Travel Photographer Susan Seubert in the Antarctic

The bridge in the early morning hours as we head towards the Antarctic Circle

I recently returned from an epic journey with National Geographic Expeditions where we traveled to the Antarctic Peninsula, the island of South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.  The seas were calm for most of the voyage, making for an excellent experience exploring this remote area of the Earth. As the on-board National Geographic Photography Expert, I have the privilege of leading the photography component of this departure. I lecture on the ships about photography and help people improve their technical and storytelling skills so that they return home with a great collection of images.  Below is a selection of some of my favorite moments from this fantastic adventure.

Please enjoy the pictures and thank you for visiting!

Watching Type A Killer Whales in the Southern Ocean from the National Geographic Explorer, a ship in the Southern Ocean, Antarctica

A Crabeater Seal hauled out on the ice in Skog Bay, Antarctica

A beautiful iceberg in Skog Cove, Antarctica

A Skua flies through an opening in a large iceberg in Skog Cove, Antarctica

Sailing through fast ice, Antarctica

Adventures on the Fast Ice, Antarctica

Sunrise on our way to Booth Island, Antarctica

A Gentoo penguin colony on Booth Island, Antarctica

Port Lockroy, Antarctica

Two porpoising Gentoo penguins and a humpback whale feeding in Cierva Cove, Antarctica. This is a once in a lifetime image!!

The remains of whaling at Danco Island, Errera Channel, Antarctica

Porpoising Gentoo penguins in Cierva Cove, Antarctica

Point Wild, Antarctica, where Ernest Shackleton’s men spent 137 days awaiting rescue.

We had a persistent rainbow at Gold Harbour as seen from our ship, South Georgia

A rainbow and King penguins on the beach at Gold Harbour, South Georgia

Over 500,000 King penguins at St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia

An illustration of the density of King penguins at St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia

An Antarctic fur seal pup at St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia

Molting Elephant seals at St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia

A Macaroni penguin shows off its crest at Hercules Bay, South Georgia

Dramatic light at Hercules Bay, South Georgia

Hiking a scree slope in the snow from Maiviken to Grytviken, South Georgia

A large King penguin colony at Right Whale Bay, South Georgia

Wind gusts up to 80 knots at Right Whale Bay, South Georgia

The colorful houses in the morning light as we pull in to the harbor at Stanley, Falkland Islands

The classic whale bone arch in Stanley, Falkland Islands

The quaint town of Stanley, the capital city of the Falkland Islands

A sheep herding demonstration at Long Island Farm outside of Stanley, Falkland Islands

Long Island Farm outside of Stanley, Falkland Islands

Wool from the farm at Long Island Farm outside of Stanley, Falkland Islands

Carcass Island, Falkland Islands

Magellanic penguins molting on Carcass Island, Falkland Islands

A Rockhopper penguin and Black-browed Albatross colony, West Point Island, Falkland Islands

Black-browed Albatross chick being fed, West Point Island, Falkland Islands

Black-browed Albatross chicks waiting to fledge, West Point Island, Falkland Islands

The amazing group of people that I work with on board the National Geographic Explorer on our last night after 3 weeks together exploring the Southern Ocean

Portland Oregon Travel Photographer Susan Seubert in South Georgia

It’s been a whirlwind of travel for the last few years.  Now, I’m officially bipolar, meaning that I have visited both extremes of the earth, both by virtue of traveling with National Geographic Expeditions.  The first trip was towards the North Pole in Svalbard, exploring the Norwegian archipelago by icebreaker.  Then, most recently, down to the Southern Ocean to the Antarctic Peninsula and the islands of South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.

South Georgia is one of the most incredible, and remote, places on the planet. During the turn of the last century, South Georgia was home to numerous natural resource extraction operations.  Animals were harvested to the point where a number of species, including whales, fur seals and penguins, were hunted to near extinction.  Since these operations were shut down during the 1960’s, a number of species have now recovered. Since South Georgia has a tiny human population, the animals are completely perplexed but not frightened by human presence.  For wildlife photography, it’s difficult to find a more interesting and beautiful place.

One of my images from South Georgia at a landing called Gold Harbour was used on one of the expedition program guide’s covers.  I’ll never forget this morning. We had gotten up before daybreak to catch the morning light and although we only had it for a few moments, we were able to capture a number of gorgeous images of the King penguins in the golden hour of dawn.

The Brochure Cover for National Geographic | Lindblad Expeditions South Georgia and the Falkland Islands

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National Geographic Travel Photographer Susan Seubert in Panama and Costa Rica

¡Hola!

I just returned from an amazing photography expedition in Panama and Costa Rica where I served as the Photography Expert for National Geographic on board the small ship, the National Geographic Sea Lion.

Our journey started in Panama City where we spent a morning strolling through Caso Viejo before paying a visit to the Biomuseo, a museum designed by Frank Gehry and dedicated to Panama’s biodiversity.

A street in Caso Viejo of Panama City, Central America

Panama hats for sale in the historic district of Panama City, Panama, Central America

The Museum of Biodiversity, designed by famed architect Frank Gehry, in Panama City, Central America

Panama city as seen while Transiting the Panama Canal, Panama including views of Frank Gehry’s colorful Bio Museum

We transferred to Colón, located on Panama’s Atlantic Coast, where we boarded the ship and started our transit through the Panama Canal.

