'A lovely symphony of blue and green', Part 1

Both Captain Scott and Herbert Ponting - the photographer accompanying him on the Terra Nova expedition - wrote about the intense colours that they encountered in the landscape of Antarctica. In this series of three short talks by Royal Collection curator Sophie Gordon, we examine how Ponting attempted to capture these magical blues, greens and oranges in his photographs beginning here with the blues of this grotto within an iceberg, taken in January, 1911.

Herbert Ponting, Grotto in an iceberg, 5 January 1911, RCIN 2580016

In the second of these three short talks, Royal Collection curator Sophie Gordon, briefly considers this atmospheric photograph which captured the moment the sea began to freeze, cutting the men off in Antarctica for the winter.

Herbert Ponting, The Freezing of the Sea, April 1911, RCIN 2580013

In this, the third in her series of talks, Royal Collection curator Sophie Gordon examines how Ponting captured the dramatic reds and oranges and the beauty of the natural landscape that he experienced during his time in the Antarctic.

Herbert Ponting, Cirrus clouds over the Barne Glacier, April 1911, RCIN 2580021