Spitzbergen?

[Tim Gray]

Was on Michael's last Antarctic Expedition in 2009 and am going to Iceland with Daniel Bergman this year, so I'm thinking about maybe Spitzbergen in summer 2011 - I liked Quark so this might be an interesting trip..   http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/arctic/spi...-depth/overview   Just wondering if anyone here has some experiences to share.  A quick google didn't disclose any photo specialized trips...

[stever]

i'm booked on the Antarctic Dream this July.  i looked at just about everything available and did not see any specifically photo oriented cruises.  chose this one because agent had some references and it fit my schedule

[Ronny Nilsen]

Was on Michael's last Antarctic Expedition in 2009 and am going to Iceland with Daniel Bergman this year, so I'm thinking about maybe Spitzbergen in summer 2011 - I liked Quark so this might be an interesting trip..   http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/arctic/spi...-depth/overview   Just wondering if anyone here has some experiences to share.  A quick google didn't disclose any photo specialized trips...

I have only traveled Spitsbergen by foot with a tent and backpack, or with snowmobile, so I have no experience with boats there, but one Norwegian photographer have arranged several photo trips and might do so in 2011 also. You can find information about the 2010 trips here.

Hope this helps you some.

Ronny

[hbb]

Hi Tim,

I was last year on a trip with Norbert Rosing on board the MS Origo. He will do a similar tour this year with the sister ship MS Stockholm (just 12 passengers). These small ships are higly recommend.

The trips with Norbert Rosing can be booked via Polar Kreuzfahrten (www.polar-kreuzfahrten.de). If you drop them a note (info@polar-kreuzfahrten.de) they will tell you if there is another tour planned for 2011.

Another option is the website of Andy Rouse (we met him on board the MS Stockholm when we were on board the MS Origo): http://www.andyrouse.co.uk/index.asp

Regards

Bernd

[wolfnowl]

No experience with them (yet) but I believe Lindlbad Expeditions/ National Geographic have tours up there:

http://www.expeditions.com/Destination44.asp?Destination=285

Mike.

[Dustbak]

I know Wim van Passel has organised a trip to Spitsbergen this year. http://www.tijdlozemomenten.nl/

[DavidB]

Funny you should mention Spitzbergen Tim! (Tim and I were in Antarctica together in '09)

I'm currently in the planning stages for a June/July 2011 photography voyage to Spitzbergen. As you may know I'm taking a small group to The Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica this November. Spitzbergen might be similar in being a photo group sharing the ship with others, or depending on demand I might be able to get the whole ship allocated. The number of leaders will depend on the number of participants of course.

No publicly-distributable info at the moment about the 2011 options, but I'm hopeful of getting clearer details after Easter. Send me a message if you'd like to be kept informed.

Have fun in Iceland Tim!

[gdwhalen]

Check out Stefan Lundgren's site.  He is an expert about Spitzbergen.

[DavidB]

Check out Stefan Lundgren's site.

Any suggested URLs to look at? He's written up on the Lindblad Expeditions site as one of their staff naturalists, but nowhere else that's obvious.

[gdwhalen]

Any suggested URLs to look at? He's written up on the Lindblad Expeditions site as one of their staff naturalists, but nowhere else that's obvious.

http://albatrossgallery.net/

[acktdi]

Reviving an old thread..  I'm going to Spitsbergen with GAP Adventures on July 30-Aug 7.  8 day cruise with the goal of circumnavigating the island if conditions allow.
Their cruise trips seem to be more budget oriented compared to Quark.  No free parkas, boots, or kayaking options included.  Can't beat the price though, some of the triple cabins are $1850 usd.

http://www.gapadventures.com/trips/spitsbe...ar/XVRPNX/2010/

[stever]

i'm reviewing camera and cold weather gear for cruise starting July 15 with a few days in Lofotens on the way.  the stop in the Lofotens puts a limit on gear we can take (which limit will probably be exceeded anyhow)

planning to take 5D2 and 7D with 24-105, 50 f1.4, 100-400 200 f2.8, 400 f5.6, and 1.4x, may take 40D as additional backup.  a couple UV filters, polarizer, and variable ND (for possibility of video).  Feisol 3441 with 4th Generation Mongoose gimbal head.

trying to decide whether to take flash and better beamer (and desirabley quantum turbo compact for fast re-cycle) as i really like fill flash with birds.  On the other hand, carrying the camera rigged with flash is a really big pain and bagging the setup to avoid condensation an additional nuisance - comments?

taking computer, a couple backup drives and the usual chargers, etc.

when i check July temps for Spitzbergen, i see 40-45F which doesn't seem all that cold - assume it's colder at sea plus wind-chill.  Any clothing tips from experience?

thanks

[acktdi]

I'm taking the same kit as I did to Antarctica last year.  5dm2, 40d, 17-40, 70-200/f2.8 is, 100-400, zenitar 16mm, rode videomic, 580ex ii, laptop with 2 usb drives for backup, handful of extreme iii/iv CF, manfrotto 190mf3 with acratech ultimate ballhead.  All stuffed in a Burton Zoom 28l photo backpack.  New this year are a 24-70, Panasonic LX3,  Gopro HD helmet cam and a F-Stop Santori or Tilopa photo backpack.  

