National Geographic Endeavour

Looking Back on 2015

In my (at times crazy) freelance life, I’m lucky to get to wear three hats: photographer, editor, and teacher. This past year had me busily swapping hats and it awarded me with some unforgettable experiences.

Last year I rang in the New Year overlooking the twinkling lights of Paris before heading to Spain to photograph a chilly Marbella on the Costa del Sol and then venturing to South Africa to shoot a feature story for National Geographic Traveler. February found me teaching photography in the Galápagos Islands for National Geographic Expeditions.

Fast forward to a summer spent teaching on ships on the Equator and in the Arctic Cirle and to my first workshop co-teaching with Jennifer Davidson in Austin, Texas. After returning home for the fall I put on my photo editing hat and got to work on multiple projects for National Geographic (did you see the Adelaide and Best of the World feature stories in the Dec 2015/Jan 2016 issue of National Geographic Traveler?). After Thanksgiving I headed south again to take part in the first Epic Photo Expedition in the Galápagos.

As the adage goes, pictures tell a thousand words, so I’ll let these images help tell the story of my most memorable experiences of 2015.

On Assignment: Durban Days

Scene on the Durban waterfront.

I fell in love with South Africa in 2013 and was delighted to be asked by National Geographic Traveler to head back to photograph Durban and the Kwa-Zulu Natal region for the May 2015 issue. I went on safari in a UNESCO World Heritage site, hiked into the jaw-dropping Drakensburg Mountains on the border with Lesotho, and explored the urban landscape of Durban. I ate plenty of curry and spent as much time as I could on the waterfront documenting the everyday lives of Durbanites. The photos from this assignment were also displayed in a gallery show in Durban during the INDABA travel show.

Most Obscure Destination: Jan Mayen

krista-rossow-jan-mayen-landscape

I had never heard of Jan Mayen until the day before setting foot on the island while traveling as a photo expert on the National Geographic Explorer. Located at 70°59′N 8°32′W in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, we had the opportunity to explore this Norwegian island on a rare sunny afternoon. We walked on a moonlike landscape and admired the “shy” glacier-covered Beerenberg Volcano as it would occasionally emerge from its cloud cover.

Second Most Obscure Destination: Juan Fernández Archipelago

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Located 416 miles off of the coast of Chile is a land that inspired the novel Robinson Crusoe, the Juan Fernández Archipelago. While working on the National Geographic Explorer as a photo expert on a voyage exploring Peru and Chile, I was able to go on shore on Robinson Crusoe Island and even hike high into the foothills of this verdant, charming, and almost forgotten isle.

Most Exhilarating Experience: An Erupting Volcano

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A week before I headed to the Galápagos Islands in June, I heard news of Wolf Volcano erupting. I couldn’t wait to get down to the islands to perhaps catch a glimpse. Although nowhere near the full splendor of the initial eruption, what I saw was equally awe-inspiring. One evening, as the National Geographic Endeavour navigated closer to the island and the light faded from the sky, the lava hot spots illuminated the smoke and clouds in a terrific orange color. We stayed up late into the night entranced by the glow and trying our best to photograph a low-light situation from a moving platform (this was definitely the most difficult photographic situation of the year!).

Favorite American Experience

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As much as I love to experience other cultures, I always have loved American culture. During the Picture Austin photo workshop I taught with Jennifer Davidson, we took our students to the Bastrop Homecoming Rodeo to capture this American tradition.

Most Memorable Wildlife Experience

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I’d never before seen a polar bear in the wild, and although this fellow came right up to the bow of our ship (we think he smelled the bacon from breakfast) during my Arctic expedition, I’m sharing this wide-angle shot of him in his native habitat. It struck me as so poignantly beautiful that these powerful creatures live solitary lives in extreme environments. It reminded me that the way we live our daily lives has repercussions further away than we might imagine.

Best Teaching Team

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Last month I was part of an incredible team brought together for the first Epic Photo Expedition in the Galápagos. From left to right: Mark Thiessen, Ralph Lee Hopkins, me, Jonathan Kingston, Jennifer Davidson, Tui De Roy, Gabe Biderman, David Brommer, and Rich Reed. I’m heading back this December for another epic; will you join? Photo courtesy of Greg Cook.

So Many Miles

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In 2015 I took 68 flights, six expeditions by ship, and added four new countries to my list. The year was filled with new faces and places with a little editing here, some shooting there, and a lot of teaching others to love photography.

