(6 Spots Left) February 15-27, 2028 Antarctica For Photographers with Steve Simon and Soichi Hayashi

There are many ways to visit Antarctica. This one is built around photography.©Roie Galitz

Just 10 photographers. 11 days in Antarctica. No Drake Passage crossing, we fly. Our own 38-metre expedition vessel.

Research-permit flexibility for longer photographic days and early and late light • Antarctic Circle • Permitted drone photography • Greater freedom to respond to weather, wildlife and changing conditions

It is about having more time in the field. Being able to respond when the light changes, whales appear or the weather asks us to wait. It is about working from a comfortable, small expedition vessel with ten photographers instead of sharing each landing with a ship carrying hundreds of passengers.

Our vessel operates under a research permit. This gives the expedition team unusual flexibility to respond to light, wildlife, sea ice and weather, rather than being tied entirely to the landing-site reservation system used by most Antarctic ships. It also allows us to pursue early- and late-light opportunities and, when conditions and wildlife considerations permit, fly drones legally under the supervision of the expedition team.

For photographers, these are huge and meaningful advantages.

Soichi Hayashi and I will lead this PhotoEducate workshop aboard a private 38-metre sailing vessel. Our experienced polar-expedition partner will manage the ship, charter flights, crew, naturalist, Zodiac operations, research permit and Antarctic logistics. Soichi and I will concentrate on helping you make the most of what unfolds in front of us.

And in Antarctica, something is always unfolding.

More Time Where It Matters

We fly from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island in approximately two hours, passing over the Drake Passage instead of spending roughly two and a half days sailing across it in each direction.

Flying does not remove Antarctica’s unpredictable weather. Our departure can still be delayed while we wait for a safe landing window. But it means that substantially more of our time can be spent in Antarctica rather than getting there.

©Roie Galitz

The expedition is planned around ten nights and eleven days in Antarctica, considerably longer than many conventional itineraries. Those additional days matter.

They give us time to observe. Time to wait. Time to return to the deck when the light changes or launch a Zodiac when wildlife appears. If the weather turns, our captain can seek shelter in a bay or fjord and adjust the route rather than trying to force every experience into a short schedule.

Photography often rewards patience. This expedition gives us room for it.

The Advantage of a Research Permit

Most Antarctic vessels reserve specific landing sites months in advance and must follow a tightly controlled schedule.

Because our vessel operates under a research permit, the expedition team has greater freedom to respond to the conditions we encounter. If wildlife is active in one area, the light is particularly good somewhere else or weather makes another landing more practical, the team has additional flexibility in deciding where and when we work.

The permit also allows us to pursue opportunities at sunrise and sunset, when most visitors have already returned to their ships. In February, Antarctic days are still long, and the lower light can bring richer color, longer shadows and a very different feeling to the landscape. 

©Roie Galitz

Optional Drone Photography and Instruction

©Roie Galitz

The permit also provides the possibility of flying drones, subject to weather, wildlife activity, safety requirements and approval from the captain and expedition leader. Antarctica is not a place where anyone simply launches a drone whenever they feel like it. Every flight must be considered carefully and conducted responsibly.

That care is part of what makes the opportunity so valuable.

One unusual possibility on this expedition is drone photography. Because our operation allows for permitted drone use, we may have opportunities to photograph Antarctica from the air when conditions and regulations permit. Soichi and I have both used drones before and will be happy to share what we know with anyone interested in trying it. Drone photography will always be completely optional, and you do not need to own or fly a drone to participate fully in the workshop.

For those who are interested, however, the chance to photograph Antarctica from the air is a rare one. Icebergs, glaciers, shorelines and patterns in the sea ice can reveal forms and relationships that are difficult to understand from ground level.

Every proposed flight will require approval from the expedition team and must comply with the research permit, wildlife-distance rules, weather restrictions and any equipment or insurance requirements provided before departure. Wildlife welfare will always come before a photograph.

