Birds and waves

As I’ve written before, albatrosses (and other tubenoses) love wind. They need it to be able to fly. But wind in the Southern Ocean also means waves. Loved by some, feared by others. If possible, I like to outside when it’s not too bad, to take pictures of these magnificent birds flying over the waves.

Tristan Albatross

My challenge always is to have the combination between the bird and the waves. Tricky, as everything moves, the ship, the waves and the birds. But also, as the autofocus regularly focusses on the waves and not on the birds. So a lot of trial and error, but when you put some time in it, you often manage to get some results.

Tristan Albatross

After the zodiac cruise around Gough Island, we set sail for Tristan da Cunha in the right conditions. As I didn’t have much else to do, I took my camera and headed outside. The Wandering and Tristan Albatrosses were quite abundant around the ship, and I managed to grab a few shots that showed what I wanted to show.

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Arjen is a Polar ecologist, nature photographer and full time expedition guide on expedition cruise ships in both Polar regions. With his pictures and stories he likes to show the beauty of these very fragile and threatened places.