My Favourite Location: Roderick Eime on The Arctic and Antarctica

Travel writer Roderick Eime is inspired by remote locations. It's little wonder then that the North and South Polar regions are one and two, not necessarily in that order, on his list of favourite photo locations. As he tells it, anyone can shoot amazing photos there.

It’s remote locations generally that inspire me – polar regions in particular. Getting a winning shot is often just a matter of remembering to take your camera and enough memory!

The isolation and desolation is often enough to inject a special element of intrigue and mystique into every image without your having to posses any special photographic skills or even a flash camera. In the end, for me at least, it’s very much a case of being in the right place at the right time and using the elements presented to you. After all, you can’t really bring along a stylist and make-up artist to shoot a herd of elephant seals, right?

Whether it’s the Arctic or Antarctica is immaterial. Both possess those same light and environmental qualities and each location will offer different elements to work with.


A traditional workboat ferries tourists on a midnight cruise among the spectacular ice formations of the Illulisat Icefjord, Greenland. Canon EOS 7D, 24-105mm lens @ 55mm, 1/80s @ f/4, ISO 250.


In the Antarctic, the lovable penguins capture the imagination of many photographers and if you sit still, the delightful and curious little creatures will often come right up to you to check you out. They’ll pull on your shoelaces, explore your backpack and squawk imploringly as if to say, "What’s your caper?", while their own interactions can easily amuse you all day. Everyone comes home with great penguin pictures – that’s a fact!

Seals can be fun too, but don’t get too close. They may seem benign, but nasty nips have been known to occur if you frighten or startle one. In the Arctic, the top predator is the polar bear and these highly intelligent animals can also produce the most wonderful photo opportunities. But, needless to say, these guys see you as food and great care needs to be taken when in their territory. All wildlife needs to be treated with respect. We are the intruders in their domain.


An adult Weddell seal basks in the sunshine as Zodiacs from cruise ship L’Austral tour Foyn Harbour on the Antarctic Peninsula. Canon Powershot G12 @ 140mm, 1/1250s @ f/4.5, ISO 80.

Apart from the endless possibilities with near-tame animals, the human history and bizarre geology will also capture your imagination. The myriad shades of blue ice are created by varying oxygen levels. New ice is frosty and milky, while old ice is a deep cobalt blue.
Finally, the most elusive element is the polar light and that is best experienced at the highest (or lowest) latitudes in the so-called ‘land of the midnight sun’. The vibrant hues and delicate tones produced by this constant sunset make for delirious photography, especially when combined with the ice, snow and geographic elements mentioned here.

It’s no surprise that nature and landscape photographers gravitate naturally to the poles and, best of all, anyone can shoot amazing photos there.



Adelie penguins exit the water with high, choreographed leaps. Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay, in the far eastern sector of the Australian Antarctic Territory. Canon EOS 20D, 70-200mm lens @ 200mm, 1/1600s @ f/8, ISO 200.


For more than 15 years Roderick Eime has been travelling to the farthest reaches of the planet in search of culture, wildlife and great scenery. He taught photojournalism at Charles Sturt University for three years and has twice been awarded the Australian Society of Travel Writers’ Photographer of the Year. His work regularly appears in travel magazines and newspapers.

www.travography.com