David Yarrow's Journey To The Edge Of The World

Penguins on the shores of South Georgia provided an opportunity (and a challenge) for David Yarrow in this fine art photography shoot, when the photographer brought together a small crew to journey to the edge of the world, in an attempt to create an art piece that captured their majesty. South Georgia is located in the middle of the southern Atlantic Ocean, and there are no flights to the island – it is only accessible via an 80-hour boat journey from the Falkland Islands.

Not long ago, this icy outpost was an example of the horrors that humans are capable of inflicting on our planet, as foreign whaling communities decimated the native flora and fauna, and slaughtered the entirety of the whale population. South Georgia’s recorded whale catch from 1904 to 1966 included 41,515 blue whales, 87,555 tin whales, 26,754 humpback whales, 15,128 sei whales and 3,716 sperm whales: a total of 175,250 animals. Sadly, the true numbers are likely to be much higher than what was officially recorded.

Now, a different story is told, one of natural fortitude that holds promise for all endangered ecosystems around the world, although South Georgia’s recovery is as complex as it is dramatic. The explosion in the number of king penguins and fur seals is clear for all to see, but in part this has been facilitated by retreating glaciers making more space for the locals. The beaches of South Georgia team with wildlife and as a result, the visuals for a photographer are endless.