Elysium…Heaven on Earth…The Antarctic

This time last year I was in South America on my way to The Antarctic.

I can’t believe nearly a year has past since my trip of a lifetime..

I think about The Antarctic everyday…

The vivid blue colour of the ice, the wildlife and the beautiful feeling of visiting such a remote, isolated part of our planet.

My exhibition, Frozen Lenses was a huge success for me last year..dates will be released soon for venues in 2014

These are some of my favourite pics…

If you have any questions or comments about these photos, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Click on the first pic to view all the pics as a slideshow.

Chris 🙂

My favourite pics from 2013

I’ve had a fantastic year….

I turned 50, I realised a dream and went to the Antarctic, my clickwalklearn photography tours business has taken off (and hasn’t stopped) and I’ve had two really successful photography exhibitions.

I’ve taken LOTS of pics this year – I mean LOTS….

Thanks to everyone for all your support. I really enjoy your feedback and comments 🙂

Here are some of my favourites photos from 2013…

I hope each and everyone of you enjoy your new year celebrations and that 2014 brings you all you hope and dream for….

Follow your dreams…I do…..xxx

Don’t forget to click on the shots to enlarge them…

This is my absolute favourite shot from the Antarctic. We were in a zodiac right near Port Lockroy. This magnificent iceberg was backlit and begged to be photographed. It was exhibited as part of my exhibition ‘Frozen Lenses’ during the Head On Photo festival..I could look at it all day 🙂

This humpback whale was as huge as he looks in this pic…I look at this shot everyday (its hanging in my loungeroom) and marvel at the wonder of nature…

I watched this beautiful chinstrap penguin for a while….How majestic is he? I absolutely love this shot…another favourite 🙂

I bought myself a macro lens earlier this year and have LOVED it ever since!! This pic shows the detail you can get out of this lens. Everyone now go and buy a macro lens…you won’t be sorry 🙂

At Easter, we packed up with my family and went to Lake Eucumbene, down in the Snowy Mountains of NSW. It was a photographers paradise! Here are my favourite shots from this trip..I especially love the stars..

I’ve photographed so many babies this year…They were all beautiful and cuddly and gorgeous!! I love them all particularly this first one that really shows the love between Jodie and her beloved Jack….

This is Macey…She’s the daughter of very special friends of mine…isn’t she adorable?

How cute is Lachlan? A beautiful little boy..I love the expression on his face….

Benjamin is such a happy boy, he was SO tired after our photoshoot….how soft does he look here?

Here’s Emily. She was definitely the most photographic little girl with such a beautiful smile….

Mount Wilson is such a glorious town up in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. This garden was truly magnificent. It was really hard to choose my favourite shot, but the softness of the Wisteria and the blurred background makes this shot so easy on the eye….

I celebrated my 50th birthday in June. This is a shot of me, my hubby Ray and my two boys Ryan and Bryce….such a special family time..

Its such an icon in Sydney. The face of Luna Park…I’ve photographed it many times before. But I just love the angle and the colour of this one….

The gardens in the Blue Mountains are always spectacular in the spring and I loved visiting many homes during the ‘Garden Festival.’ I love the colour in this shot and the simplicity of the flower…

The moon….always a challenge to photograph…I spent lots of time with the camera to get this shot….You need a zoom lens, a tripod and lots of patience 🙂

Last, but not least, this is my favourite pic from 2013. It’s me…Alone in the Antarctic doing my favourite thing…I absolutely love it!!

Happy New Year everyone 🙂 🙂 🙂

Jagged Edge – a pic from the Antarctic

A couple of weekends ago i met a woman, Margret, who wanted to buy one of my images from my exhibition, Frozen Lenses.

Today I delivered that image to her and as well as having an early lunch with her and a glass of wine (at 11am) I learnt a lot about perception.

Without her knowing the name of the image, this is what she told me it meant to her.

“From the original grandiose shape I can see the beauty evolving and how years of living leaves characteristic marks. In the deterioration process the wild jagged edges look like the deep folds in an old persons face or body”

What a beautiful way to describe my image. She told me those words were a reflection of how she felt about herself. I can’t believe she used the words ‘jagged edge’ – that is what I named my image within minutes of shooting it.

I told her I had a completely different slant on it.

“I spotted this iceberg from far away, it looked wild, yet alone and incomplete. As we approached it I saw the beauty and imperfection in its shape. It totally reminded me of me – wild with jagged edges.

What are your thoughts on this image? I’d love to hear them. Please leave your comments below.

