Today has been by far the toughest day yet, both physically
and mentally.
Jason and I woke at 5am in anticipation for a 5:30am
landing, but when we sailed up to Bailey Head, the pounding surf was too strong
for the zodiacs to land safely. I opted to go back to bed at 5:45am only to be
woken up half an hour later by the wake up call. Grrr. It’s been physically
demanding the last few days, and I’m running almost on empty. Not getting a
good night’s rest is a bad beginning to another long day.
All my aches and pains were forgotten however, when we
disembarked on Deception Island. The island is circular and volcanic, shaped
like a waning moon. We sailed through the narrow entrance on the south side of
the island, aptly named The Bellows due to the strong winds that whip through
it, and today was no exception. The ship anchored in Whaler’s Bay, an abandoned
Norwegian whaling station.
The light was beautiful this morning, with the sun hidden
behind the volcanic mountain and casting an atmospheric back-light into the
bay. Fur seals were lounging on the silky black sands, their silhouettes adding
another dimension to my photographs.
I had made the very silly choice this morning of bringing only my Canon body and lens with
me. Though they had been damaged the day before in the rain, it seemed to come back
to life this morning. I thought that it must have fully dried inside and
therefore back to normal. Boy was I wrong.
Within half and hour of landing, my Canon body stopped
responding, not even powering on. I had left the Pentax Jason loaned me on the ship,
not thinking that I needed it. Now I’m kicking myself, devastated that I
wouldn’t be able to photograph the rest of the island despite the perfect
light, and angry with myself for not being better prepared. Yet again.
I had a mini freak-out on the beach, and had to sit
down and close my eyes. I felt deflated, like my energy valve had run
completely dry. I suddenly realised how raw my hands were from several days of
cold, and that the howling wind was making my head hurt. That’s how Jason found
me – dull-eyed and feeling sorry for myself. He tsked me for leaving behind a
working body and magically produced yet another spare from his backpack. What a
lifesaver!
With a working camera in hand I was suddenly back in
the game – yay! The rest of Deception Island went by without a hitch. A lovely
couple on board had decided to get married there, so the ceremony was attended
by many and conducted by Chris. Deception is also where the passengers could go
for an Antarctic dip if we chose. Quite a few did, including Jason. I thought
they were all crazy.
After lunch we disembarked for the final landing of
our journey, Half Moon Island, home to a large colony of Chinstrap penguins,
fur and elephant seals. The island is set is a bay of Livingston Island, whose
ice-covered peaks formed a magnificent backdrop for the Chinstraps.
This is when I experienced a severe case of camera
fatigue. I’ve never shot so intensively for so long before. Over the past two weeks I’ve been constantly looking for frames, even when I didn’t have a camera
in hand I’m still mentally composing. Perhaps due to my waning energy levels, I
had real trouble concentrating. I didn’t want to see the world through a
viewfinder anymore. I just wanted to see with my eyes and experience. I shot
very little on my last landing, despite the beautiful scenery. I regret it, but
given the state of mind I was in, perhaps it couldn’t have been helped.
I
discussed camera fatigue briefly with Jason. He’s response was, “Don’t worry,
it’s normal. Every photographer I know has gotten it at some point, not me
personally, but everyone else has.” I think Jason’s a different breed
altogether!
