The Drake Passage
Crossing the Drake Passage between Cape Horn and Antarctica – known as one of the wildest and most fearsome ocean crossings
On this particular crossing in December 2016 our seas were an average 5-6m and the winds up to 70 knots, which meant plenty of albatross to observe skimming the waves, which in these conditions is an absolute masterclass in flight.
Penguins in Paradise
It’s summer in Antarctica and the shoreline around the Gentoo penguin colony at Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay is busy with the coming and goings of their residents.
Enjoy a short video below featuring a bellyflop or two, and also 360˚ video experience from a perfect summer’s day in Antarctica – on assignment with Galaxiid.
New Zealand Geographic – Cover Shot!
Only a few days after winning the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year 2016 – Aerial category, ‘Black Pearl Farm – Manihiki‘ is now gracing the covers of the November/December issue of New Zealand Geographic magazine! The image was taken using a drone above Manihiki Atoll in the Cook Islands, of a pearl farm built on top a near symetrical coral bommie. My intention was to photograph the farm in the form of a pearl itself. It’s an honour and a thrill to have my work featured on the cover of this prestigious magazine.
New Zealand Geographic – Issue 142 – Nov/Dec 2016
Black Pearl Farm – Manihiki, Cook Islands
Last night Black Pearl Farm won the DJI Aerial Category at the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year 2016 awards in Auckland.
The Colours of Autumn
A short video of our the spectacular autumnal colours this year around Lake Wanaka, the Clutha Mata-Au River, Albert Town and Arrowtown in Central Otago, New Zealand.
Photography:
Aliscia Young & Richard Sidey
Produced by:
Galaxiid | Immersive Experiences through Visual Media
Wild Galápagos
The Galápagos Islands are home to some of the most unusual creatures on earth, explored here in this 3-minute ambient destination video from Galaxiid.
See other videos in the ‘Wild Destinations’ series produced by Galaxiid here:
vimeo.com/channels/wildvideo
Photographed and Edited by Richard Sidey
richardsidey.com
Produced by Galaxiid – Immersive Experiences through Visual Media
galaxiid.com | facebook.com/galaxiid
Wilds of the South Pacific
Take an ambient journey through Melanesia and Polynesia in this immersive video experience from Galaxiid.
Destinations include Western Papua, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago and Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia.
From the ‘Wild’ series by Galaxiid – See our other videos in this series
©2016 Galaxiid Limited | All Rights Reserved
galaxiid.com | facebook.com/galaxiid
Cinematography:
Richard Sidey | richardsidey.com
Aliscia Young | alisciayoung.com
Full list of destinations:
Asmat Region, West Papua
Sepik River, Papua New Guinea
Tufi, Papua New Guinea
Baining Mountains, Papua New Guinea
Loh Island, Vanuatu
Tanna, Vanuatu
Manra Atoll, Kiribati
Suwarrow, Cook Islands
Manihiki, Cook Islands
Aitutaki, Cook Islands
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Motutunga, Tuamotus, French Polynesia
Ua Pou, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
Fatu Hiva, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
All 17 Penguins Species Photographed over a Decade
While navigating the intricate, rocky shoreline of Dusky Sound in my zodiac, I realised I was on the verge of a unique and completely unplanned milestone – to photograph all seventeen recognised penguin species on the planet. It was of some amusement to me that this seventeenth species should lie on my back doorstep – New Zealand’s magnificent Fiordland National Park. Having worked for over a decade on expedition vessels to remote islands of the Southern Ocean and around the world, I was now only a couple of hundred kilometres from my living room looking for the Tawaki (also known as Fiordland crested penguin).
Within a couple of hours the keen birders amongst our party had one spotted, then several more. Several were in the water which came several metres from my craft, and a few were sitting in well protected cracks on the rocky shoreline. As per usual, the shutters flew, the birders ecstatic as we marvelled in a magical experience viewing one of New Zealand’s true elusive characters in the wild.
And so, with the ‘list’ complete, here are all 17 penguin species (in alphabetical order by english names) as seen through my camera over the past decade:
As always, all photos are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission from myself, and just in case anyone out there is writing a book about the world’s penguins, feel free to contact me, I believe I can help 🙂
Adelie Penguin in Crystal Sound, Antarctic Peninsula. Named after French explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville after his wide Adélie Pepin.
African Penguins (or Jackass Penguins), viewed from a distance on Robben Island, near Cape Town, South Africa.
Chinstrap Penguin, Antarctica. Now how did they get that name?
Emperor Penguin, Antarctica. The largest of all penguin species.
Erect-Crested Penguin, breeding only on two remote New Zealand subantarctic islands, the Antipodes and Bounty Islands.
Fiordland Crested Penguin (Tawaki) at the waters edge in Dusky Sound, New Zealand.
Gálapagos Penguin, the only species to live in the northern hemisphere!
Gentoo Penguin – The chick here mesmerised by the falling snow.
Humboldt Penguin off the coast of Peru.
King Penguins standing tall at St Andrew’s Bay, South Georgia.
The Little Blue Penguin (or Fairy Penguin) in New Zealand’s Dusky Sound.
The superbly named Macaroni Penguin in South Georgia.
Magellanic Penguins and their chicks on Saunders Island, Falkland Islands.
A Rockhopper Penguin with cool hair and striking red eyes on the Falklands.
Royal Penguin, breeding only on Australia’s Macquarrie Island.
And last but definitely not least, my favourite, the Yellow-eyed Penguin (or Hōiho), a rare shy and elusive inhabitant of southern New Zealand. Photographed here on Enderby Island in the subantarctic Auckland Islands.
Snares Crested Penguin, living in large numbers on, you guessed it, Snares Islands in New Zealand’s subantarctic. Somehow this character evades alphabetical order.
Wild Kimberley
The second video in our Wild series, after Wild Alaska.
The Kimberley was one of the earliest settled parts of Australia, with the first arrivals landing about 41,000 years ago. This video includes footage from the King George River and Falls, the Hunter River, Ord River, Raft Point and Montgomery Reef.
“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. ” – Aboriginal Proverb
Photography & Editing: Aliscia Young, Richard Sidey
Speechless | Enderby Island, New Zealand
A new Speechless episode from the majestic Enderby Island, part of the Auckland Islands in the New Zealand subantarctic. Step ashore with the rare Yellow-eyed penguins as they make their way past numerous New Zealand Sea Lions en route to their peaceful sanctuary in an ancient rata forest.
Speechless: Nature without music or narration.