2016 already promises lots of adventures starting with attending the annual National Geographic Seminar tomorrow in Washington, DC, and leaving for an Asian adventure next week.

Stay up to date with all that is happening here and through my quarterly newsletter. I hope our paths cross in this new year. Happy 2016!

Marine iguanas at sunset

On Assignment with National Geographic Expeditions: Galápagos Islands

I’m recently back from my first trip to the Galápagos Islands. I was lucky enough to visit these islands located 600 miles off of the coast of Ecuador while working as a Photo Expert and Instructor for National Geographic Expeditions and Lindblad. Calling these pristine volcanic islands my “office” for two weeks while navigating above and below the Equator on the National Geographic Endeavour was an unparalleled experience.

With my background as a photo editor, you can imagine that I’ve seen quite a few images from the Galápagos Islands. I knew I’d be seeing giant tortoises (for which the islands are named) and the popular blue-footed booby. What I wasn’t prepared for was what it felt like to be on the islands.

My first impression was that I’d arrived in a prehistoric land, sans dinosaurs but, as Darwin learned over a few short months in 1835, teeming with a variety of species who have adapted quite uniquely to their environments. You could not only feel the age of the islands, but you could see it as we traveled from west to east, from the youngest to the oldest islands. At the young age of less than a million years old, Fernandina is still volcanically active and growing while nurturing scores of animals.Visiting older Genovesa you see only the crescent moon of a sinking caldera, an island in the final stages of life yet still home to thousands of seabirds.

During the two weeks on board I met guests from as near as Oregon and as far as Australia, children whose ages were in the single digits and retired folks who made being in their eighties look easy, and eager-to-shoot photo enthusiasts and people who didn’t know they’d have so much fun with their cameras while on the islands. I worked with a talented photo team, namely Jennifer Davidson and Jose Calvo, and for one week had the chance to work a legend of National Geographic, Annie Griffiths. During every outing I was impressed with the knowledge of Lindblad Expeditions’ naturalists, whose passion for the islands is palpable. And every time I was on the ship I was taken care of by a friendly and professional crew.

And the best part is that I get to go back. I’ll be returning to the islands for two more photo-specific expeditions on October 24th and 31st (details here). I hope these photos give you an idea of what it feels like to be on an expedition in the Galápagos. And I’d love to see you there in the fall!

A sea lion approaches people on a beach.

One of the most delightful things about the Galápagos is how close humans can get to the animals. Sea lions, like this one at Punta Pitt, are as curious about us as we are about them. Because the animals on the islands have few predators, they are unafraid. Using their energy to get out of our way would be wasteful, but visitors must keep a 6-ft distance to comply with national park rules.

National Geographic Endeavour ship at sunset.

The hull of the National Geographic Endeavour glistens in the last light as we return from a hike on Genovesa Island. The ship was our base as we explored the islands using small inflatable boats known as zodiacs to ferry us to shore or out on deep-water snorkels.

A red footed booby on Genovesa Island

Everyone hears about the blue-footed booby, but my personal favorite booby is the red-footed species. Their bright blue and purple beaks won me over.

Photographing a Peruvian booby in the Galapagos Islands

Speaking of boobies, we were lucky enough to be present for the first spotting of a Peruvian booby on the Galápagos Islands. Here naturalist Walter Perez and his zodiac full of guests photograph the surprising animal. Read more about the news on the Lindblad Expeditions blog here.

Snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands.

Snorkeling is an almost daily activity while on expedition in the islands. With visions of ancient pirates in our minds, we swam into a cave at Buccaneer Cove on Santiago Island and found a large school of fish. During the snorkels we not only swam with fish, but also with sea turtles, sea lions, sharks, penguins, and cormorants.

Naturalist on the Galapagos.

Naturalist Pato Maldonado explains to some young guests how different animals use the cacti growing on Santa Cruz Islands as food. Every hike, zodiac ride, or snorkel is led by a naturalist guide in groups of 16 or less. All naturalists in the Galapagos are required to be residents of the islands.

Joyful woman hiking in the Galapagos.

One of the guests expresses her joy at reaching the top of the hike near Darwin Lake on Isabela Island. This photograph of her happiness captures what it is like to explore these beautiful islands.

Guests on the bow of the National Geographic Endeavour

One evening before heading to the recap session, guests had a cocktail at sunset while the ship cruised near Daphne Major Islet. The nightly recap sessions in the lounge included a briefing on the next day’s activities and could include mini-sessions on photography or natural history and perhaps a short screening of underwater footage from that day’s snorkel.

