Hardwicke Settlement – tiny details
The evening we stopped at the Hardwicke settlement on Auckland Island was golden. We'd had a pretty rough ride for the start of the subantarctic voyage, and our plans to…
From the Archives: Subantarctic New Zealand
Every now and then I get the urge to delve back into my photo archives. It's a rewarding exercise because it does a few things: I appreciate my past wins…
The Why
Why do I take photos? Why do I carry around heavy, clunky gear to wild places, to be battered by the elements? Why do I then spend time sitting in…
Finding your eyes
I'm having real difficulty putting images and words together at the moment. It's a bit like 'Writer's Block' - except that I'm stuck with finding photographs as well! I have…
Blue skies and big swells
I spend a lot of time on the Bridge when we're at sea. Usually I'm looking for birds, but I also really enjoyed using the Nikon 10.5mm fisheye on my…
Albatross and their Islands
It started with this photo: On New Year's day 2016, leaving Campbell Island, I made this image of a Campbell albatross with cloud-wreathed Campbell Island in the background. It ended…
Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 for seabird photography
Let me start by saying I loved using this lens. Loved it. One of my main aims on a subantarctic trip is pelagic bird photography, which can often be a…
The Pyramid – Chatham Islands
The Pyramid (Tarakoikoia) is a mighty rise of rock at the southern end of the Chatham Islands. It's classified as an Important Bird Area because it's the only place in…
Bounty Islands
I have never seen so many seabirds in my life. The air above the Bounty Islands is dark - a mist that resolves through binoculars into a flurry of whirling albatross.…
The Gift
The Gift
On my 23rd birthday, I woke to the ship rocking in a way that indicated one thing to me. It wasn’t looking good for us to be able to land…
An Introduction to Subantarctic New Zealand
If you read the blog I posted before I left, you'll recognise this map: When I mention the subantarctic to people, they often comment on how much ice I'm going…