrop.
On top of this Port Lockroy is also home to a large rookery of gentoo penguins. When they’re not sending mail, the postmasters here take part in long term studies of the penguins here. Their constant activity on shore and coming and going from the water make for some classic Antarctic photos.
Deception Island
One of the most atmospheric places that expedition cruises can call on when they visit Antarctica is Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands. It’s the caldera of a giant collapsed volcano, with black sand beaches, patchy snow-covered mountains and geothermal pools. This is no doubt why it captures the eye of keen photographers across the globe when they explore Antarctica.
To add to the photographic interest, at the centre of Deception Island, after passing through the narrow strait of Neptune’s Bellows, you’ll find Whalers Bay, dotted with whaling artefacts, rusting oil tanks and derelict buildings that form a reminder of the continent’s whaling history and create a particularly interesting canvas for Antarctic photography.
Neko Harbour
Another fantastic wildlife spot, Neko Harbour is another landmark to add to your wishlist of destinations for photography in Antarctica. Situated in the Antarctic Peninsula, the inlet is known for its spectacular whale sightings, with Humpbacks in particular known to put on a visual display for visitors.
Neko Harbour is also a popular destination for continental landings: the chance to set food on the Antarctic mainland. Its setting is as dramatic as you might hope for such an event: a small stretch of land utterly dominated with vast ice cliffs and mountains. Gentoo penguins nest here on the rocks, seemingly unperturbed by the enormous chunks of ice that calves out of the cliffs here – a regular occurrence but one that even the fastest shutter speed faces a challenge to capture.
If Antarctic cruise ships are in the vicinity of Neko Harbour, they also tend to cruise through nearby Paradise Harbour. This is another fantastic photography spot to snap some beautiful Antarctica pictures, particularly on zodiac excursions through the loose brash ice: the mountains and channels here more than live up to the location’s name.
South Georgia
If you’re a wildlife enthusiast there can be few better places to include on your itinerary than South Georgia. This remote island is also known as the ‘Serengeti of the Southern Ocean’ and is a dream location for photos of Antarctic wildlife. The major highlights here are the epic colonies of king penguins that are hundreds of thousands of birds strong, congregating in a noisy, smelly and highly colourful mass. At times you won’t know where to point your camera.
The penguin rookeries are all set against dramatic mountain ranges that seem to rise straight out of the ocean. Meanwhile, the beaches are thickly lined with fur seals and elephant seals, while the skies above are full of majestic albatrosses and petrels. South Georgia is truly one of the world’s great wildlife photography destinations.
Falkland Islands
The northernmost destination that can be included on an Antarctic trip, the Falkland Islands combine with South Georgia to make the ultimate long-haul polar cruise. Famed for its rich biodiversity, this is definitely a place for keen wildlife photographers to consider for their trip to Antarctica.
Backed by picture-perfect landscapes that are a green contrast to anything you’ll experience in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands are home to both Subantarctic and South American wildlife, including four different species of penguin: the rockhopper, gentoo Magellanic and king penguins.
On top of the wildlife, the Falkland Islands’ capital in Stanley offers some great photographic opportunities, from its colourful homes with bright red roofs and cathedral with its enormous whalebone arch, to the many shipwrecks that litter its coastline.
The Weddell Sea
Finally, if you want to venture south to places in Antarctica offering the most awesome icy photo opportunities, consider adding the Weddell Sea to your itinerary.
Home to vast tabular icebergs it’s the Weddell Sea’s striking ice formations that make it such an otherworldly landscape to practise your photography in Antarctica. You’ll witness expansive ice cliffs beaten by lapping waves if you’re lucky, great sheets of pack ice. Visit in November and there’s even the chance of visiting the emperor penguins at Snow Hill and photograph Antarctica’s most iconic (and elusive) species.
The harsh conditions of the Weddell Sea mean that relatively few cruise ships visit here every year, but its stark landscapes are precisely why it is such a striking and impressive photography destination in Antarctica.
Photography in Antarctica tips
The photos of Antarctica you take will be ones you will treasure for the rest of your life. For more information about picking a cruise with a strong focus on photography, visit the Photography in Antarctica page on our website. We’ve also got plenty of useful advice from Swoop’s inhouse photography in our Ten photography tips to get the most out of your Antarctica trip blog, giving you the essential information on everything from packing the right gear to picking the best settings for shooting in bright snow.
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