!!!Antarctica
by Stas Sedov, 
Mike Reyfman, 
Oleg Gaponyuk and Max Guzovskiy, members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\


27 February 2015

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Our adventurous story is completely in the spirit of the AirPano team.
This time, however, our success was very doubtful.

It is almost impossible to all of a sudden take off to go "shoot
Antarctic". The travels in this region are planned far in advance; there
is no such thing as a last minute decision. In our case, we made
reservations to participate in a photo tour of the Antarctic 2 years in
advance. Cancellations of the trip at any stage meant extreme financial
loss, which would multiply as we approach the beginning of the
expedition. Our drones were not yet ready to shoot in such challenging
conditions, but Oleg Gaponyuk, the founder of the project, was convinced
that within a couple of years we would be able to solve any technical
problem, and firmly put down a deposit. (Oleg's comment: "my hand was
shaking as I was making the deposit!" :)

[{Image src='01_Neko Harbour.jpg' caption='Neko Harbour\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='440'}]

By the summer of 2014, the team had acquired the necessary equipment and
experience for aerial photo shooting in a variety of conditions and
countries. We decided a test was needed before the Antarctic expedition
to perform work in similar conditions and went to icy Greenland.
Unfortunately, that shooting was not successful, and four months before
traveling to the Antarctic we had to start almost from scratch.

[{Image src='02_antarctica.jpg' caption='Antarctica\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='325'}]

We chose a new drone design, changed the power scheme, and developed and
tested the new mounting system for cameras and camcorders. The size and
weight of the new device was somewhat intimidating, but the flight
characteristics — flight duration and load capacity — were considerably
better than its predecessor.

The expedition started from the city of Ushuaia, Argentine. All the
participants had to make their own travel arrangements. From Moscow we
flew more than a day with two connecting flights in Barcelona then
Buenos Aires. On this long and difficult journey any small problem can
ruin the entire trip, and if there is the slightest chance of "failure,"
rest assured, it will happen! Early morning in Buenos Aires, I found out
that almost all our equipment was still in Barcelona. Also, deliveries
to Argentina would be delayedbecause flights were scheduled every other
day.

[{Image src='03_Polar Pioneer expedition ship.jpg' caption='Polar Pioneer expedition ship\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

We fly often enough to be ready for such mishaps. I left for Ushuaia two
days earlier than the rest of the photo tour team. We agreed to shoot
several key locations in Buenos Aires and look for the missing baggage
when we were changing planes, just in case it gets lost in Spain. It
took two days for the Argentine airlines to find our missing suitcases,
but by the time of departure to Ushuaia, we were fully prepared for our
expedition.

On the morning of November 22nd, our team boarded the ship called Polar
Pioneer. I received permission from the captain for the first drone
flight, and so we made our first aerial footage of the expedition: our
ship before departing to the shores of the Antarctic.

A few words about the ship and its crew. Polar Pioneer is a Russian
vessel, converted from a scientific research ship into a small cruise
liner, adapted to travel to the Arctic and Antarctic. The ship is
operated by the Australian company Aurora Expedition, but most of the
crew, including the officers, are Russians. I believe this fact
contributed greatly to the success of shooting onboard the vessel.
Almost immediately we were allowed to use the deck as a takeoff platform
for the drone. In addition, the photographers were allowed to use a
walking bridge — the control center of all systems aboard the ship. This
access was allowed at any time, day or night.

[{Image src='04_Antarctica.jpg' caption='Antarctica\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

After leaving the port of Ushuaia, we went through the Beagle Channel
for several hours. It is a relatively quiet portion of the journey,
followed by "the Drake". This is how the crew refers to the crossing of
the Drake Passage from Argentina to the Antarctic and back. The ocean in
this part of the world is never calm. Even when the ship sails on
so-called "flat seas", i.e., relatively calm sea, the waves still reach
a couple meters in height.

According to our crew, they make this crossing once a week on average
carrying tourists, shipments of supplies, and scientists that travel to
Antarctic stations. All recall one previous voyage very well. The ship
was beaten so badly in the passage that even veterans, such as our
captain, who had made this crossing more than 100 times during his
career, could not remember it being this treacherous.

