Portraits of Antarctica: An Exclusive Interview with Photographer Tatiana Botton
Most of us will never have the opportunity to travel to Antarctica, although we are seeing more and more images of it with the urgent message of climate change. I was happy to make the acquaintance--across the blogosphere--of photographer Tatiana Botton (raised in Barcelona, now based in Los Angeles and Maui, with work that has appeared in Vogue and GQ, among other international publications), who traveled to Antarctica on a photographic expedition. Tatiana was kind enough to grant me an exclusive interview about her amazing experience there and to share some images with us here at Joyfully Green.
Tatiana, what was your personal inspiration for making the trip to Antarctica?
A few years back, my partner and I were watching the news and saw a boat with passengers being rescued off the coast of Antarctica by the National Geographic Expedition boat. Instead of being freaked out by what we saw, we were actually inspired to go there! Once we had decided to organize the trip, it is quite a long process, as you are planning a year in advance. This gave us plenty of time to plan, and for me to make this a photo expedition.
Can you tell me about the logisitcs of getting to and staying in Antarctica?
So we planned about a year in advance and decided to use the National Geographic Expedition boat. That selection was based on what the boat had to offer--not in amenities but in scientists on board. We departed out of Santiago de Chile and took a chartered flight to Ushuaia, Argentina. We were able to spend the day visiting Ushuaia prior to boarding. Once we boarded, the journey began. We had to cross the Drake Passage. This is the roughest sea in the world! It is a body of water located between the Southern tip of South America at Cape Horn and the South Shetland Island of Antarctica. The passage can take anywhere from 48 hours to over 72 hours, depending on if you get the "Drake Lake" or the "Drake Quake." Well, they said we got the "Drake Lake" on our way down there, but I can assure you that the next morning, the dining room was pretty empty! Everyone stayed inside and hoped for the best, with the help of Dramamine, ginger, or any other natural remedy you could find. Once we got to the Antarctic Peninsula, things were a lot calmer. We spent about 12 days total on the boat, including the passage there and back.
What was the temperature range while you were there, and what were you told to bring to be ready for it?
The temperatures were very frigid. National Geographic provides a list of required items to wear and bring for the trip, like special arctic boots, waterproof pants, under layers, and so on. My partner and I were some of the few to bring ski goggles--they came very much in handy for hanging out on the deck of the boat while moving and being hit by a full snow blizzard!
How close could you get to the penguins to photograph them?
We were able to get respectfully close to them. You do not want to disturb their habits and routine, but you can place yourself close enough to photograph them and allow them to come to you if they are interested. We were able to see a variety of different penguins in their natural habitat. Our trip was in the beginning of the season, so the snow around the penguins was still very white. We have been told that a later trip would not be as pleasant--there would be a lot of very fishy, smelly, red snow around them--as the penguins eat krill and they are not very clean! But our experience was fantastic. I have included here some of the penguins shots I took where I try to give the penguins some human personality.
You have an interesting photograph called "Taking Control" in which the penguins are marching up the hill where humans have set up some sort of operation. What business is happening at this location?
This is an old Argentinian abandoned base in Antarctica. As you can see in the image, the Argentinian Flag is on the left side of the image. This was very interesting to me, as we are talking about the Antarctic Peninsula, so there is actually soil under the ice! The coloring for this image is completely different than the usual Antarctica or blue iceberg images. I was very pleased to see Nature taking things back. It is a very warm image and the penguins feel right at home.
What sort of sounds do you hear in Antarctica? The way you have photographed the icebergs, it seems like it would be either eerily silent or a mysterious, chilling wind would be howling.
Yes, there is a sound while traveling through Antarctica. First when you are on the boat, there is for sure the sound of the wind and the large snowflakes falling. Then there is the sound of the ice when travelling through passages where the ice is still thick and not melted. Then, when you do go on land, usually there are penguins, so it can be quite noisy!
I noticed that for one of your gallery showings, you donated the proceeds to "non-profit nature organizations." Which nature organizations do you personally support and why?
I think it is important to get involved. Locally, I like to donate proceeds from sales to Heal the Bay. Cleaning our local ocean is very necessary and Heal the Bay also provides a good deal of ocean education to local schools. I am also active in the The Nature Conservancy in trying to protect our parks. Lastly, the World Wildlife Fund--I have been a supporter since childhood and I continue to donate to their efforts to protect endangered animals around the world.
