The Project ‘Antarctica’ shows a series of photographs of a voyage to the South Pole. I travelled with a sailing ship which was built in 1911; the same period the last great expeditions left for the unknown continent.
Thoughts of frozen ships trapped in ice-covered seas cross my mind, images of the photographers who joined these expeditions to report of the unexplored. Fascinated by their stories I head for the same circumstances as those of the early twentieth century. A journey of longing, to a time that once was. An heroic saga; filled with hardship and adventure, in an infinite, barren land.
This series of photographs, taken with modern equipment, is a reference to the past. Personally, I feel no need for the photographs to look as if they have been created with techniques of the early 1900’s. This is why I have deliberately chosen to work in colour; allowing the greyscales of the landscape to emphasize the blue captured in ice. In my search for the right images, I have tried to avoid as many elements of the present time as possible; things that would remind me of everyday life.The calm misty weather gives me a sense of desolation and makes the world feel smaller. The slow rate of travelling by sailing ship influences my way of taking photographs: searching for stillness, harmony and tragedy in the landscape. In search of beauty, the beauty of emptiness and cold.
Work from the Antarctica series was chosen as runner up by The Travel Photographer of The Year jury and was published in the TPOTY Journey Twobook. Publications : TPOTY / National Geographic Traveler / The Washington Post / Photogrvphy Magazine / Lensculture / Maptia / Conde Nast Traveller Spain / Get Lost Magazine / Privat AirMagazine / DeMorgen / Ignant / Fubiz / Lonely Planet / Sailing Journal / Sputnik News / Columbus Magazine / CNN Greece / Amateurphotographer / Harvard's Nieman Foundation / BusinessInsider / TheWeatherChannel / Shots Magazine - USA; The Portfolio Issue / MyModernMet.com "Feeze Frame - Recon you could do better? René Koster's shot of the tall ship Europa gracefully skimming the waters of Antarctica scooped second prize in the ' Iconic ' section of the Travel Photographer of the Year." - Sunday Times Traveler