Our ship can withstand rolls of more than 60 degrees; during this storm
the ship's inclinometer showed 50. Some cabins had not only personal
belongings flying over the ceiling, but also furniture, tables and
chairs. The crew tried to mentally prepare us for the worst, but we were
lucky. While crossing the passage towards Antarctic we had a small storm
— only 28-30 knots. At the very beginning of the storm, Oleg and I went
out to the brow of the ship shooting a 360-video for a short while.
Later, the captain ordered us to close all the hatches and deck access
until the storm subsided.

We were told that the storm was nothing out of the ordinary, although
many passengers suffered from common seasickness.

[{Image src='05_Half Moon Island.jpg' caption='Half Moon Island\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

A few words about our photo expedition. The organizers of our cruise
were Norwegian photographers from WildPhoto Travel team. They brought
together on-ship enthusiasts and professionals of animalistic and
landscape photography. For the first time in their cruise experience
they managed to organize a strictly photographic tour to the Antarctic.

Thanks to the selection of the participants, the daily routine on the
ship during the cruise in the Antarctic waters had been specifically
designed to achieve our photographic goals: if possible we put ashore up
to three times a day, and the landing was timed to the sunsets and
sunrises, the right time for photography, which would not be possible on
the usual tourist cruises.

[{Image src='06_Sea elephants.jpg' caption='Sea elephants\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='585'}]

It should be mentioned that the work in the Antarctic was different from
our usual photo-shooting because of the large number of restrictions and
regulations designed to protect the inhabitants of the ice region from
human activities. For example, there are regulations, such as the vacuum
cleaning of personal belongings and equipment and treatment of shoes
with a special solution each time we leave the ship and return back; and
restrictions: it is prohibited to take food on shore! You are not
allowed to approach animals! You cannot get too close to the glacier!
The penguins cannot be touched! You cannot shove your camera in a bird's
beak! It would be easier, perhaps, to list what you can do: observe and
shoot. Our guides watched vigilantly for rule violations, threatening to
ban photographers from going ashore — the most stringent of the possible
penalties for a photographer on board. This can be explained by the fact
that the guides are responsible for their licenses in the event of any
serious incidents on
shore.

[{Image src='07_Photobombed by seal.jpg' caption='Photobombed by seal\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='309'}]

AirPano is joking

A couple of words about the weather in the Antarctic. We arrived in the
Antarctic waters in early spring; the first island appeared on the
evening of November 24th. The first boat cruise among the glaciers took
place on the morning of November 25th. It was not very cold. On almost
all the days that we spent in the Antarctic, the temperature hovered
around 0 degrees Celsius. However, the local spring weather is tricky
not because of the low temperatures, but more because of its variability
and frequent strong winds. For instance, the sun was just shining, when
suddenly out of nowhere the snow came, and visibility and temperature
instantly fell, making it very uncomfortable to stay outside the warm
cabin. However, in half an hour the sun comes out and shines again. It
is practically impossible to predict all these weather and wind shifts.
Our guides advised us to dress how it feels and always add "one more
layer", telling us that one day, instead of the planned two-hour
drop-off, they had to spend almost the
whole day on the shore because of the bad weather. It gives you an idea
of the conditions in which we were going to do our aerial
photo-shooting.

[{Image src='08_Antarctica.jpg' caption='Antarctica\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='509'}]

The most serious risk that we had to encounter almost every day was not
the low temperature but the strong gusty winds constantly changing
directions. During the standard take-off from the ship (although I have
to mention there are no standard take offs!), the anemometer showed the
wind at 7-9 m/s, and the deck was shaking. The Polar Pioneer, though
anchored, constantly changed its position. The wind always blows from
the bow of the ship. While I was getting ready to start the drone, we
were protected by the ship board from the wind. However, every time the
drone took off, the wind immediately blew it off behind the mast located
behind me.

[{Image src='09_Fight of penguins.jpg' caption='Fight of penguins\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='656'}]

Photographing penguins is not as easy of a task as it might first seem.
Our guides advised that the best shots you can get of these birds are
from the bottom up. To create the masterpiece photo, one needs to either
lie on the snow and wait for the birds to come to you or try to slowly
crawl up to the colony without scaring the birds. Everything seems
simple, but you have to crawl on a smelly, creepy substance. Penguins
make their toilet not so far away from the nest. Oleg had a certain
advantage over others: his Sony camera had a folding screen that allowed
him to see the subject without diving into the excrement head first.

