mrtkarlin Loc: Ashland, Oregon

Hi fredtoo I sent Natural World Safaris an inquiry. Thanks for the suggestion.

fredtoo Loc: Houston

if you wind up going with them, please tell them Fred & Sharon Tooley recommended them.

mrtkarlin Loc: Ashland, Oregon

Will do Fred

fredtoo Loc: Houston

If you want to see just a handful of the types of photos to had from ship's deck, do a listing of my topics initiated and find:

"Summer Ice Sculptures" Aug. 2018

kybob Loc: Versailles, Kentucky

I have not personally been but a friend went on a cruise line called Hurtigruten they do Antarctica / Galapagos island cruises that I have been looking at. It is not a ‘bird’ focused cruise but might be an option for you, they have ships built and designed for cruising to Antarctica. My friend said they have photographers that help with settings, suggestions for shots and have talks while not in port. He said the ship was fairly new with balconies and several dining choices and it held about 500 passengers so not small but not super big. I know a couple major cruise lines have ships that go there too but those are much larger ships with thousands on board and I do not know if they have any “landings” while in Antarctica other than just cruising by places.

MrPhotog

Then look at the penguins.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

My only recommendation: head south. 😊

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

I agree with Bigmike1. We saw very few birds along the Antarctic Peninsula. Saw a few crossing the Drake Passage following the ship but the variety was small. Here is one example of a Google Search when I entered "bird photography expeditions to the southern oceans". Good Luck.

mikegreenwald Loc: Illinois

I've been there twice; Falklands were the best for bird varieties and nesting Albatross and Rockhopper Penguins. Over open water there are lots of flying birds - mostly Albatross and a variety of Petrels. I suggest rooms on the top deck for quick access up top to all sides of the boat. On our boat the foredeck was great too, but I needed special permission to go up there.
As stated above, smaller boats get you ashore more frequently, and that's where the action is for penguins and seals of many varieties. We often watched bigger boats including Lindblad/NG, anchor a couple of miles further out than our 100 passenger, 230 ft. boat - and they sent NO-ONE ashore on Zodiacs. Whales were seen both from the big boat and from Zodiacs - we were fortunate to see over a hundred one day, some so close to the Zodiac that one could have reached out and touched them.
From the big boats, they probably used long lenses, but while I carried a 150-600 on the first trip, in no case did I have much use for any lens longer than 200mm. In fact, some of the time, most often in the Falklands, if one stayed very still, the birds came right up to examine us - less than a foot away. The Penguins occasionally were the same - I'd sit down or lie down on the ground, wait just a few minutes, and they would be right there in my face!
I have a severely culled slide show with around 200 pictures that I get frequent viewing requests from friends and friends of friends. The photo opportunities when you get to shore in the right places are innumerable.

sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land

Join the Coast Guard, travel expenses are free......

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Take a warm coat 😜

JavaMD Loc: WHIDBEY Island, Washington

Here is another suggestion. Dan Zafra Will be going in Jan 2024. I’ve been on a tour to the Lofoten Islands w him and it exceeded.my expectations.
https://capturetheatlas.com/antarctica-south-georgia-falklands-photo-tour/
Always good to explore options for a once in a lifetime trip.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

Muench workshops has a photo specific trip to Antartica in late November, early December each year. It is about three weeks and prices vary depending on cabin choice/availability. I think the tour takes about 80 participants and has 8-9 pro photographers included.

User ID

At UHH "birds" means BIFs.

claytonfm

Overseas Adventure Travel was great.