Enjoy my image – Jagged Edge.

Shackleton – the documentary of one of the greatest journeys of all time

Sir Ernest Shackleton

OH MY GOD…

I’ve just finished watching Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure – a documentary film of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s now-legendary 1914-1916 British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. He wanted to be the first man to cross the Antarctic continent on foot.

He never fulfilled this dream. What he did do though was embed his name forever into the history books.

Through sheer perseverance and a determination that made him unique, he and his crew experienced conditions that any man would shy away from.

He watched his beloved ship ‘Endurance’ be crushed by ice, camped on ice floes under horrific conditions, spent many days at sea in life boats with his crew, and perhaps the most incredible part of this journey, he and 5 other men rowed 800 miles from Elephant Island to South Georgia.

This is the part I can’t believe. They rowed in the lifeboat, the James Caird, across the worlds most dangerous ocean, experienced gale force winds, treacherous seas and freezing, wet conditions.

All with the hope and belief that he could accomplish this formidable task.

They eventually made it to South Georgia. They unfortunately landed on the opposite side to the whaling station, so Shackleton and two others walked the 30 miles across South Georgia, with leather boots, 2 compasses, an axe and an old rope. They walked non-stop for 36 hours over dangerous crevasses, formidable peaks and complicated land. They eventually reached their destination – an unbelievable feat.

This is a story of courage, perseverance, hope and the human spirit. This heroic adventurer had eternal optimism, unequalled leadership qualities and believed anything could be accomplished. This caring gentle man nurtured his crew like they were his own family.

This really is one of the greatest journeys of all time….watch this film (click on the link below) and please let me know what you think of the film in the comments below.

Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure

Chill out…you’ve got two more weeks to see it….

Hi everyone,

We’ve just received some really great news 🙂

Jad and Milton, the owners of Societe Food & Wine Bar – 1/9-15 Danks Street Waterloo have told us that our Antarctic exhibition – Frozen Lenses, is the ‘best, most professional exhibition we’ve ever had at the cafe.’

And as there are lots and lots of people continuing to visit the cafe to view our photos, could we possibly leave the exhibition up for another two weeks?

Ummm….Okay….

so…..

FROZEN LENSES – our photographic journey to the Antarctic is showing for another TWO WEEKS till 14th July at Societe Food & Wine Bar – 1/9-15 Danks Street Waterloo.

How cool is that?  (sorry)

Ok, so as I’m all fired up about the ANTARCTIC, here are some of the coolest facts (sorry again:)

1.The lowest recorded Antarctic temperature of -89.2 C was at the the Russian Research Station, Vostok on 21st July, 1983…

– When I went to the Antarctic, I wore clothes made from state of the art breathable fabrics that were warm, windproof and, most importantly, kept me dry. Early Antartic explorers wore heavy woollen fabrics and outer layers that would soak up the moisture produced by sweat.

Getting dressed in the morning would often involve putting on outfits that were FROZEN SOLID with ice in the fabric. The garment would gradually become more flexible as it warmed up.

– Antarctica is the highest, driest, windiest, coldest place on earth.

– Shackleton’s Hut is situated at Cape Royds, Ross Island and was constructed by Shackleton and nine of his crew in 1908. They spent an entire year in this hut during his 1907-1909 expedition. Today it still holds over 5000 items including cuff links, darned trousers, a jar of gherkins, penguin eggs, seal blubber, books and canned food which have all been preserved by the cold weather.

Google has recently taken some fisheye photographs and created a 360 degree panoramic photograph of the hut.

To view inside Shackleton’s hut, click on the map below. You can use the navigator on the top left, or I find it easier to click the mouse anywhere on the map and drag the photo to view. You can also make the map bigger by clicking on the top right corner. Spend some time really looking at the provisions. It’s as though time has stood still…absolutely fascinating!!!

 – At the beginning of winter, the Antarctic sea ice advances by approximately 100,000 square kilometres PER DAY, and eventually doubles the size of Antarctica, adding up to an extra 20 million square kilometres of ice around the land mass. WOW! That’s approximately double the size of Australia’s land mass. This ice then breaks up and melts each year. Unbelievable.

Photo:Nasa

Australian Antarctic Division; Dome A; 21st May 2013, accessed 2nd July 2013 < http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/other-locations/dome-a&gt;

Did you hear the interview about our adventures in the Antarctic?

Last week we were interviewed by John Donegan from Abc Sydney’s 702. He wanted to hear all about our adventures in the Antarctic.

