Adventure to the white continent

 “In this unspoilt natural environment, words cannot describe the landscapes; it was like being in heaven. With penguins blissfully walking among us and indifferent to our presence, the snow-capped peaks rising straight from the sea, empires of ice in every imaginable shape and hue of blue, the reflections of the coastline against the mirrored water were just one of the few incredible sights I have ever seen,” he said.

Manohar said that the team was always ready with the cameras to see what nature had to offer for an incredible photography experience, “It was such a humbling experience to see how nature plays its role. From the humpback whales, the mighty glaciers, witnessing the albatrosses fly over us, most importantly witnessing our first sunset while we were sitting on the deck were just one of the few delights nature gave us against the powerful backdrop of the open ocean,” he said. 

Speaking about the challenges faced he said, “Initially getting accustomed to the climate was difficult, another main difficult part as photographer is that with the climatic conditions the battery drains out really fast, so it is not about just being at the right place at the right time, but also having a quick and good command over the camera is extremely essential.” 

According to Manohar, photography is very challenging in Antarctica as the continent is nearly four times brighter than our continent along with extremely cold temperature.

“We had to ensure we had battery and memory backups with us all the time,” he said.

“The most challenging parts mentally and physically was Cape Horn and the mythical waters of Drake Passage. Drake passage is one of the world’s most unpredictable stretches, crossing from Cape Horn is around 450 nautical miles, but escorted by dolphins and with the wind on our side, the challenge has become one of my best adventurous experience,” he said.

“The beauty of that continent was that the sun never goes down, but if it goes down by around 12 at the night, it rises back in another hour.  I was on the deck of the cruise and when I witnessed the sunset for the first time in Antarctica, that experience was magical,” said Manohar citing one of his experiences that stands out. 

Manohar, a nature lover, said the trip gave him an idea of the beauty and wonders of nature.

“A lot of places in the world are fabricated, governments try really hard to maintain those places but Antarctica is an untouched land. You can see the real life of animals and birds who enjoy their life without any intervention of humans,” he said.

“One of the most disheartening things I saw was the fall of icebergs because of the global warming. I have always heard people talk about icebergs melting but when I experienced this situation, it made me realise how we have misused the nature,” he added.