Growing up
Light-mantled albatrosses nest on cliffs, tucked on tiny ledges, exposed to the elements. There is a nest just across the cove from us on the island, and we've been watching…
Re-greetings
Albatrosses are famously 'monogamous', choosing one partner to nest with for most, if not all, of their life. Real life is messy, and this does come with caveats - there's…
Homeland
If you were an albatross, where would you nest? On the long plains behind a sheltering lump of fern, halfway up a steep tussocky slope, or on a ridgeline, with…
Northern Giant Petrels
Northern Giant Petrels don't get a lot of love. Their various nicknames include 'stinkpot', which is, if occasionally accurate, a little rude. Having been the recipient of the self-defence projectile…
Stormlight
We can never make the same image twice. The endless permutations of weather and light, of where birds fly, how the clouds darken and draw light across the landscape, all…
Yawn
Erect-crested penguin It turns out that sympathetic yawning is a cross-species phenomenon. I've noticed it with dogs, and now also penguins and albatrosses. They yawn, I yawn. It doesn't seem…
First Light, Last Light
The first week on Antipodes Island, in mid-December. The wind is light, the sky is calm and clear. In the evenings, late, the sun swells to a rich golden glow…
Antipodean Summer Take Two
This summer season sees me back on Antipodes Island, back with the glorious albatrosses who call this place home. It's a thrill and an absolute privilege to spend a few…
Textures of the Antipodes
Gentians, ferns, Acaena (biddy-bids), Lycopodiums and more! I love photographing wildlife, but something that draws me just as much is the textures of the environment I'm in. All the tiny…
The Light Fantastic
The end of a long day of census blocks, walking in lines over lumpy, orifice-infested vegetation. Wind riffling up the slopes of the southern end of Antipodes island, tossing golden…
Ten ways to photograph an Albatross
Classic portrait Are we surprised that I took lots of albatross photographs during three months living and working on Antipodes island? Not really. But how do you keep things fresh…
The Southern End
I didn't manage to do a great job of blogging while on the Antipodes. I hoped to, but too many competing interests were bubbling around at the time, and my…
Antipodean Summer 1
I’m writing this sitting outside the hut on Antipodes Island, 870km southeast of New Zealand. The fact that I can write and post blogs from here is a bit startling,…
Two penguins and a PhD
Kia ora! It's been a while. Here's an update from me: I handed in my doctorate at the end of May, defended in August, and now I am done. PhD,…
Slick
I've been looking for monochrome images while out shooting recently - paying more attention to light, shade, and contrast rather than colour. This photo - shot on an Albatross Encounter…