©Roie Galitz

Only Ten Participants

The vessel has a strict maximum of twelve guests, including Soichi and me. That leaves room for only ten workshop participants.

A group this small changes the experience. There is less waiting to board our two Zodiacs, more space to photograph and a faster response when conditions shift. It also allows Soichi and me to spend meaningful time with everyone, both in the field and during our conversations aboard the vessel.

We are interested in creating a compatible group of photographers who are curious, flexible and generous in the way they travel.

You do not need to specialize in wildlife photography. You do not need to arrive with the largest lens.

You do need to be ready to look closely.

A Photographic Expedition from the Beginning

This workshop is being planned around the needs of photographers from the start.

Our route, whenever conditions allow, can respond to light, wildlife, sea ice and weather rather than follow an inflexible timetable established months in advance. The vessel’s small size allows us to enter protected anchorages and work in places that are less practical for larger ships.

The combination of a research permit, a small vessel and additional time in Antarctica gives us options. It does not make us immune to Antarctic weather. Nothing does. But it gives us a better chance to wait, adapt and take advantage of the opportunities that appear.

Our Expedition Vessel: Intimate in Scale, Comfortable by Design

©Roie Galitz

Our home in Antarctica will be the Eldorado, a 38-metre, two-masted expedition schooner built in the Netherlands for extended voyages in polar waters. With only ten participants aboard, plus our photography leaders and professional crew, it gives us something that would be impossible on a conventional cruise ship: an intimate experience and the flexibility to respond to changing light, weather, wildlife and ice conditions.

Although Eldorado is a sailing vessel, we will not be dependent on wind alone. It is also equipped with a powerful diesel engine capable of propelling the vessel at approximately 10 knots. The engine can be used when winds are unsuitable, while navigating confined waters and whenever conditions make powered propulsion the safer or more practical choice. The vessel also has generators for electrical power and a bow thruster to assist with close manoeuvring. 

Safety is naturally an important consideration in such a remote environment. Eldorado is an ice-class vessel equipped for Antarctic operations, with modern navigation and communications systems and safety and rescue equipment intended for polar expeditions. It can remain self-sufficient at sea for as long as 35 days. We will also carry two Zodiac boats for landings and excursions.

Our vessel gives us the responsiveness and intimacy of a small photographic expedition without asking participants to rough it. Every cabin has its own toilet and shower, and the shared dining room, lounge and bar give us comfortable places to relax, eat, review photographs and spend time together.

Larger cruise ships may offer balconies, spas and resort-style facilities. That is not what defines this experience. What matters here is the combination of comfort, security and a vessel small enough to respond to changing light, wildlife, weather and ice.

The ship is our comfortable home, our transportation and our floating photography base throughout Antarctica.

Why February?

Our planned timing in February places us in Antarctica during a particularly active part of the season.

Penguin chicks may be fledging, molting and beginning to enter the water. This change in behavior can create interesting photographic possibilities and may coincide with increased activity from leopard seals and orcas.

©Roie Galitz

Whales, seals, seabirds, changing ice and the Antarctic landscape will all be part of what we watch for.

Wildlife makes its own decisions, of course. No encounter can be promised, nor would we want to approach Antarctica as though nature were performing on demand.

What we can promise is that we will be paying attention.

Two Photographers, Two Ways of Seeing

Soichi and I bring different experiences and instincts to photography, which is one of the reasons I am excited about teaching this workshop together.

Our work will move between wildlife, landscape, movement, gesture, timing and visual storytelling. We will help with the technical challenges of photographing from a Zodiac, working in snow and changing weather, managing equipment in the cold and choosing shutter speeds for wildlife in motion.

For those interested in aerial photography, Soichi will also share his experience as a licensed drone pilot, helping participants think about both the technical and visual decisions involved in photographing from above.

But technique is only part of it.

What do you include in the frame, and what do you leave out? How do you communicate the scale of the landscape without losing its intimacy? When does a photograph move beyond description and begin to feel like something you experienced?