Transiting the Panama Canal on board the small passenger ship the National Geographic Sea Lion, Panama, Central America

Our first land stop was at Barro Colorado, an island in the man-made Lake Gatun, located in the middle of the canal.

The island is the site of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute which is dedicated to studying tropical forest ecosystems.  It is here where we saw Tent-making bats, birds like the Rufous motmot as well as Mantled howler monkeys.

A newborn howler monkey with its mother at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

The Rufous Motmot, a species of tropical bird, photographed at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

After we passed through the third and final lock, we headed up the Pacific Coast of Panama and Costa Rica, stopping at beautiful parks where we swam, hiked and enjoyed the tropical beauty of the area.

Stand Up Paddle-boarding and kayaking at Isla Coiba National Park, Panama

Isla Coiba National Park, Panama

A Black-mandibled toucan at Casa Orquidea Botanical Gardens, Costa Rica, Central America

Caletas Reserve, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, Central America

Horseback riding at Caletas Reserve, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, Central America

A beautiful beach sunset at Casa Orquidea Botanical Gardens, Costa Rica, Central America

Susan Seubert featured on National Geographic’s “What We Liked” Blog

What a great way to begin 2016!

National Geographic Creative maintains a blog of what pictures they like, and for January 1, 2016, they featured my photograph of a chinstrap penguin.  This image was made on Half Moon Island in Antarctica and the blissful bird appears to be dancing its way across the snow.

Chinstrap penguins on Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Southern Ocean, Antarctica

I love this image because the penguin is seemingly so happy, and joy is something that I strive to express in many of my photographs.

Thank you to the folks at National Geographic Creative for featuring one of my images!  You can see the full post here.

This image was made with a Canon 7D Mark II using a Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens.

Aperture Priority f7.1, ISO 400, shutter speed 1/4000s.

Susan Seubert Photography in Antarctica

I just returned home from just over three weeks in Antarctica on board the National Geographic Explorer, an ice class expedition ship, where I served as the National Geographic Photography Expert.  It was an incredible experience that I will never forget.  Words cannot begin to express the vastness of the continent. Here is a link to a gallery of images from the two expeditions that I attended.  I hope you enjoy the images of the three brush-tailed penguin species, the Weddell seals, the incredible ice formations and the most elusive of creatures, the mighty Emperor Penguin.  More to come about this adventure in later posts.  Thank you and season’s greetings!

The National Geographic Explorer parked in Cierva Cove, Antarctica

Gentoo penguins on Cuverville Island, Antarctica

Icebergs, Antarctica

Emperor Penguins on the Fast Ice, Weddell Sea, Antarctica

Chinstrap penguins on Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Southern Ocean, Antarctica

Here is a time-lapse from Cuverville Island, where people and gentoo penguins go about their day.  Enjoy!

On Assignment with National Geographic Photographer Susan Seubert

Greetings! I’ve written a few posts for National Geographic’s On Assignment blog covering my story that is in the November 2015 issue of National Geographic Traveler Magazine about a train trip on the Rock Mountaineer. You can read them here:

The Rocky Mountaineer passenger train as seen at dawn near Exshaw, Alberta, Canada, with Heart Mountain reflected in the Bow River

I’ll be writing about this assignment and more in the coming weeks, so please be sure to follow me here and on Instagram (@susanseubert).

Thank you and happy trails!

Susan Seubert Photography at Tanque Verde Ranch

I’m just back from two days in the saddle and on the ground photographing at the Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson, Arizona with J Public Relations firm.

Tanque Verde is a beautiful cattle and guest ranch just outside the city of Tucson, situated on 60,000 acres of gorgeous desert landscape.  The property also is located adjacent to Saguaro National Park, home to its namesake cactus.

The property boasts all the amenities of a luxury hotel, however the authentic American West experience is what really drew me in. I’ve loved horses since I was a child and take every opportunity to pack my riding boots for a shoot.  The desert landscape is expressed beautifully at Tanque Verde.

The ranch offers walks with a naturalist guide who can identify the myriad native plants and animals that you’ll see either on foot or on horseback.

Certain nights they offer an outdoor bbq, complete with fire pits and margaritas – their signature prickly pear margarita is not to be missed!  You can get those at the Dog House saloon which is open daily.  If you want to take your holiday relaxation to the next level, check out their spa offerings.

I could have easily spent a week photographing at Tanque Verde, and I look forward to my next visit!

Giddyup!

Horses at Tanque Verde Ranch, a dude ranch located on the outskirts of the Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ

A road runner, one of the birds native to the area.

 

Joe Valdez, legendary cowboy, at the stables at Tanque Verde Ranch

The prickly pear margarita, the signature drink at Tanque Verde Ranch

The Tanque Verde Ranch Spa, for more relaxation

A young cowboy demonstrating roping

The Tanque Verde Ranch, a dude ranch located on the outskirts of the Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ

An evening ride through the property of Tanque Verde Ranch

The outdoor bbq complete with fire pits and live music