Join expert landscape and wildlife photographer Richard Young on an Antarctica Photography adventure of a lifetime to the Ross Sea region of the Antarctic! This exclusive photography expedition offers a rare opportunity to explore and capture breathtaking images of one of Earth’s most remote and pristine marine ecosystems—an untouched region of Antarctica that very few expeditions reach.
You’ll get to experience and photograph the Ross Sea region’s otherworldly beauty, characterised by towering icebergs, vast glaciers, the ethereal beauty of endless ice fields, and an abundance of rare wildlife, including Emperor Penguins, orca, seals and soaring albatrosses.
You’ll also get to explore the historic huts of early Antarctic explorers Scott, Shackleton and Borchgrevink, plus witness the stunning beauty of the Ross Ice Shelf – the largest ice shelf in Antarctica.
With Richard as your guide throughout the expedition, you’ll benefit from his wealth of photography expertise and guidance both on deck and on land, as well as dedicated time for tuition and review sessions to ensure you come away from the trip with incredible images.
This tour is not to be missed for any photography enthusiast or adventurer looking to experience the awe-inspiring beauty of Antarctica.
Please contact us for a complete brochure, cabin options and pricing.
The Ross Sea region of Antarctica is one of the most remote places on Planet Earth and one of the most fascinating places in the continent’s human history. With shipping restricted by impenetrable pack ice to just two brief months each Austral summer, few people have ever visited this strange and beautiful territory—with opportunities limited to a handful of expedition ships—unlike the much-visited Antarctica Peninsula.
The dramatic landscape that awed early explorers; Mt Erebus, Mt Discovery and the Transantarctic Mountains, are as inspiring today as 100 years ago. The penguin rookeries described by the early biologists fluctuate in numbers from year to year, but they still occupy the same sites. The seals, no longer hunted for food, lie on ice floes seemingly unperturbed. The whales, which were hunted so ruthlessly here in the 1920s, are now returning. Snow Petrels, Wilson’s Storm Petrels, Antarctic Prions and South Polar Skuas all breed in this seemingly inhospitable environment.
There is so much to see and do here, from exploring historic huts and sites to visiting penguin rookeries, marvelling at the glacial ice tongues and ice shelves, and understanding the icebergs and sea ice. Then there are all the seabirds, seals and whales to observe and photograph, modern scientific bases and field camps to visit and simply the opportunity to photograph in the marvellous landscape that has always enthralled visitors.
Locations Visited:
Please contact us for a complete brochure, cabin options and pricing.
Our journey south to the Antarctic continent from New Zealand allows us to stop at the Subantarctic Islands. Our voyage south includes stops at The Snares, Auckland, Macquarie and Campbell Islands. These stops break our long journey, but more importantly, they help prepare us for what lies ahead, for these islands are part of the amazing and dynamic Southern Ocean ecosystem of which Antarctica is at its very heart. The islands provide some truly unique wildlife photography opportunities. We will get the chance to photograph five different penguin species – Yellow-eyed, Rockhopper, Gentoo and the endemic Royal – that breed here, along with the vast colonies of regal King Penguins on Macquarie Island. Other wildlife photography highlights include the Southern Royal and Light-mantled Sooty Albatross, as well as gigantic elephant seals that all breed on these remote island’s rugged landscapes.
Islands visited
Richard Young has guided two previous photography expeditions south from New Zealand: to the Ross Sea in Antarctica, and to the Sub-Antarctica Islands.
His photograph of two emperor Penguins won the 2024 New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year wildlife category, and he also won the landscape category in the same year.
He brings to this experience a love for exploring a more expressive approach to landscape and nature photography to help you make some truly unique photographs during the expedition.
Please contact us for a complete brochure, cabin options and pricing.
In February 2023 I undertook an amazing, month-long journey into the southern realms of this marvellous and beautiful planet. Travelling on the Heritage Adventurer with Richard Young of New Zealand Photography Workshops, I visited the sub-Antarctic islands including The Snares, Auckland and Macquarie islands before travelling to the Ross Sea and Antarctic continent.
As part of the photography expedition, whilst we were at sea, we participated in workshops led by Richard. These were designed to help us make the most of our experiences, critique one another’s images and gain new skills in image making.
In August this year, I exhibited many of my Antarctica images at the Red Gallery in Fitzroy North, Melbourne. This was immensely satisfying and a measure for me of the rewarding experience provided by Richard and New Zealand Photography Workshops.
Antarctica is a continent of contrast and extremes. An exceptionally vast, vulnerable environment which seeks and takes revenge on the vulnerable. Juxtaposed to the vastness of Antarctica is the beauty and intimacy of the ‘scapes – both land and sea and the unique Wildlife.
Exploring this complex system of natural environments with Richard Young, as our photographic guide and tutor, was an experience of a lifetime. Richard’s extensive photographic knowledge and experience underpins his ability to be a highly effective teacher, encouraging and guiding your development as a photographer. The highlights were visiting this unique part of the planet and the subantarctic Islands, an amazing variety of wildlife, and the brilliant learning and supportive review sessions, which encouraged our growth as photographers. I came home with amazing memories of a remarkable experience.