The barrel at Post Office Bay

You’ve got mail! There are few signs of the history of man on the Galápagos Islands, but on Floreana Island there is a post office barrel where whalers and sailors would leave their correspondence to be picked-up and hand delivered by others who happened to be passing in the right direction. The tradition continues and I happened to pick up two postcards that I’ll be able to deliver in Oregon.

Lava cactus and landscape in Fernandina

Visiting the islands, you quickly learn how different each one can appear from the others. Fernandina is the youngest of the islands in the Galapagos. It is home to a large colony of marine iguanas and the endemic lava cactus species.

Walking back to ship in Galapagos.

A hike comes to an end as guests walk back to catch a zodiac to the National Geographic Endeavour. On the two photo-focused weeks I taught on, we spent as much time as we could shooting the islands at sunset and sunrise.

Krista photographing a sea lion in the Galapagos Islands. Photo by Naturalist and Photo Instructor Greg Aranea.

A photo of me photographing a sea lion in the Galápagos Islands. Perhaps I’ll see you in the Galápagos this fall? Photo by Naturalist Greg Aranea.

 

Hong Kong skyline viewed from ship.

Jumping Ships

I’ve spent the majority of my time this year on a ship and I’m about to get onto another.

I recently returned from my assignment with Semester at Sea as photographer for the Spring 2014 Voyage’s communications team. While on board the MV Explorer, we circumnavigated the globe, traveling 23,379 nautical miles west from Ensenada, Mexico, to Southampton, England.

To see all of my posts for Semester at Sea, click here. And head to my personal travel blog (which is still catching up!) for even more photos and reflections. My personal highlights were exploring Yangon, Myanmar, on a serendipitous day of travel, marveling at life and death along the Ganges River in India, and wandering through the temples of Kyoto, Japan. I was lucky enough to get to tag along with a few classes while in port as well. I received at crash course in South African cinema while visiting the University of Cape Town. And I’m now well-versed in the art of Burmese puppetry and have a better grasp on evolution after visiting the botanic gardens and zoo in Singapore.

And this weekend I’m getting onto another ship, the National Geographic Endeavor, to teach photography for National Geographic and Lindblad in the Galápagos Islands off of Ecuador. Follow along through Lindblad Expeditions’ Instagram feed here.

My subject matter is quickly going to change from globe-trotting college students to slow-moving tortoises and happy sea lions, but before that happens, below is a collection of my favorite photos of student life from the Spring 2014 Semester at Sea voyage. Click on any thumbnail to view larger in gallery mode.

