Discover how to immortalise the voyage of a lifetime
PONANT welcomes three renowned photography ambassadors aboard its fleet. Specialised in wildlife in the remotest of regions, Cindy Miller Hopkins, Sue Flood and Ian Dawson will be present on nine polar expeditions, to share their passion and invaluable tips.
I have been working in the polar regions for 25 years. It is a great privilege to visit these extremely remote destinations onboard Le Commandant Charcot. To step inside Captain Scott’s Hut, on Ross Island, or to witness emperor penguins on a remote ice floe are memories which will last a lifetime.
Sue Flood
The first lesson they impart is to take time to immerse you in a place. They will share their secrets for working in the cold, and learning how to achieve the best results from your equipment to immortalise a special moment, but also tips on creativity and composition.
Photography is about translating our way of seeing the world. Helping guests explore their full creative potential is a really fulfilling part of my role as photo ambassador.
Cindy Miller Hopkins
Capturing the essence of a polar bear deep on the Arctic sea ice or being warmly welcomed into the heart of the remotest communities on the planets is a humbling experience and an honour to photograph.
Cindy Miller Hopkins
Cindy, Sue and Ian will help you take home a portfolio of images you will be proud of. As well as workshops and lectures, there will be exclusive one-to-one sessions, offering plenty of opportunities to practice and develop your talent in exceptional conditions.
Sue Flood: Poles adventurer
For over 25 years, Sue Flood has crisscrossed the Arctic and Antarctic during her many visits both as a producer, and filmmaker with the BBC’s Natural History Unit, and more recently as a freelance photographer. She has received numerous awards and recognition for her photography culminating in an invitation to meet Her Majesty the queen. Sue is one of the few professional women photographers who returns again and again to these most demanding of regions. Her latest book, Emperor - The Perfect Penguin, prefaced by Sir Michael Palin, is a dedication of 200+ shots to emperor penguins - her favourite species.
Cindy Miller Hopkins: 150 visas so far
Professional photographer Cindy Miller Hopkins has been roaming the seven continents and the seas surrounding them for 25 years. With her lens she has captured treasures from more than 150 countries. Her photo taken in 2018 of five penguin species in one frame is thought to be the only one like it in the world. And with over 6,000 others published, her photos have appeared in fine art prints, magazines and journals, as well as textbooks, travel brochures, calendars and consumer products.
Ian Dawson: on the world’s peaks
Ian Dawson is an award winning photographer, filmmaker and mountain guide. A fine art graduate. Ian has spent most of his career in the British media as a photo-journalist and Picture Editor with several national newspapers. He has covered conflict, travel, the Royal Family and celebrities of stage and screen across the globe. Ian is a member of the Alpine Club, the Guild of Picture Editors and Scottish Mountain Rescue. He was recently awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022. But what really drives him is his passion for the remotest regions of the planet.
©PONANT – Sue Flood, ©PONANT – Ian Dawson, ©PONANT – Cindy Miller Hopkins