In the Southern Ocean one December morning in 2019, photographer Steve McCurry stood on the windswept deck of the Silver Cloud, captivated by a landscape that seemed to transform before his very eyes. In the near distance was one of the “mammoth pieces of floating sculpture” that he says he’d looked forward to seeing on this, his first visit to the White Continent: an enormous iceberg, adrift in the Gilbert Strait near Trinity Island, with an uncanny archway and towering, snow-topped columns reflecting the pale polar sunlight. McCurry watched for what felt like hours as the light shifted, the ice melted, and new shapes and shadows revealed themselves. It was, he recalls, a mesmerizing sight — and a world away from the scenes he’s accustomed to capturing.
Throughout his career, McCurry has focused on bringing a human element to everything he photographs. His images depict conflict zones, ancient traditions, and contemporary cultures. One of his most iconic portraits is of the “Afghan Girl,” whose piercing green eyes seemed to gaze back at readers from the cover of National Geographic in 1985. Decades later, his first visit to Antarctica presented a welcome career challenge, in a way only the world’s most remote region can: How could McCurry bring his signature human element to a continent devoid of humans?
“I liked switching gears and doing something completely different. Something quiet. Something monochromatic,” says McCurry. Alternating between a Nikon D850 and a Leica SL2, he took advantage of the nearly round-the-clock light (save for a small window between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.). What he lost in sleep, he gained in appreciation for the ever-changing landscapes — and for a chance to slow down and take a more meditative approach to his work.
“I knew it was going to be something really spectacular, but it really was even more than I’d hoped it would be.”
The additional photographs below, some of McCurry’s favorites from that 2019 expedition with Silversea, highlight the details that make the journey to the far ends of the earth worthwhile.
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