Photographer David Yarrow is heading to Antarctica. Read on to learn why the southernmost continent makes for his next exciting journey.
Renowned photographer David Yarrow is setting off on his next great adventure, this time heading to the 7th continent, the Ice Down Under, Antarctica. While Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and more remote continent, it’s also an amazing wonderscape sure to provide plenty of excellent photo and art opportunities.
“Antarctica will be a trip unlike most others I have taken,” David Yarrow notes. “Only in recent decades has it become possible to explore Antarctica and to unlock its many mysteries. By and large, it’s an untouched landscape mostly out of the reach of human civilization.”
Antarctica is the only continent that doesn’t play host to permanent human civilization. While researchers spend ample time on “the Ice,” no one lives on the continent permanently. The closest thing to a settled town is McMurdo Station.
At any given time, there may be more than 1,200 people at McMurdo Station. However, it’s not a city in the way most people think of cities. There are no restaurants, only a dining hall. And you won’t find houses either; people make themselves at home in dormitories instead.
That said, while Antarctica is the fringe of human civilization, you’ll still find a general store, a small theater, and other modern amenities. You’ll also find a harbor and an airstrip.
“Antarctica is about as far away from human civilization as you can get while remaining on this Earth,” David Yarrow says. “A big part of my motivation to visit the continent is to document what life is like there, not just for people, but other animals too.”
Capturing Antarctica Now For Future Generations
Despite being the coldest continent, Antarctica is at risk of warming up. Global warming has weakened the ice shelves and icebergs found in the region. The Antarctic Peninsula has seen temperatures increase by 3 degrees Celsius, currently five times the mean rate observed worldwide.
“It’s sad to say, but Antarctica may look very different in a hundred or just fifty years,” David Yarrow says. “Unfortunately, the folks who get to visit now may rank among the last people to see Antarctica in its current form. That’s both humbling and motivating.”
By capturing photographs now, David Yarrow and other photographers can help preserve the memory of Antarctica, if nothing else. Photography has become a powerful historical tool and will help future generations understand how we lived and how the world turned.
Mention Egypt to most people now, and they’ll likely first think of the pyramids surrounded by an ocean of sand. But thousands of years ago, the Nile River Valley was fertile, brimming with life.
Who knows what Antarctica will look like thousands of years from today. Either way, future generations will be able to look back and see what Antarctica looked like today.
“Among other things, photographs offer a window into the past,” David Yarrow notes. “When I take photographs, I try to not simply capture images, but instead to portray moments and lived experiences.”