All of the photographs in this book were taken between Sept 12th and November 25th 2008 on board the L.M. Gould research ship and in the vicinity of the United States research base Palmer Station on Anvers Island, Antarctica. As a recipient of the National Science Foundation Writers and Artists Grant, I was given access to one of the most remote and incredible places on earth. There I found a pristine yet harsh region where only the heartiest creatures survive. On a small inlet on the southern ocean is an oasis named Palmer Station. There you will find the brightest of people, experts in their field, often taking a reduction in salary in order to participate in what may be the most important research of our time. The Antarctic Peninsula is a place that serves as a barometer for measuring the health of our planet where observation is key to our understanding of what our future holds.

Antarctic Souls is a visual story about Palmer Station and its inhabitants. These photographs depict the human landscape formed in part by the particular lifestyle these souls have chosen and the wild landscape so fragile in spite of a toughness born of cold, wind and ice. I hope these images help to transport you through this fragile kingdom and perhaps inspire you to think about what each and every one of us can do to preserve Antarctica and the rest of our planet.



Scott Sternbach



Technical information:

Cameras:

Wisner Expedition 8X10” View Camera with a 5X7” reducing back.

Canon 1Ds Mark III with assorted L Series Canon Lenses

Mamiya 7II 6X7cm format

Berelbach and Gitzo tripods

Sekonic L-758dr Spot Meter

Film: Kodak Tri X, Plus X, Porta 400 , Ilford FP4, HP5



This project was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Special thanks go out to all of those people who work at Palmer Station Antarctica, the crew of the L.M. Gould Research Ship and those at NSF and Raytheon who helped to make this project possible.

Special thanks to my assistant and LaGuardia student, Homero Campos, Stephen Scott Gross who printed the exhibition and Dorje Lama who did many of the scans of large format negatives and helped to layout the exhibition. Additional thanks to Robert Levine, Gabriel Velez, Onelfri Villar, Laverne Belle and Sandra Dickinson. Many thanks to those at LaGuardia College who gave me their support and to my family. I could not have done it without you all!

For additional Information please contact: Scott Sternbach ssternbach@lagcc.cuny.edu or ssternbach@aol.com