Coast & seascapes,  Monochrome Madness,  Svalbard,  Travel galleries

Gallery: moving through Arctic waters

August 20, 2025 / 33 Comments

Hark, now hear the sailors cry,

Smell the sea, and feel the sky,

Let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic.

Van Morrison, Into the Mystic

Who hasn’t been mesmerised at times by the sight and sound of the sea? Watching the movement of waves, whether on the shore or from a ship, can be almost hypnotising, or so I find.

I’m keeping it simple this week with a selection of shots all taken from the balcony of our cabin on the Ocean Explorer on our recent Svalbard expedition cruise. When the ship was on the move between our various calling points I enjoyed standing there looking down at the icy waters below. And of course I took photos, trying to capture the movement of both ship and waves. A selection of the more successful of these images seemed a good fit for Leanne’s Monochrome Madness theme this week.

For some of these shots I used a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the water droplets in the waves. For others I used a slower speed to blur the water and emphasise the sense of movement. Some of these have a semi-abstract feel that I liked.

I edited them all with Nik Silver Efex Pro, using a selenium tone to add to the watery feel.

I visited Svalbard in August 2025

33 Comments

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