Adrian Binney, EPSA, LRPS
April 2026 - Antartica scene with 2 humpbacks
Original
About the Image(s)
Our handful of days within Antarctica waters was both to enjoy the amazingly diverse wildlife and of course, to take in the majestic scenery. I thought I’d field one in the latter category.
2 humpbacks had just been playfully leaping up (which I photographed) and I anticipated that they might disappear after their next simple rise to the surface and I was ready with my phone to capture the view. I’ve recently been using such a “camera” with the quality creating good detail etc - saves having 2 bodies round my neck!
Taken in Raw using IPhone 17 and developed in Lightroom mobile, using separate masks for each area. No cropping.
12 comments posted
What this image shows off more than anything else is the scale of the ice. Those are the tales of humpback which are enormous to us and they really look like specs to that vast is bank. This is a fabulous moment in time and must have been wonderful in time. Please say yes that you got the image before this. Thank you for sharing. Wonderful. Coffee Table book image or great lecture image. Posted: 04/07/2026 10:11:18
Many thanks Paul and "yes". Posted: 04/10/2026 10:54:27
Well done, that must have been a joy to watch. Posted: 04/11/2026 07:19:39
I have never been to the Antarctic, and you have caught a great moment! I really like the snow cliffs with the black-and-white treatment. The blue in your original is a little much.
With or without the whales this would be an excellent image and the whales just make it that much better. Posted: 04/10/2026 19:59:57
With or without the whales this would be an excellent image and the whales just make it that much better. Posted: 04/10/2026 19:59:57
Thank you Bob Posted: 04/13/2026 16:49:28
Thank you Bob Posted: 04/13/2026 19:18:03
Adrian, what an experience to see! The tails of the whales in the foreground give it scale and so we see the magnitude of the glacier. The glacier seems a bit gray to me so I attempted using the dodge tool...not sure it works well. Regardless, beautiful scene you have captured nicely. Posted: 04/12/2026 22:02:13
Thank you Mary Ann, both for comments and suggested whitening of the ice. That certainly looks more what I imagine people think ice should look like, but glacier walls are rarely clean and white. I've seen many in Greenland, Svalbard, southern Chile and now Antarctica - and I haven't seen a white wall of ice yet! When using my cameras (rather than phone) I fix WB as daylight, so I at least have a known starting position for editing. The ice that day was a dirty blue/white! Which links to observations made here that my Raw file looks blue.
So I'm torn between ending up with what many would expect the scene to look like (who may not have been there), or keeping with 'close to reality'. I would be interested in thoughts of you/others!
Posted: 04/13/2026 16:48:23
So I'm torn between ending up with what many would expect the scene to look like (who may not have been there), or keeping with 'close to reality'. I would be interested in thoughts of you/others!
Posted: 04/13/2026 16:48:23
Adrian, well, I see! I have not seen any glacier walls so always assumed they would look white. I know from photographs that there is also blue and that is very apparent in your original image. The blue then converts to a gray in monochrome. I think it is better in these types of images to keep it realistic looking to reflect what you experienced. I am curious what others in our group think...this makes for a good discussion! Posted: 04/14/2026 19:06:55
No cropping: well done.
Indeed the scale of the ice is huge. One of the difficulties of such picture is the white of the ice. The right composition is also another one, but you did it.
I like your choice and "justification" of the use of cameras. Posted: 04/13/2026 10:48:57
Indeed the scale of the ice is huge. One of the difficulties of such picture is the white of the ice. The right composition is also another one, but you did it.
I like your choice and "justification" of the use of cameras. Posted: 04/13/2026 10:48:57
Thank you Vincent. I forgot to add that I also had a good pair of binoculars round my neck! Posted: 04/13/2026 11:46:06
I suppose when you captured this, you were more interested in the whales than the ice. I'm glad you caught both. I agree with the other Paul...the ice is massive, even a little scary! This shot is better, IMV, in B/W.
Nice job Posted: 04/16/2026 17:19:37
Nice job Posted: 04/16/2026 17:19:37