The only time I used my flash was aboard the ship for some people shots, I felt that the wildlife was harassed enough with the presence of people and didn't want to light them up too.

I wasn't too cautious about condensation when bringing gear back aboard the ship, just left it in the backpack after taking out the CF cards.  

40F doesn't sound too cold but it does get chilly while cruising on the zodiac rafts.  I'm bringing North Face ski pants and a ski jacket shell, all synthetic lightweight shirts/long johns, fleece pullover/gloves and a balacava.



ch4n.com

[stever]

sounds like we're pretty much on the same page - i'll consider bringing my little Sennheiser mic (although i think a real shotgun mic would be better - just don't want to buy it and carry it)

i use large and extra large Ziplocs to protect from spray and for condensation protection

i don't consider -1 1/2 fill flash to constitute harrassment - my issue is usefulness for the subjects encountered and lighting conditions vs. the extra gear hassle

[DavidB]

That's similar to my own kit (7D + 5Dmk2, with lenses from 17mm to 400mm).
stever, I'd hate to be without my 17-40mm for that trip. Even 24mm will be limiting in some locations (e.g. some of the "bird cliffs" are huge when viewed from Zodiacs).

I concur with the comments about condensation: if you take the batteries+cards out of your cameras before packing them away in your bag before going inside, they will warm up relatively quickly and you can recharge and download before heading out again. The rest of your gear should have warmed up inside the bag and away from any humid air by the time you sit down to clean dust off sensors, etc at the end of each day (you do do this don't you? ).

Actually, on many ships (both in Antarctica and Norway) I've found condensation to not be a problem. The air indoors has been warmer, but not especially humid. In fact last winter when working up and down the Norwegian coast the only time I had a condensation issue was inside one particular church in Hammerfest. If you're lucky, you won't even have any condensation issues after going out on deck to shoot for a short while and then coming indoors again (but if you do, you probably won't have been using flash+beamer in those situations so it's no hassle to stick the gear back in your bag first).


As for my own next trip to Spitzbergen: it will be an 11-day circumnavigation voyage starting on the 21st of July 2011. We'll be taking up to 15 photographers with me, and final details are being sorted this week.

[stever]

thanks for the tip on the bird cliffs, maybe that's the excuse i need for a Voigtlander 20, or i'd better hurry and get the 17-40 back to Canon for another shot at making edge performance somewhat symetrical at larger apertures

actually, i've had very few issues with sensor spots (once the manufacturing gunk has been cleaned off during the first couple thousand images) thanks to ultrasonic cleaning and don't manually clean unless it's quite dusty and/or i do a lot of lens cleaning

do you have a strong opinion on the usefulness of flash fill?

thanks

[DavidB]

actually, i've had very few issues with sensor spots (once the manufacturing gunk has been cleaned off during the first couple thousand images) thanks to ultrasonic cleaning and don't manually clean unless it's quite dusty and/or i do a lot of lens cleaning

I prefer to set aside a regular time to clean my gear, otherwise it can be days before I get around to it and find that the dust has snuck up on me. Especially in climates of low humidity (where dust can be a surprising problem). Last time in Antarctica I got lazy for long stretches, and some of my best images had to have some spots healed, although luckily nothing was ruined.
Usually the daily cleaning amounts to just looking at the sensor with a loupe, maybe blowing it out with an Air Rocket, checking again and putting the camera away. I also check over the rest of my gear at the same time. It doesn't take long, but it does give me peace of mind.

do you have a strong opinion on the usefulness of flash fill?

I do use it a lot with birds, although with seals and polar bears I'd probably not use it (a] they're larger targets, and b] "green-eye" is hard to clean up).

[DavidB]

By the way, my next trip to Spitsbergen for a photo workshop circumnavigating the island (in July 2011) has been confirmed!

[Tim Gray]

By the way, my next trip to Spitsbergen for a photo workshop circumnavigating the island (in July 2011) has been confirmed!

So I've sent in the registration for Jenny and me.   Looking forward already.

[DavidB]

So I've sent in the registration for Jenny and me.   Looking forward already.

So I've been told. Welcome aboard!