Antarctica must surely be on most people’s ’bucket list’ as a place to visit - and that will certainly include all photographers.

It was a privilege therefore this week for the Isle of Man Photographic Society to welcome Lara Howe, one of our members, to give a digital slideshow of her visit there a year ago.

Lara is an excellent photographer, and her career as a keen nature conservationist with the Manx Wildlife Trust gives a particular focus to her travels around the world - she has now visited all seven continents.

Her visit to Antarctica started and finished in Ushuaia, located on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the southernmost tip of South America.

Her ship was a specialist expedition vessel, with only 100 or so passengers on board, amongst whom were expert speakers on the wildlife, photography and Antarctica itself - so fully equipped for maximum information and advice.

A small ship also has the advantage of getting close to shore, and allowing shore visits by ribs to get really close to the wildlife, penguins and seals in particular.

The trip took in visits to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Elephant Island, Deception Island as well as the Antarctic Peninsula proper.

Fortunately, apart from storm conditions while crossing the Drake Passage, the weather during what is called the summer season was generally fair.

Accompanied by friends Karin and Rebecca, the trio apparently spent their time on deck, on the water or on beaches getting as close to the wildlife and the ice as they possibly could - enabling Lara to gain some absolutely stunning images for our delight.

Wispy clouds over rocky islands, storm fronts approaching, ice and yet more ice, glaciers and ice bergs, albatrosses, whales, all the varieties of penguins seen in Antarctica except for the emperor (busy in the interior feeding their chicks), elephant seals, leopard seals, fur seals, the dereliction of deserted whaling stations - and all in glorious colour and really close-up with pin sharp detail.

Eight hundred images later and including a very informative commentary, her presentation gained a deserved round of applause from our audience.

Ruth Nicholls, our vice president, gave the vote of thanks.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday, March 11, when images taken by our members during recent monthly assignments on Manx churches and ’Wheels and Circles’ will be shown.

The society meets at the Arts Society Building (Thie Ellyn) in Withington Road, Douglas, on Wednesday evenings, all meetings starting at 7.30pm, and all open to the public (with a modest fee for non-members).

More details of the society and its programme can be found on our website at www.iomps.com, as well as many more images from our various meetings.

Chris Blyth