Top of the World

This image was created as we were exploring the High Arctic region aboard the ship, Professor Molchanov, in the Svalbard Archipelago. The Professor Molchanov is a reconfigured Russian research vessel that could hold 48 passengers. It was not an icebreaker, but was considered ice-strengthened. It is 716 meters in length and weighs 2140 tons. The Professor Molchanov is capable of cruising at 12 knots, thanks to two engines which were capable of delivering 3120 horse power. While planning this trip, we knew we wanted to capture on film the vast beauty and the remoteness of the Arctic area, and to share a sense of being close to the North Pole. Our challenge was to create a final image that would depict a sense of being at the top of the world.

While considering how to do this, we decided that a fisheye lens would allow us to get the shot we wanted. Although a fisheye lens is not often used in nature photography, we believed that the curvature that was created when the lens is tilted above the horizon would best show this sense of being "on top of the world".

Fisheye lenses have the distinct property of changing the perspective of the horizon. A horizontal or vertical line through the optical center of the lens will be straight. Any objects positioned off of these two lines will be curved and thus distorted. What this meant is that the horizon positioned through the middle of the lens will be straight. If the lens is tilted so that the horizon is positioned above the center, the lens and camera being tilted down, it will curve in a concave shape, thus depicting the top of the world.

Another property of a fisheye lens is that it has 180-degree angle of view. The photographer must use care when using this lens, so that unwanted objects don't appear in the photograph. Remember when using a fisheye or other ultra-wide angle lens, to scan along each edge of the viewfinder so you will avoid these unwanted subjects.

The day this image was taken, we had been exploring along the edge of the pack ice. The light was soft and diffused. The ocean was calm. The white ice stood out from the deep blue color of the water. This was the scene we had been waiting for. We truly felt we were at the top of the world and wanted an image that would capture this on film.

When the light and composition were right. I leaned over the bow of the ship, tilted the camera up slightly for the curvature, and checked to be sure that the boat itself was not in the view. The only thing left was to make sure I didn't fall overboard as I was leaning. This shot is one of the few I have taken when I did not use a tripod since the camera was hanging out over the ocean. I believe the scene truly shows the sense of being at the "Top of the World."