[{Image src='10_On deck.jpg' caption='On deck\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

One can observe the life of penguin colonies for hours. Here's a
workaholic penguin dragging a new stone from the shore to his nest. If
he snoozes, the sly neighbor will get his stone. Sometimes a stone may
change more than a dozen owners before it finally gets laid in the nest
wall. These manipulations of stones cause penguins constantly to break
out into verbal skirmishes, sometimes turning into quite a noisy fight.

We quickly stopped shooting separate groups of penguins with the drone —
it was not the most interesting subject for aerial photography. However,
it would be great to show the colony inside out. It is forbidden to go
inside the colonies to set the camera up on a tripod, and at the same
time, large groups of birds do not step away from the colony very often.
What can be done?

[{Image src='11_Polar Pioneer expedition ship.jpg' caption='Polar Pioneer expedition ship\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='460'}]

We had a special telescopic pole in our equipment that is usually used
for shooting land-based spherical panoramas. One day, when I was
wandering around the Gentoo colony, I came up with an idea to leave the
pole with a camera near a group of penguins. I don't know what worked
more — my caution or the natural curiosity of these funny birds. But, it
worked 100%. In such a simple way I managed not only to shoot a large
number of spherical panoramas of the penguins but also a 360-video.

[{Image src='12_Gourdin Island at sunset.jpg' caption='Gourdin Island at sunset\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='527'}]

Now about the penguins. I have to mention that one of the main enemies
of these birds is the leopard seal, which was constantly chased by our
team of photographers-animalists. We often came across leopard seals
near major penguin colonies. They curiously stared out of the water at
our boats, sometimes literally shuffling their snouts for a second above
the surface of the sea, causing a complete shock within the next group
of penguins, who at any moment were ready to jump into the water.

[{Image src='13_Sea elephant.jpg' caption='Sea elephant\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

Judging by the enthusiasm with which our guides turned the boats to join
the group that just spotted a leopard seal — we knew, this could be a
very valuable photo-trophy. Finally we got lucky: one of the boats
encountered a predator that rested after a meal, in the lagoon of
Astrolabe Island. After a radio announcement,in a matter of moments all
boats gathered around the ice floe with the leopard seal. The predator
courageously bore 5 minutes of cameras' shutters, and then he dipped his
long snake-like neck to the water and dove in silently. Everybody
relaxed, discussing the just-taken photographs, while the hero of our
photo shoot suddenly popped up right by one of the boats. It seemed he
wanted to ask: "Why did you make me leave my comfortable bed?" "Sorry,
buddy!"— I thought, reaching for the camera, but the dark shadow under
the water was already leaving and soon disappeared from the view.

[{Image src='14_Penguin.jpg' caption='Penguin\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

It's also worth telling about our visit to the rookery of elephant
seals. We were not allowed to make aerial photographs of this location,
so I only carried my cameras and a pole ashore. Due to the weather
conditions, the journey from the ship to the beach reminded me of an
American "roller coaster" ride. We were bobbing up and down on huge
waves that constantly pounded the tiny zodiac, and the icy cold water
covered each photographer from head to toe. It was an unforgettable,
chilling experience!

The shore is an infinitely long gravel strip with lots of rookeries of
elephant seals. People instantly split up in search of the best shots,
though, as an afterthought, I remembered that the guides had advised us
not to wander along the shore and stand still in one place.
Unfortunately, this advice was ignored by almost all the photographers.
According to the rules, you can't approach the sea life closer than 15
meters. However, these rules do not apply to the animals approaching
you. Our experienced crew members — the ship's Medic and Cook — took
advantage of this loophole. The ladies simply layed down near the
landing area and began to wait. In about 30 minutes a young elephant
seal showed up joyfully panting and rubbing his head against the cook's
overalls.

Perhaps it was the delicious smell of the ship's kitchen, or maybe the
elephant seal was just simply in a good mood, but he performed a funny
pantomime, and within minutes he became the hero of the day, gathering
around him a large part of our group. It was a revelation to me that
these animals could have such rich facial expressions.

[{Image src='15_Sea elephant with people.jpg' caption='Sea elephant with people\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

Once I decided to take a video with a very big roaring elephant seal.
Whule I was looking for the best position I didn't notice anything
around me. When I pushed the record button on the camera, something
pulled my leg and growled. At that moment I thought an elephant seal had
snuck up behind me for an attack, and I could kiss my leg goodbye. I
prepared to fight for my life and turned around, when I saw Mike Reyfman
chuckling behind me (well known to visitors of our site for his
fantastic panoramas of Bryce Canyon and many other photos). Only my deep
respect for Mike's talents and experience saved him from a quick and
bloody execution for such a joke.

