Photography in Antarctica: duck faces, selfies, and amazing friends

I'll be posting about photography in Antarctica for the non-photographer at a later date.  I'll sum up what I would and wouldn't bring if I had to do it all over again including the cameras, accessories, memory cards, and other info.  In short, I went to Antarctica with a plan to take less pictures than I usually do at home. Why? So I could be present in the moment and actually watch what was happening with my eyes rather than with a device.  The GoPro head-strap mount helped me achieve this and I think that I ended up with the right amount of great photos and tons of fun candid photos with the people that really made my trip amazing.  If you skip all of this post and only look at the photos here is the important part: have fun, don't take yourself seriously, laugh at yourself, capture moments that make you happy, share moments with friends.  I did not rip that from Hallmark.

Duck Faces, Duck Lips & Selfies?
What is a duck lip? Here is a good explanation- again it's more of a joke but still: duck lips/duck face
What is a selfie? Here is what wikipedia says: selfie
I took my first duck lip picture for one of my best friends, Nadia, who is the queen of the duck lip and selfie universe. Before I knew it the entire ship was taking selfies and duck lip pictures. I admit, I went to Antarctica planning to take selfies, but for the purpose of capturing some of the moments that I did not want to miss on film. Selfies, while usually humorous and downright ridiculous, can actually serve as a great way to capture a moment when no one else is around to take a photo of you. Plus, who wants to keep bothering other people to take your picture? Taking good selfies, however, requires some practice. May I present…

The art of selfies- this is not (really) a joke!

• The iPhone selfie function is not always your friend.  The regular camera takes better photos but you have to practice at home in a mirror.  Have a drink or two and you'll get better at taking selfies in not time.
• It's all about the angle.  Hold your phone or camera out as far as possible and always angle it down- trust me - you'll look thinner and sexier.  Further, if anyone ever tries to take a picture of you from a plane below your eye level, run away. It's simple physics.
• Take multiple photos and pick the best ones later. Click away, try different smiles and poses and then throw away all the embarrassing ones later.
• Get a good grip on your phone or camera before you start clicking away - or you'll end up with blurry pictures, or worse, drop your device. 
• Taking selfies with big cameras is not advisable.  Unless you buy one of those camera sticks and timers designed for this purpose- and then that's just weird and it's no longer a selfie, it's a production.
• Don't be afraid of the duck lips.  A little pout never hurt anyone. If anything it will give you something to laugh about when you're looking back on your camera roll.

We did a little bit of duck lip pouting for some regular pictures too.  I was desperate to make this kayaking gear look somewhat chic.  I love this photo because it's me - it's purely me and my smirky eyes and I think Stacey just happened to be around to capture me mid-pout.  Having friends with awesome photography skills is awesome.

Captured: a duck lip pose in kayaking gear.  My mom will definitely recognize this look- I've had it since I was about 5 years old.  

It also helps if you have friends around in moments of despair. For example, my dear friend Vicky used her expert kayaking skills to quickly paddle over to capture a moment with me after my Olympus fell into Wilhelmina Bay.

This is called a reverse sad duck face.  I was extremely sad to see my camera fall to the bottom of Wilhelmina Bay but couldn't help but crack a smile when my kayaking friends paddled up to console me.  Niki (my kayak partner for the afternoon) is also practicing what is known as a "photobomb" in which a third party surprise-attacks your photo with an unexpected move or by entering your photo uninvited.  This is such an awesome picture : )

I even had my roommate taking selfies.

Kay's first selfie! I believe this was taken at beautiful Neko Harbor.  That may also be Joe Fox "photobombing" in the background!

I also convinced Derek, one of our fearless expedition leaders, to take a joint duck face selfie during the happy hour on the night of his birthday!

Happy birthday Derek! I feel like he's done this before- somehow I fail to believe that a first-time selfie taker would throw up the peace sign.  Derek may or may not remember this afternoon/evening but he did a great job taking selfies.

Stacey and I prolifically practiced our duck faces.  I think by the time we got back to Ushuaia we perfected our selfies but I'm not quite sure...

Stacey and I capturing a quick selfie in the mudroom before heading out on an excursion.   Bonus points for having the GoPro strapped to my head!

Kayaking selfie? Why not.  I took a ton. Most of them are at the bottom of Wilhelmina Bay with my Olympus but I like this one of me and my "bergy bit" taking a time out.

Vicky and I having a moment in the ship lounge.  

Congratulations Joe Fox on your first selfie!  Vicky and I took Joe to selfie school while we passed through the Lemaire Channel.  We seriously have about 15 of these- I'll spare Joe and only post one.

Joe tried the other side of the camera as he took his first selfie.  Vicky and I got the duck lips in and Joe just struggled to keep an eye open- I guess there isn't a lot of sun in Belfast so we should give him a break. 

By the end of the trip Joe was a pro at selfies.  We took this one at our surprise outdoor BBQ on the ship after our morning excursion at Deception Island.

Jordan (sorry for cutting you off!), Vicky, me & Joe taking a selfie at the surprise BBQ.  I think we did a great job in spite of the cold and snow!

I took a ton of kayaking selfies. I love the ones with my kayaking colleagues. Sophie photobombed me here and I love it!

A kayaking selfie with our guide Sophie photobombing in the back.  

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a selfie, but I captured some photos using the time-lapse setting on my GoPro.  I turned it around and secured it to my kayak and used the setting that takes a photo every 30 seconds in addition to capturing video.

A quasi-selfie captured with my GoPro time-lapse setting.  This excursion was our second to last day- i think this was at Mickelsen Harbor, where we experience some actual waves for the first time!

I put together a little montage of our selfies.  I chose an Abba song that we listened to at least once a night in the ship lounge!