Waddling along with their wings stretched open and their eyes shining bright, the sight of a penguin is sure to prompt a smile.
California-based Ira Meyer has been photographing penguins around Antarctica and the South Georgia region for more than 25 years and he says that he never tires of documenting the characterful critters.
Over the years he has snapped a number of different species including Macaronis – which have a distinctive tuft of yellow-orange hair on their heads – and chinstraps – which have a visible black line under their beaks, as if they’re wearing hats.
Waddling along with their wings stretched open and their eyes shining bright, the sight of a penguin is sure to prompt a smile (above, hundreds of King penguins crowds the shores of St Andrews Bay in South Georgia)
California-based Ira Meyer has been photographing penguins around Antarctica and the South Georgia region for more than 25 years and he says that he never tires of documenting the characterful critters (above, Adelie penguins charge along on Brown Bluff in Antarctica)
Over the years he has snapped a number of different species including Macaronis – which have a distinctive tuft of yellow hair on their heads – and chinstraps (seen above) – which have a visible black line under their beaks, as if they’re wearing hats
Other types include Kings, Gentoos, Adelies, Rockhoppers and the regal Emperors.
Meyer told MailOnline Travel that it’s almost impossible to select a favourite species as they’re just ‘all so endearing’.
Often he spots the black and white birds playing amongst themselves and getting in a flap.
Asked what time of year is best for photographing penguins, Meyer says it depends on what you want to see.
He says that the birds’ behaviour changes each season, with breeding and birthing impacting how they act.
Meyer’s stunning photos show an array of penguins in various stages of their life.
Meyer told MailOnline Travel that it’s almost impossible to select a favourite species as they’re just ‘all so endearing’ (above, Magellanic penguins seen pattering along on the Falkland Islands)
Often he spots the black and white birds playing amongst themselves and getting in a flap (above, Gentoo chicks call out for attention on Petermann Island in the Antarctic)
Asked what time of year is best for photographing penguins, Meyer says it depends on what you want to see (above, a King penguin chick looks out to the distance on the shores of South Georgia)
Some images show fuzzy-hired chicks cooing for their mothers, while others show older birds performing mating rituals.
Asked how he would sum up penguins, Meyer concluded: ‘Penguins aren’t the smartest birds. But they’re rugged little creatures; perfectly adapted to the harshest environment on Earth.
‘They’re also endlessly entertaining.’
Meyer is set to exhibit his photography in California next spring. Along with penguins, his other muses include whales, icebergs, seals and birds.
Along with Antarctica and South Georgia, the native New Yorker spends seasons towards the other end of the pole, in the Arctic, snapping images and passing on his knowledge to passengers on board voyages run by One Ocean Expeditions.
Touching on the icy polar environment, he said: ‘We’re talking about a place on which man has lain some footprints, yet had no appreciable impact. As such, it may well be nature at its absolute purest. The air is delicious to breathe, the stillness pervasive.’
He says that the birds’ behaviour changes each season, with breeding and birthing impacting how they act. Meyer’s stunning photos show an array of penguins in various stages of their life (above, Gentoo penguins seen on Carcass Island, in the northwest of the Falklands archipelago)
Asked how he would sum up penguins, Meyer said: ‘Penguins aren’t the smartest birds. But they’re rugged little creatures; perfectly adapted to the harshest environment on Earth. They’re also endlessly entertaining’ (above, two Emperor penguins spotted on an ice sheet in east Antarctica)
Meyer is set to exhibit his photography in California next spring. Along with penguins, his other muses include whales, icebergs, seals and birds (above, Gentoo penguins weave through the ice off Danco Island in Antarctica)
Along with Antarctica and South Georgia, the native New Yorker spends seasons towards the other end of the pole, in the Arctic, snapping images and passing on his knowledge to passengers on board voyages run by One Ocean Expeditions (above, a Gentoo penguin seen at Damoy Point in the Palmer Archipelago of Antarctica)
Meyer managed to photograph the Royal penguin, a species which can be found on the sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island and adjacent islands. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the royal penguin as near-threatened
Meyer first sailed to the Earth’s southernmost continent more than 25 years ago and it’s a love affair that has continued ever since (above, an Adelie penguin is eyed up by a seal in the Antarctic)
The intrepid cameraman said that there are so many incredible sights he’s witnessed on his voyages to the Great White, from wild seas and avalanches to sublime sunsets and moonrises (above, an Adelie on the ice in Antarctica)