Antarctica 2026

How to begin to select three photographs to print and feature from my last 28-day trip to the Ross Sea in Antarctica. Even being here for the second time, the experience was overwhelming; again, my mind struggled to comprehend this landscape and understand the extraordinary light. I decided to pick a selection that would try and represent the way the icebergs and ice shelf touched me, the interactions with them that still hold in my mind.

Adrift

Adrift, Ross Sea, Antarctica, 2026

Travelling south three years ago, I made a photograph of a lone iceberg at 66° south. It steals my heart every time I look back on it. This photograph alone made me wish to return again to the icy shores within the Antarctic Circle. I loved the solitude this iceberg presented as it floated in a void between sea and sky. The print called for more—it should not sit alone—it’s part of a wider story, a wider landscape, that called for a wider body of work. This year, crossing the Antarctic Circle again under another imposing sky, I was offered the opportunity to make this photograph, one that complements the last, building on the project exploring the landscapes beyond 66° South.

Threshold

Threshold, Ross Sea, Antarctica, 2026

This evening at the Ross Ice Shelf was an experience that one could never attempt to explain in words, that no photograph could capture in the depth of being there in that moment. Seeing the sky change a chameleon of hues contrasted against the world’s largest ice shelf made me appreciate the awe of our untouched world and our small scale on the edge of this planet. Over recent years, I have turned away from the setting sun—seeking softer use of colour in my work—but on this trip to Antarctica I was drawn to staying up all night to wonder at the sky’s spectacular tones. As the 24 hour daylight of the Antarctic summer ends and the low sun kisses the horizon for the first time, sunset and sunrise merge into one single spectacular display that last for hours.

Ice Castles

Ice Castles, Balleny Islands, Antarctica, 2026

Back at 66° South, at the Balleny Islands; one of my last frames before departing north to New Zealand. I don't understand how I composed this photograph, why it’s so different from anything I've made in the past. Was it a happy accident? Or am I seeing this landscape in a new way? Has returning allowed me to experience a new depth within these icebergs—becoming more connected to this landscape and moving closer in—no longer viewing from the distance I once did. This photograph does not fit with the other work I've made here—it sits alone—but every time I look at it, it draws me in, calling me to return again and discover how my approach to this place will keep developing.


Fine Art Prints

These photographs are available as limited edition prints of 45.

Richard Young

Photographer, Wānaka, New Zealand.

https://www.richardyoung.co.nz
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Hokkaido, Winter 2026