Students line up to board the MV Explorer on Embarkation day for Semester at Sea Spring 2014 Voyage on January 10th 2014, in Ensenada, Mexico. More embarkation photos here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/01/13/embarkation-setting-sail-for-spring-2014/.
A student smiles on Embarkation day for the Semester at Sea Spring 2014 Voyage. More embarkation photos here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/01/13/embarkation-setting-sail-for-spring-2014/.
The ship’s pursers collected all of the voyagers’ passports on Embarkation day for the Semester at Sea Spring 2014 Voyage. More embarkation photos here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/01/13/embarkation-setting-sail-for-spring-2014/.
Students gather on the 7th deck in anticipation of departure on Embarkation day for the Semester at Sea Spring 2014 Voyage. More embarkation photos here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/01/13/embarkation-setting-sail-for-spring-2014/.
Semester at Sea students walk up the bustling street called Chawan-zaka, or Teapot Lane, that leads to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, during a trip to Kyoto, Japan. More about Kyoto’s temples: http://bylandandbyseablog.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/land-of-a-thousand-temples/.
Voyagers learned how to make traditional Japanese sweets at the Kanshundo sweet-making shop in Kyoto. More photos: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/02/05/kyoto-historic-sites-and-traditions/.
Students admire the view of the Hong Kong skyline before the MV Explorer departed the harbor. More on Hong Kong: http://bylandandbyseablog.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/dim-sum-days/.
A Semester at Sea student works on her perspective drawing at Giac Lam Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City during a field lab. More photos: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/02/28/field-lab-perspectives-on-pagodas/.
While in Vietnam, students in a Drawing at Sea class participated in a field lab in which they practiced perspective drawing while visiting multiple pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City. Semester at Sea students place incense in an urn at the Quan Am Pagoda in the Chinese influenced neighborhood of Cholon. More about Vietnam: http://bylandandbyseablog.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/postcard-from-vietnam/.
Neptune Day celebrations for the Spring 2014 50th Anniversary Voyage include the tradition of kissing a fish. More photos: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/03/21/neptune-day-crossing-into-southern-oceans/.
Neptune Day celebrations for the Spring 2014 50th Anniversary Voyage. Many women on the ship weren’t afraid to bare their scalps for King Neptune and continue the tradition of shaving heads in honor of crossing the Equator. More photos: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/03/21/neptune-day-crossing-into-southern-oceans/.
While in Singapore, students in an Evolution class visited the Singapore Zoo. A Semester at Sea student had a face-to-face moment with a Sumatran orangutan named Charlie. More from the day here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/03/26/field-lab-examining-evolution-in-singapore/.
A Semester at Sea student washes the Buddha that represents the day of the week on which she was born. Locals and visitors alike participate in the washing of the Buddha images and often leave behind offerings of flowers or food at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar. More images of Shwedagon here: http://bylandandbyseablog.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/sensing-the-sacred-at-shwedagon/.
While in Myanmar, students in Professor Drew Kahn’s Intro to Theatre class spent a day learning about traditional Burmese puppetry while at the House of Memories restaurant. Professor Kahn learns how to control the puppet from director Khin Maung Htwe’s ten-year old son Thet Paing Htwe Oo. Yangon, Myanmar. More from the field lab here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/04/02/field-lab-pulling-strings-in-myanmar/.
A Semester at Sea student studies in the shipboard library.
Professor Iain Campbell (pointing with green laser pointer) held stargazing sessions on the observatory deck throughout the Spring 2014 voyage.
Wandering amongst monks and the bustle of a busy morning, Semester at Sea students admired the vendors at the local market, especially the women selling freshly cut flowers in Thanlyin village outside of Yangon, Myanmar. More photos here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/04/10/photo-gallery-daily-life-in-myanmar/.
A student plays the game “Telephone” with young boys at an orphanage in Twante, Myanmar.
A Semester at Sea student takes a moment to look at items in a Burmese home in the village of Thanlyin outside of Yangon, Myanmar. More photos here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/04/10/photo-gallery-daily-life-in-myanmar/.
A Semester at Sea student get thanaka paste applied to his face. Thanaka, made from rubbing bark onto a dampened stone disk, is a traditional cosmetic paste worn by many Burmese people. More photos here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/04/10/photo-gallery-daily-life-in-myanmar/.
While in Myanmar, voyagers played ‘London Bridge’ and ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ at the Su Htoo Pan Orphanage. More photos here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/04/10/photo-gallery-daily-life-in-myanmar/.
The Spring 2014 Sea Olympics on board the MV Explorer brought a fantastic show from the Bering Sea. Their routine won them first place in the cheer competition. More photos: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/04/22/competition-on-the-high-seas/.
The Spring 2014 Voyager Talent Show drew a packed house to the Union and the eighteen selected acts didn’t disappoint the crowd.
Voyagers in Varanasi enjoyed a pre-dawn boat ride along the Ganges River, soaking in the activities happening along the ghats on the river’s edge. More about Varanasi: http://bylandandbyseablog.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/life-and-death-in-varanasi/.
Two Semester at Sea students took time to reflect at the Taj Mahal in Agra. More about the trip: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/04/18/photo-gallery-sacred-river-stunning-monuments/.
A Semester at Sea student shakes hands with women living at Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Agra. More about the trip: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/04/18/photo-gallery-sacred-river-stunning-monuments/.
Semester at Sea voyagers traveled on the “Langa Township and Happy Feet” field program to visit Langa, a township located on the outskirts of Cape Town, and visit the Happy Feet Project, an initiative started in 2007, to provide township kids with positive influences to keep them away from gangs and drugs in the community.
Students work with children in Ghana to write letters and draw pictures for the sponsors that help fund their education. More here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/05/06/creating-a-refuge-from-child-slavery-in-ghana/.
Voyagers traveled on the “City of Refuge” field program to visit an orphanage that cares for children who have been trafficked into child labor in the Lake Volta region of Ghana. Voyagers participated in various activities on the compound such as painting and helping orphans write sponsor letters. More here: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/05/06/creating-a-refuge-from-child-slavery-in-ghana/.
The MV Explorer prepares to sail from Casablanca, the last port of the Spring 2014 voyage. More on a field lab in Morocco: http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/05/19/field-lab-an-afternoon-in-the-caliphs-house/.