These are questions we will explore together. Sometimes in conversation. Sometimes while reviewing photographs aboard the vessel. Often while standing beside you with a camera in hand.

The Punta Arenas Street-Photography Day

We are also adding a full day of street photography in Punta Arenas before or after the Antarctic voyage, depending on the charter-flight schedule.

At first, street photography and Antarctica may seem to belong to different worlds. But many of the instincts are the same: observation, anticipation, gesture, movement, patience and the ability to recognize a moment before it disappears.

Punta Arenas gives us a completely different visual environment. We will move from open ice and distant horizons to people, streets, architecture, color, working waterfronts and the everyday rhythm of a city beside the Strait of Magellan. It will be a valuable creative counterpoint to Antarctica and an opportunity to begin or conclude the workshop by looking closely at human life at the southern edge of Patagonia.

Workshop Highlights

Ten workshop participants, with Steve Simon and Soichi Hayashi aboard

• • Ten nights and approximately eleven days in Antarctica
  • Chartered flights between Punta Arenas and King George Island
  • Approximately two hours in the air instead of several days sailing across the Drake Passage
  • A private, comfortable 38-metre expedition sailing vessel
  • A research permit providing greater operational flexibility
  • Opportunities to work during early and late Antarctic light
  • Permitted drone photography when conditions and wildlife considerations allow
  • Optional drone instruction with Soichi Hayashi, licensed drone pilot
  • Private toilet and shower in every cabin
  • Two Zodiacs for shore landings and wildlife exploration
  • A naturalist and experienced polar-expedition team aboard
  • Planned exploration south across the Antarctic Circle
  • More time to respond to weather, wildlife, ice and changing light
  • Opportunities to photograph penguins, whales, seals, seabirds, icebergs and glaciers
  • Small-group field instruction and personal photographic guidance
  • Image reviews and photographic conversations aboard the vessel
  • A dedicated PhotoEducate street-photography day in Punta Arenas
  • Approximately 13 days in total, subject to the final flight schedule
    

Learning in the Field

Soichi and I will photograph alongside you during landings, Zodiac excursions, sailing days and our Punta Arenas street-photography session.

Instruction will be practical and responsive to what is happening in front of us. Topics may include:

• Building stronger compositions
• Anticipating gesture and behavior
• Photographing wildlife with patience and respect
• Working with scale in immense landscapes
• Using weather and atmosphere
• Photographing effectively from a moving Zodiac
• Managing exposure in snow and ice
• Choosing shutter speeds for movement and wildlife
• Finding visual order in complex situations
• Creating sequences rather than isolated images
• Editing and evaluating your photographs
• Developing a personal visual narrative of the expedition
• Planning and composing aerial photographs
• Responsible drone operation in a sensitive polar environment

Image Reviews and Conversations

When our expedition schedule permits, we will gather aboard the vessel for image reviews, presentations and informal conversations about photography. These sessions will be supportive, practical and candid. We will look at what is working, consider what might be strengthened and use those discoveries when we return to the field.

Personal Attention

The workshop is open to photographers with different levels of experience. The small group makes individual guidance possible. You do not need to be a professional photographer or use a particular camera brand. A mirrorless camera, DSLR or another capable photographic system is welcome.

A drone is entirely optional.

What matters most is curiosity, commitment and a willingness to engage fully with the experience.

Planned Itinerary

The following route represents what we hope to explore. Antarctica will have the final word. Weather, sea ice, wildlife, aviation requirements and safety considerations may change the order of our activities or take us somewhere unexpected. That flexibility is not a weakness in the itinerary. It is one of its strengths.

Arrival in Punta Arenas

We gather in Punta Arenas, Chile, where our team will welcome you and transfer you to the hotel.

We will meet for introductions and an opening workshop session with Soichi and me. We will talk about our photographic goals, preparing equipment for Antarctica and ways of working in a place where conditions can change quickly.

A mandatory expedition briefing will cover the charter flight, clothing, equipment, safety and the latest information from King George Island.

From this point, we will be on flight alert while our aviation team waits for a safe landing window.

