Orsolya Haarberg (Hungary)
Ice, sea and snow sunset
‘Varanger Peninsula in Norway is the most dynamic place I know, where the tundra meets the ocean. When temperatures fall, in this case to -20°C, thick ice wraps around the sea. Here, the sea broke through the ice, just as a cloud of snow rolled in and the sun set, turning the sky from ice blue to deep plum.' Tundra is the name given to barren or treeless land in the Arctic region. It is a harsh environment, where primitive and well-adapted plants such as lichens and mosses grow. Some animals such as the ptarmigan and Arctic hare have also adapted to the low temperatures and drying winds, with thick insulating coats of feathers or fur.
Nikon D200 + Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5 G lens; 2.2 secs at f25
Robert Knight (United States of America)
Ice creation
‘The sea around South Georgia, off Antarctica, is full of icebergs, broken off from the huge glaciers down there. From our boat one day we saw a beautiful formation of cyan-blue pinnacles and ridges. The challenge was to capture something of the beauty and wildness of the scene, while waves buffeted the boat and spray covered me.’ Icebergs are made of freshwater, not saltwater, which is why they float. They began as falling snow thousands of years ago. At any one time there may be 300,000 icebergs in the Southern Ocean, swept along up to 40 kilometres a day by wind and ocean currents.
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II + 70-200mm f2.8 IS lens; 1/800 sec at f13; ISO 200
Evan Graff (United States)
Skimmers on show
‘Black skimmers are one of my favourite birds, so when I was on Merritt Island in Florida, it was great to see a big flock resting, all facing the same way. I lay on the ground, and crawled towards them on my stomach. Their bills look big from the side, and I wanted to show how thin and delicate they are.’ Skimmers are the only birds where the lower mandible of the bill is longer than the upper one. Flying just above the water with beaks open, they use their lower mandible to trawl for fish. They are also the only birds to have slit-like vertical pupils, similar to a cat, which may protect their eyes from sunlight reflected off water and sand.
Nikon D200 + Sigma 50-500mm EX lens; 1/320 sec at f6.3; ISO 400; tripod
This is an amazing exhibition - well worth seeing! X
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