To say the least, it was very exciting 🙂

For anyone that missed it, head over to abc 702’s page where you can read the story, view some of the pics and listen to the interview (click on the audio link next to the story)

http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2013/06/20/3786165.htm?site=sydney

Warning: If you want to see the Antarctic…there’s only 4 days to go…

Our Frozen Lenses exhibition has been so successful.

So many people have relived our trip with us.

If you’re looking for something to do in the next couple of days or over the weekend then why not check out our photographic exhibition of our AMAZING trip to the Antarctic.

FROZEN LENSES – a photographic journey to the Antarctic is now showing at Societe Food & Wine Bar – 1/9-15 Danks Street Waterloo.

So drop in and say hi to Jad and Milton, have a coffee or a bite to eat (the food is sensational) and check out the most beautiful place on earth.

I will be at the cafe all day Saturday 29th June and would LOVE to show you all our photos, our maps, and chat to you about the BEST trip I’ve been on in my life..

Hurry, this exhibition finishes on Sunday 30th June.

See you there….

Radio interview with 702 about our adventures in the Antarctic…listen here…

Well, I spent three hours listening to Dom Knights show on 702 abc radio…It was a great show, but unfortunately they didn’t air our interview 😦

However if you’d like to listen to the post then head over to abc’s page where you can read the story, view some of the pics and listen to the interview (click on the audio link next to the story)

http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2013/06/20/3786165.htm?site=sydney

have a wonderful weekend everyone….

 

Wow…I’ve been interviewed on 702 abc radio….read on….

Its been a fantastic week. And Im buzzing.

Lots of interest in Frozen Lenses, my Antarctic exhibition that’s showing at Societe Food and Wine Bar in conjunction with Carol D’Amici Photography.

And lots and lots of sales 🙂 Thats gonna make any photographer happy 🙂

Last week I had a call from John Donegan, an experienced photo journalist from 702 abc radio.

“Is this Chris Bernasconi?. This is John Donegan from 702 radio. I’d like to do a radio interview with you and Carol D’Amici about your Antarctic exhibition Frozen Lenses. Will that be okay?”

“Ummmm….Yeah” THAT WOULD BE GREAT!!

We met him on Wednesday at Societe Food and Wine Bar. I immediately recognised him. Im not sure where I’ve seen him, or where I’ve heard him speak, but I instantly felt at ease in his presence.

He relaxed both of us immediately and within a few minutes our interview was being recorded.

“How was the trip” he asked….Hmmm….well, awe inspiring, life changing, spectacular, breath taking, unbelievable, surreal and sensational.

There really aren’t too many words in the English language to describe how I felt whilst I travelled to the Antarctic.

This world at the bottom of our world is awe inspiring. I’ve come home more of a greenie than I’ve ever been and am dedicated to protecting this fragile environment.

I hope everyone who views our images will be moved enough to take action to protect this amazing part of our planet.

John asked Carol and I many questions. He made us laugh, and I realised quickly how strong the bond is that Carol and I have developed because of our Antarctic adventure.

We shared  a unique journey that not too many people on this planet have had the chance to experience. That has connected us forever. We laughed and recounted all of the wonderful highlights of our trip and answered John’s questions with passion and intensity.

All too quickly it was over. A quick photograph by him and then he was gone.

Tomorrow night – Friday 21st June – during “Evenings with Dominic Knight” on 702 DIGITAL radio, between 7pm-10pm, our interview will be aired. 

I love everything about 702 radio and feel honoured that our exhibition will be the point of discussion this Friday night.

Our story will also be on the 702 website. 🙂

I will let you know the time of the broadcast tomorrow….so stay tuned.

Thanks John for your professionalism and the chance to tell our story. It was a real pleasure to meet you.

Our exhibition, Frozen Lenses, is open all weekend at Societe Food and Wine Bar.  Carol and I will be there most of the weekend. So if you wanna check out our pics, or our maps (you’ll love them) or just have a chat about the Antarctic, drop in and say hello.

 

 

Have you got what it takes? Shackleton needs a crew….

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton. A british explorer who led three expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the greatest adventurers of all time.

This was the ‘supposed’ ad he placed in a British newspaper looking for crew to accompany him on one of his expeditions. The authenticity of this ad is doubtful.

I love the words. Fake or not.

The men who did accompany Shackleton on his three expeditions were brave, intrepid men lured by adventure and with no concern for personal safety.

Extraordinary men in extraordinary times.

Don’t you love it? I’m gonna get this printed onto a t-shirt 🙂