Overnight: Punta Arenas

PhotoEducate Street-Photography Day

Before or after the Antarctic voyage, depending on the charter-flight schedule, we will dedicate a full day to photographing Punta Arenas.

Set on the Strait of Magellan, the city offers a mixture of historic architecture, colorful buildings, public squares, markets, working waterfronts and everyday life at the southern edge of Patagonia. Soichi and I will lead the group through the city, helping participants work the streets drama and the challenges of photographing in an unfamiliar place.

The day will include field instruction and, when scheduling permits, an image review or group discussion.

Fly to King George Island

Our Antarctic expedition begins with a charter flight from Punta Arenas to King George Island. The journey takes approximately two hours.

After landing, we transfer to the shoreline, where Zodiacs take us to the vessel. Once everyone is aboard and settled, we begin sailing south.

If our flight arrives early enough, we may attempt our first Antarctic landing that same afternoon in the South Shetland Islands.

During the night, we cross the Bransfield Strait toward the Antarctic Peninsula.

Cierva Cove and Wilhelmina Bay

At Cierva Cove, enormous icebergs often gather within the bay, creating shelter for penguins and seals and a constantly changing landscape for photography.

We explore by Zodiac, working among the ice and watching for wildlife.

We then sail toward Wilhelmina Bay, known for humpback whales feeding on krill. If conditions and wildlife activity come together, we may return to the Zodiacs in the afternoon or evening.

Lemaire Channel and Petermann Island

The Lemaire Channel is a narrow passage enclosed by steep mountains, cliffs and glaciers. From the deck, the scale can be difficult to take in. Photography gives us a way to begin.

We plan to land on Petermann Island, home to colonies of Adélie and Gentoo penguins. From there, we continue south toward the Antarctic Circle.

Prospect Point and Crystal Sound

At Prospect Point, we hope to visit penguin and cormorant colonies while watching the surrounding water for whales and seals. The remains of the abandoned British Station J can also be seen from outside.

We then enter Crystal Sound, a remote region of islands, coves and large ice formations. Few conventional Antarctic itineraries spend much time this far south.

Our captain and expedition leader will use the flexibility provided by the vessel’s research permit to select landings and Zodiac routes according to ice, weather, wildlife activity and light.

Conditions permitting, we cross the Antarctic Circle.

Detaille Island and Marguerite Bay

Detaille Island is home to the remarkably preserved British Base W, now protected as an Antarctic Historic Site. Inside, objects left by researchers offer a direct and surprisingly personal connection to an earlier period of Antarctic exploration.

We continue into Marguerite Bay, photographing glaciers, open landscapes and large icebergs from the ship and Zodiacs.

Our planned southernmost point lies near the Adelaide Island group.

A Flexible Day Northbound

As we begin sailing north, we leave this day intentionally open.

Perhaps wildlife appears. Perhaps the light changes. Perhaps weather sends us toward a sheltered anchorage we had not expected to visit.

The additional time built into the expedition, combined with the operational flexibility of the research permit, gives us the possibility of following those opportunities rather than simply sailing past them.

Port Charcot and Flanders Bay

Port Charcot on Booth Island offers penguin colonies, polar history and the possibility of a walk to higher viewpoints.

We then continue to Flanders Bay. When ice and weather permit, this can be an excellent place for extended Zodiac exploration and whale photography.

Neko Harbour, Cuverville Island and Orne Harbour

At Neko Harbour, participants may walk to a panoramic viewpoint or remain near the shoreline with the penguins and seals.

Cuverville Island is known for its large Gentoo penguin colony and glacial setting. Later, we hope to enter Orne Harbour and photograph Chinstrap penguins in the evening light.

Deception Island and Half Moon Island

We sail through Neptune’s Bellows and into the flooded volcanic caldera of Deception Island.

The remains of its whaling station give us another glimpse into Antarctic history. Subject to current conditions and regulations, there may also be an opportunity for a polar plunge.