Your icebergs reminded me of rare jewels. But sometimes they seemed like portraits of lonely, regal, elderly people with many wrinkles. I can see how you have a history with portrait photography! What is your own artistic impression of the icebergs?
This is an interesting commentary people have been doing with the icebergs. It has come to my attention and I now call them the "Portraits of Icebergs." Each one seems to have an identity and people are attracted to them depending on what they represent: contentment, danger, sexiness, old age. I was just trying to show what was in front of me and while processing the work--it took me more than 6 months--they just appeared in front of me. There is very little retouching in my work and there is absolutely no cropping. This is how I shot them. I was given the opportunity to show the work for the first time at a solo show in Santa Monica, California, and since then, there has been a lot of interest in them.
I loved what you said in your biography of unstable ice sculptures and moving sand dunes: "They are here now, always changing, like the continuous passage of time and our human influence on nature." Do you think you'll ever go back to these places (desert or polar regions) in the future to see how they have changed with time since you last saw them? For me, they are magical. This is what attracted me the most to the trip to Antarctica. I would go again and will never be able to shoot the same iceberg ever. This is a direct representation of the passage of time. Same thing with the sand dunes I shot in the Namibian Desert. These are two places in the world I need to go back to. Though the Drake Passage to get to Antarctica really makes be doubt I will do it again!
What's next for you to photograph? Any travel planned?
Well, I have a few "secret" projects planned! They are secret because I am not sure when I will be able to do them, but I can assure you there will be a bit more ice involved in them. I am looking for representation in New York, and in the meantime, I am busy promoting other artists as I have created an event: WOMEN MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND, where we showcase women artists based in Los Angeles with a fun, multi-art event twice a year. I am also about to open a small gallery in Paia, Maui, where I spend part of the year.
Tatiana, I just want to say that I've really enjoyed studying your mesmerizing photographs--they are so beautiful and evocative. Thank you for the privilege of interviewing you and sharing your work with the readers of Joyfully Green!
Please show your appreciation to Tatiana for giving her time so thoughtfully to this exclusive interview--kindly share her interview on Facebook and beyond. Also, I'd love to hear from readers with recommendations for other nature photographers and artists to interview for Joyfully Green.
To see more of Tatiana Botton's extraordinary work (available for purchase), please visit www.tatianabotton.com
If you enjoyed reading this post, please subscribe to this blog via email or RSS reader (righthand column). Already subscribed? Please connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. To comment (and please do!): If you're a subscriber, click on the blue title at the top of the post to get to the main site. Then you will see the comments section at the end of the post. Thanks for reading Joyfully Green!
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing photographs and your thoughts on your experience. Visiting Antartica is definitely on my bucket list, and this has only sparked my interest even more!
Debi, it's on my husband's bucket list, but even though it looks so extraordinary, I'm not sure if I would be up for the extreme cold and the rough seas! Still, those icebergs are really spectacular and who doesn't love penguins?
Thank you both so much for sharing this amazing view of our amazing planet. I wish more people were aware of and awed by these things. Thanks for doing all you do to advance that cause.
Thank you so much for sharing these pictures; they are absolutely mesmerizing! The top one of the penguins looks like they are standing in the clouds.
Posted by: Janna | 05/15/2013 at 09:24 AM
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing photographs and your thoughts on your experience. Visiting Antartica is definitely on my bucket list, and this has only sparked my interest even more!
Posted by: Debi | 05/15/2013 at 11:31 AM
Debi, it's on my husband's bucket list, but even though it looks so extraordinary, I'm not sure if I would be up for the extreme cold and the rough seas! Still, those icebergs are really spectacular and who doesn't love penguins?
Posted by: Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com | 05/15/2013 at 07:53 PM
It's true, Janna, they really do look like they're little cloud angels! Interesting observation.
Posted by: Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com | 05/15/2013 at 07:54 PM
Thank you both so much for sharing this amazing view of our amazing planet. I wish more people were aware of and awed by these things. Thanks for doing all you do to advance that cause.
Posted by: Carli | 05/16/2013 at 08:29 AM
So glad you enjoyed it, and you're very welcome! Thanks for the kind words.
Posted by: Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com | 05/16/2013 at 07:49 PM