My first GoPro project from Antarctica

I'm not a computer genius nor am I anything close to intermediate level when it comes to anything related to photo and video editing.  It was a challenge just learning how to use the GoPro effectively and even more challenging to download, upload, edit and post clips.  I've been messing around with GoPro Studio for a few weeks and finally decided to try putting a project together.  Creating a project involves going through all of the footage, loading the footage with interesting clips to the studio and then splicing them together.  My first project is simple but captures my favorite moments from our morning excursion at Neko Harbor.  You'll get to see our actual continent landing, our encounters with penguins, and our departure from the continent as we tow the kayaks to a very quiet launch point.  At the end you'll see a clip taken from the nose of the kayak as I paddle through an inlet.

I have not added music yet and have muted the sound but I'll post an update when I find a song that fits!

My favorite wildlife photos from Antarctica

 I want to share some more of my favorite photos of the wildlife in Antarctica.  I think most of these photos are by my friend Clif, see my previous post on his incredible Instagram photos!  I plan to go into more detail about each species like I did in my post about Pinnipeds but for now I just wanted to get my favorite images up before too much time goes by.

An amzing action shot of a whale about to dive.  Photo by Clif Hagstrom

Gorgeous shot of a Petrel gliding through the air with a blue ice wall in the backgroun.  Photo by Clif Hagstrom.

Incredible photo of a whale fluke as it dives into Wilhelmina Bay.  Photo by Clif Hagstrom

Another incredible shot of the Petrel in front of a giant wall of blue ice.  Photo by Clif Hagstrom

I love this shot of two Gentoo Penguins and what I believe is a Snowy Sheathbill.  I'm not sure who took this photo.

Chinstrap Penguins marching across a rock.  Photo by Clif Hagstrom

A Snowy Sheathbill taking a stroll.  Not sure who took this one either!

Another great whale shot.  Also not sure who took this, but most likely Clif!

Penguins porpoising through the water.

I love this photo of penguins doing a little bow; and I'm proud to say I took this one!

A fluffy little penguin!

Another favorite that I'm sure Clif took.  

This Fur Seal looks so cute and reminded me of my dogs a little bit.

More kayaking photos from Antarctica

Friends with (photography) benefits: Clif

I'd like to share some of the amazing photos taken by some of my new friends who happen to be extremely skilled photographers.  My new friends Clif, Stacey & Joe have captured some of the best moments of the trip in a way that many of us could not.

If you're on Instagram, I promise you will not regret following Clif's feed @levartz.

Cliff was there for one of the funniest moments of the trip: when a Skua picked up my GoPro and tried to run off with it.  Fortunately the Skua dropped it and I recovered the GoPro that was rolling at throughout the incident.  Check out the clip here.

Clif is amazing at capturing moments; he's somehow mastered the art of capturing whatever actually made the moment one worthy of taking a photo if that makes any sense.  I mean- look at the face on this seal! 

I love this picture. The Elephant Seal calf and the penguins around him on the beach- too cute.  Side note: Elephant Seals do not eat penguins, hence their harmonious existence at Deception Island.

This is the version Clif chose for Instagram; I'd love to share the original later- it is such an amazing photo that it almost looks fake.  

This photo is just so perfect there are no words. It captures exactly how it felt when we looked at this scene in real life.

Who doesn't like some good tail?  I gave up trying to capture whale tales and just enjoyed watching them; thankfully Cliff and others had faster fingers and better camera skills!

Another one that does not need any words.

A few more of my favorite photos

Here are a few more of my favorite photos from my instagram feed. They're all no filter other than the enhance control.

An iceberg that appears to be glowing with blue light from within.   Check out my post on blue ice if you're interested in why this happens!

Another blue rippled ice wall.

The perfect sunset in Antarctica.

Sea Kayaking in Antarctica: Waves, whales, seals and bergy bits!

Thank you to everyone who took such amazing photos of the kayaking group.  It was a little difficult for us to take photos when we were trying to avoid icebergs, wind gusts and whales!

I love this photo!  The water is so glassy and perfect.  The kayaking group wore yellow suits that made us stand out.  Kayaking on the trip was an add-on that had to be pre-purchased before boarding and it was limited to 16 participants. We had 12 in our group on this trip and if you're considering going to Antarctica, I would say kayaking is a must!

I love this photo because it captures the size proportions and makes me think we were insane for kayaking near these animals!

The infamous Leopard Seal spectacular.

Vicky holding up her bergy bit!

I think I spotted something.

Sully & Jordan in Wilhelmina Bay after we had an incredible late afternoon paddling with whales.

This is one of the beach launches- I think we only did two beach launches on the trip.

Me holding up my bergy bit!

Look at my game face.

Someone caught me taking a selfie with the bergy bit!

I love this photo because we hit rough patch of water around the shore and had to learn how to back paddle into waves with the kayaks perpendicular to the waves to avoid rolling.  We thought it was a blast but our guides were clearly concerned!

Oh hey there seal!

A rather large marine mammal rolling up...

Towing the kayaks to launch after our visit to Neko Harbor.

Oh, no big deal, just an enormous whale.

A whale resting on the surface next to us.

Whale tail!

Peter & Jane paddling near an enormous ice wall.