At Half Moon Island, we look for Chinstrap penguins, fur seals, Weddell seals and the occasional elephant seal.

Return to Punta Arenas

We return to King George Island and coordinate our disembarkation with the aviation team.

If the flight schedule allows, we may have time for one final landing or photographic session. We then fly over the Drake Passage and return to our hotel in Punta Arenas.

Overnight: Punta Arenas

Final Workshop Session and Departure

Depending on the placement of our street-photography day, we will conclude with either our Punta Arenas field session or a final PhotoEducate gathering.

Our closing session will give us an opportunity to reflect on the expedition, discuss the editing process and consider how the photographs from Antarctica and Punta Arenas might come together as a cohesive visual story.

Airport transfers will be arranged according to the final program. We will meet again once home for a post workshop Zoom session to discuss the final edit and portfolio narrative. 

Testimonials

Anna Blanco, New York City

“Best workshop I’ve ever taken! Steve is not only a great photographer, he is also a terrific teacher. He is patient and very hands- on. In some workshops the instructor sends students out to shoot after a short lecture–Steve goes out with his students, coaching them throughout the process. His course is well organized and covers diverse topics. He is funny and engaging and generous with his time and knowledge. I had SO MUCH fun and am ready to sign up for the next one. Highly recommended!”

Anne Dunford, Ithaca, New York

"My week in Steve’s Street Shooting workshop challenged me tremendously. There’s nothing like taking your work apart and putting it back together with new vision to make you a better photographer. If you take this workshop, I guarantee you will see the world differently at the end."

Gary Niederpruem, Chicago

“What a fabulous experience. I learned more about photography in one week than I had in 5 years. Steve is very knowledgable about the technical side as well as composition. He is very patient, gives excellent feedback and will work one on one with you on any photography subject you want. I asked him for help on night photography and at 10 PM he was out on the streets of Havana with me with step by step instructions on how to take the shot. 5 star plus rating!!”

Paul Lavergne, San Juan, PR

"Steve’s passion for photography is contagious and his teaching abilities and knowledge extraordinary! I highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in photography."

Chapman Solomon, Mountain View, CA

“Participating in the NYC Street Photography Workshop was an enriching and exhilarating experience. It challenged me to step out of my comfort zone to improve my skills. Steve’s curriculum and hands on approach offered me an opportunity to learn new techniques, add some creativity and visualize subject matter from another perspective. Each day presented abundant photo opportunities, resulting with the capture of some amazing images, exceeding my greatest expectations.”

Stephen Sholl, New York City

"Not only is Steve a great photographer, he is also a caring, compassionate person as well. He is constantly trying to help participants achieve their photographic goals in a gentle, caring, and sincere manner. Sadly, the critiques of my work were very helpful. Steve was right-on in terms of his suggestions to better my work. The totality of the workshop was terrific, primarily because the parts were all excellent as well. Choice of shooting locations, image reviews, suggestions, videos shown, and galleries visited were all great. Steve also promoted wonderful interactions among the participants. The venue was perfect for the workshop. We could spread out, leave your things there, use the facilities, and eat the goodies provided. You know you’re in good hands with Steve! An outstanding workshop!!"

Steve Lavelle, London

"This is an outstanding workshop, led by a world-class photographer. It is impossible to spend time in a room with Steve Simon and not be inspired to get out there and make great images …I had high expectations and you exceeded them…Steve is very personable, articulate and passionate about photography, very welcoming with a warm, engaging personality. Steve’s style is outstanding. I knew of Steve from the TWiP podcast and would have attended if he was talking about how to watch paint dry…”

Oscar Piñeyro, Dallas

"I just spent the last three days with Steve Simon, What a wonderful experience, the best time spent in a workshop ever. Steve is a perfectionist, every presentation not only had spectacular photography but also the perfect music to enhance the mood, a roller coaster of emotions. He cannot hide his journalistic background every single image tells a story. His technique is flawless; his teaching patience unparalleled. I am eager to start a new chapter of my photography applying what Steve taught me in the last few days."