#ngexpeditions

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (Muscat, Sultanate of Oman 2017) by Alex Stoen https://flic.kr/p/2hZfBWL

Polynesian sunsets...palms swaying in the breeze as the sun goes down behind a motu (small island) off the coast of Bora Bora in French Polynesia. Can you dig it? #onassignment @natgeo @natgeocreative #ngexpeditions @natgeoexpeditions @natgeofineart (at Bora Bora, French Polynesia)

A kelp gull soars over Antarctica's Weddell Sea.

Lagoon: (noun) a stretch of salt water separated from the sea by a low sandbank or coral reef. The lagoons Atoll: (noun) a ring-shaped reef, island, or chain of islands formed of coral. Paradise: (noun) this atoll lagoon in French Polynesia, where baby white tip sharks ply the waters next to snorkelers and sting rays in the most beautiful clear blue waters you can imagine ringed by swaying palm trees and white sand beaches. ‘Nuff said. #onassignment @natgeo @natgeocreative #ngexpeditions @natgeoexpeditions @natgeofineart #NationalGeographicOrion #Frenchpolynesia

In order to get a different view of this beautiful island of Moorea in French Polynesia, I took the drone (DJI Mavic Pro) for an early morning flight. The views were phenomenal looking back at the island from out over the ocean, hovering about 400 feet above the water. These little drones can so easily get views of places where before it would have taken a lot of expense and coordination to rent a helicopter or airplane. And @djiglobal just announced the new Mavic Pro 2, with a 20mp Hasselblad camera. Giddy up! #shutupandtakemymoney #onassignment @natgeo @natgeocreative #ngexpeditions @natgeoexpeditions @natgeofineart (at Mo'orea)

The shark whisperer. It’s not often you meet someone who has a friendship and a trust built up with sharks. But on Fakarava atoll, in the Tuamotu group of islands in French Polynesia, I found just such a person. The nurse sharks here knew him, and could lie for an hour or more while he gently stroked their head and talked to them. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he brought them fish scraps from the local fisherman as well. But beyond the need for food, these sharks truly seemed to want to be near him...to gain his caress and huddle in his shadow. It was quite an amazing sight. Perhaps we have it all wrong...maybe sharks are just the canines of the ocean. #onassignment @natgeo @natgeocreative #ngexpeditions @natgeoexpeditions @natgeofineart #frenchpolynesia (at Fakarava) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnJQAt1FzYh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xzz6lww8ed0m

Time at home between assignments, for me, is about catching up...not just on life and relationships but also photo editing. I have a long list of assignments that I need to go back through and make sure I didn’t miss any great shots, as I usually don’t have time while on the road to do this deep dive. And I always find some gems in there...like this beautiful iceberg in Antarctica. I could never get tired of seeing the ice down there...it’s one of the things that continues to draw me to these remote polar regions. I have a bit of an ice obsession. This was shot in the Fujifilm GFX 50S (a medium format beast) and I think it will be the next print I make to hang on our walls. The detail is just insane. Can’t wait to see this in print! #onassignment @natgeocreative @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us @natgeo #love #instagood #ngexpeditions @natgeoexpeditions (at Antarctica)

Another beautiful morning playing with the lines in the sand dunes in Baja California, Mexico. I’m drawn to sand dunes, no matter where they are in the world. I love that they move and shift and that every day the wind sculpts them to present a new palette on which to play and photograph. They are alive. #onassignment @natgeocreative @fujifilmUS @fujifilmx_us #fujifilmx_us @natgeo #love #instagood #ngexpeditions @natgeoexpeditions @natgeofineart #NationalGeographicSeaBird #Baja #mexico (at Baja California, Mexico)