National Geographic Traveller UK 03.2020

BIG PICTURE

Ekström Ice Shelf,

Antarctica
More than 5,000 male emperor penguins
huddle against the wind of Antarctica’s Atka
Bay, in front of the Ekström Ice Shelf. Each
paired male has a single egg tucked under a
fold of skin. The females give their eggs to
their mates to incubate and then head for the
sea, where they feed for up to three months.
It was a calm day, but the cold felt like needles
in my ingertips as the temperatures fell below
-40C. From mid-May until mid-July, the sun
doesn’t rise above the horizon, but at the
end of winter, when this picture was taken,
the twilight, combined with modern camera
technology and a longish exposure, ofered
the chance to capture such a bright image.
STEFAN CHRISTMANN // PHOTOGRAPHER

nature-in-focus.de/en

@christmannphoto

One of the winners of the Wildlife Photographer
of the Year 2019 competition. The exhibition at
the Natural History Museum, London runs until
31 May 2020. nhm.ac.uk

14 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

SMART TRAVELLER