[{Image src='16_Penguins in Antarctica.jpg' caption='Penguins in Antarctica\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='644'}]

The story of the Antarctic would be incomplete without a description of
the icebergs in a wide variety of shapes, colors and sizes. After
breaking away from the glacier, these huge mountains of ice slowly drift
along the straits between the islands. Water slowly erodes the
underwater portion of the iceberg, which then loses its stability and
flips, displaying arches, caves and bridges that were once underwater
and now in the sun are strikingly beautiful with their surreal shapes
and sizes.

[{Image src='17_Antarctica.jpg' caption='Antarctica\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

We've filmed a lot of icebergs from the zodiacs and the coast, but most
of all I remember the shooting from the deck of the Polar Pioneer. She's
an ice-class vessel, not an icebreaker, but she sailed quite
effortlessly through small fields of ice. Only once, at the end of the
expedition, did we experience trouble on the Weddell Sea. Realizing that
we wouldn't be able to break through, the leader of the expedition gave
the order to turn back, which began the discussion about problems
sailing in local waters. According to our captain, it's easier for a
vessel to get stuck in the ice than to break out of it later. That is
the reason why he always makes sure to leave room for maneuvering. I
asked how dangerous these huge icebergs would be for us as we were just
passing by an impressive-sized mountain of ice slowly drifting along the
passage. I was reassured and calmed down, and then I was told how the
ship's radar monitors ice conditions for several miles around.

[{Image src='18_Polar Pioneer and Iceberg.jpg' caption='Polar Pioneer and Iceberg\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='678'}]

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and so we spent our
last day in the Antarctic on Half Moon Island. Looking at aerial
photographs taken from the drone, we realized that the island's crescent
shape justifies its name sake. The Argentine station Camara, founded in
1953, is the only building on the island. It's open only in the summer,
and at the time of our visit the island was closed. We, after receiving
prior approval from the leader of the expedition, were able to make
several loops around Camara station for photo shooting and videos.

[{Image src='19_Camara Base.jpg' caption='Camara Base\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='462'}]

We experienced some adventures here as well. According to our plan, Oleg
and I were to shoot this lifeless island with its abandoned station.
There was no one around us as we were preparing our drone to take off,
but then as we started, our colleague-photographers appeared next to the
buildings, like little devils out of snuff-boxes. For this reason we had
to stay a little longer, shooting additional doubles, and we almost
missed our departure deadline to the zodiacs. It wouldn't be much fun
getting stuck ashore, waiting for another ship to arrive!

[{Image src='20_Polar Pioneer expedition ship.jpg' caption='Polar Pioneer expedition ship\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

The Drake Passage towards Ushuaia was remarkably quiet. Almost the whole
voyage was spent on a flat sea, which, according to the captain, happens
only two or three times during his rich experience in this region. At
the end of our journey, the crew and guides prepared a pleasant surprise
for all participants: the leader of the expedition and a photographer
from Spain, who acted as his interpreter, had contacted the Chilean
border patrol in advance and received permission to enter the 12-mile
zone near Cape Horn, where foreign vessels have no access. So, totally
unplanned, we saw the legendary place — the south end of South America.

[{Image src='21_Polar Pioneer expedition ship.jpg' caption='Polar Pioneer expedition ship\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='656'}]

Our final night aboard ship was passed under the clinking of glasses,
the viewing of our best shots, and the playing of a guitar that was
unexpectedly found on the ship. On the early morning of December 6th
Polar Pioneer returned to the port of Ushuaia to say goodbye to our
group and welcome a new one for the next exciting Antarctic expedition.

It was time to say farewell to our new friends from our trip. Ahead of
me lay the shooting of Buenos Aires, but that is another time and
another story...

[{Image src='22_Penguins in Antarctica.jpg' caption='Penguins in Antarctica\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='491'}]

\\ \\
[24 Panoramas of Antarctic expedition 1|Geography/Territories_Oceans_and_Islands/Antarctica/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Antarctic_expedition_1]
and   [22 Panoramas of Antarctic expedition 2|Geography/Territories_Oceans_and_Islands/Antarctica/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Antarctic_expedition_2]









[{SET customtitle='Antarctica (AP)'}]

[{Metadata Suchbegriff='Antarctica Antarktis' Kontrolle='Nein'}]